rennshift

[mikester]

So...I'm considering a rennshift but to be realistic I'd like some feedback.

My current shifter seems to have a lot of play in it and I'm going to open it up this weekend to take a look at what's in there. Right now I have what I think is good tension on the spring into first and reverse but then there is no centering ability. It's my understanding that when I let go of the shifter it should center itself? IF that's the case, then my shifter fails that test completely it's completely slack. Also, I can pretty much stir it in gear - that is to say - when I'm in second for example I have probably about an inch and a half diameter circle I can "stir" the stick in without pulling it out of gear. First is tighter as is reverse but the other gears are real similar to second. I really don't have trouble getting it into gear, the tranny seems to be okay in that respect but the shifter is quite loose. I've got some new bushings to install I know. The firewall bushing stories I've read make it a little scary sounding to try but I have it. I'm kind of feeling that the shifter lever itself is in bad shape on the bottom - so...I'll post pics after I take it apart.

Thanks for the insight fellas.

[Toast]

Im not sure if the teener housing is similar to a VW, but, I had a similar problem like yours with shifter play. What I did on my VW was replace a plastic bushing in the shifter rod tubing (runs under car between the shifter and the tranny....can access under back seat). That made shifting smoother (although I didnt notice having that problem before) and quieter.

My two and a half cents.....

[John Rogers]

Rennshift is great! I have one in the race car and have done two races, the second one in Tijuana where the gear changes were from 5th to 1st at each end of the race course and then back up to 5th. Never missed a shift! The 20% reduction feels really good.

[Scooter311]

Yowdy
I'm curious too - Mine seems fine in all but 4th though. I replaced my bushings too, and although that helped smooth things out considerably, my lever still flops (woohoo, my lever flops) in 4th.
I had to slide the shift rod out of the way, into the passenger compartment to install the firewall bushing. It was a picnic in the park after that. It's pointless to try putting it in without doing that first, unless you really enjoy frustration.
Cheerio

[schwarb2]

The firewall bushings make an amazing difference. Two of the ones in my car were totally gone. Now that I've put them back in and adjusted the linkage, the shifting is pretty tolerable. I'd start with the bushings.

You do need to disconnect the shift rods, and I would mark the coupling that is located between the seats to aid in reassembly.

[robphelan]

don't forget that upir lock-out plate might need to be replaced. I replaced mine.. as soon as I come up from 1st, it slides right over and "centers" itself .. i don't have to worry about hitting reverse anymore.

[norustscott]

Its all about the bushings baby...also read our host's Drivewerks newsletter regarding transmissions specifically the physics and dynamics behind a "short" shifter. In short, short shift means faster shift If the trans is old with worn syncros and bad bushings, the short kit will make your shifting experience a nightmare.

[mikester]

yeah, I put in a bronze bushing from Otto on the end and that has as much play in it as the old bushing I took out. I have a complete set of replacement bushings I think though. I know I have the firewall bushing. It's just that the bushing that is in there looks pretty solid...can I tell by just looking at it and watching the motion of the shifter in it?

I'll crawl under it this weekend and get that old bushing out. I still really thing that my shifter's pretty messed up.

[schwarb2]

I used all of the factory nylon bushings for the firewall and tranny end and they worked great. About the hardest thing is bending them enough to pop in place but not so much as to break them.

The comments about the short shifters make sense. I was going to go that way, but after putting in the bushings, I think I can happily live with the shift action - and mine is a tail-shifter.

[mikester]

I don't care about short shifting, just accurate shifting.

[red-beard]

Read the last page of my tranny article....

The 3 things I did to reduce shifter play:

1. Replace the bushings with new ones

2. Use plumbing solder to build up metal on the shift rod where it interacts with the bushing. You could use weld rod or brazing compound (I used brazing compound), but you want a soft material here to interact with the soft platic bushing. Also, the solder will be easy to sand down to perfect size.

Mark the front and rear points of use of the rod against the bushing, remove the rod and build up the solder. Now sand off solder until the rod is closely held by the bushing, but slips easily past.

3. Replace the 2 bushing and the spring under the lock out plate in the shifter itself. They are only available from Porsche. This is the last bunch of slop. When I took my shifter apart, one bushing was 1/2 gone and the spring was very weak.

3.5 While you are at it, replace the lockout plate and the 2 lockout springs, if it does not look like the one pictured here:



BTW, this is the opposite side of what you are used to seeing...

James

[mikester]

James, I read your extremely well wrtiten tech article and that has been the major influence on me to try just those things.



I'll have to order a few parts it seems...too bad - I just ordered my rear springs over the weekend and they should be delievered today.

[schwarb2]

Too bad Red Beard doesn't want to move out here to Miami. I could keep him very busy!

[red-beard]

Originally posted by mikester
James, I read your extremely well wrtiten tech article and that has been the major influence on me to try just those things.



I'll have to order a few parts it seems...too bad - I just ordered my rear springs over the weekend and they should be delievered today.

Well, at least this isn't the smilely from thr 914club website....

Yeah, I do the same thing. Order stuff, then call back and order more. It's worse than a hardware store and more expensive...

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The only self-centering on the stock 914 shifter is that gravity will tend to pull the rear shift rod of the side-shifter downward, which will tend to move the shifter to the left against the springs in the lockout plate. Not a strong tendency at all!!

(Not sure about the tail-shifter. I haven't messed with many of these at all.)

The Rennshift has gotten rave reviews from everyone who has tried it. I would, myself, love to see a comparison between it and a stock shifter with all-new parts.

The bushings will make a tremendous difference in the "it's in gear but I can swirl the gearshift lever around" syndrome. The only slop there that they will not cure is either due to slop inside the transmission (there has to be a little bit of it), or imperfections in the way the parts and bushings fit together. Like wear on the rear shift rod where it goes through the side shift console bushing.

--DD

[JWest]

Originally posted by Dave at Pelican Parts

I would, myself, love to see a comparison between it and a stock shifter with all-new parts.

--DD

I thought you saw this in John Swanson's car at the MUSR.

What type of comparison would be most appropriate?

The majority of my customers have done all they can with bushings (I get a lot of core shifters back that have new bushings/lockplate/reverse springs in the shifter) and are pleased with the additional iprovement of the RennShift.

Doing the linkage bushings BEFORE the RennShift is a MUST, though.

I would compare it to suspension - why bother with larger sway bars (RennShift) if you have tires with the cord showing (trashed bushings)? Get the basics set, and then think about further improvements if your budget allows.

[M. Hendrix]

One thing that also causes stress on the shifter parts *seems obvious* motor-transaxle mounts.

If you replace all that stuff, and make it shift like a dragster *(THANKS OTTO!) and the mounts are worn, you are halfway back to where you started, and the added taughtness of the shifter rig must release some of that energy on the gearbox end.

Check out that shifter when you let go after grabbing second, and squashing the pedal, if it moves more than (__________) that much, you need some mounts.

Correct mounting angles have all the world to do with your shifter.

Tailshifter.... big hole, 5 gears, find one!~


M

[John Rogers]

If you check on the "other" 914 board, there are quite a few owners that have the Rennshift and I think most all were really happy with it. The down side is that it cost some but the quality is great. To do a comparison, anyone in the SoCal area is welcome to come by and give the race car a short drive to see how it feels (it is licensed) as the difference is amazing. I use the heavier set of springs James has and that makes the "notchiness" even more pronounced. For everyday driving I would go with what James says, rebuild the stock shifter. Good luck

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Originally posted by James Adams
I thought you saw this in John Swanson's car at the MUSR.

John had all new parts in the shifter?? I didn't realize that--I thought he was running around with a 30-year-old lockout plate like most of us are... I wish I'd gotten a chance to drive it before and after.

However, John was very pleased with the difference. Presumably he knows how his own car shifts....

Sounds like the Rennshift really is the way to go... Hmm... Now how do I fit it under the stock center console piece???

--DD

[JWest]

Originally posted by Dave at Pelican Parts
John had all new parts in the shifter?? I didn't realize that--I thought he was running around with a 30-year-old lockout plate like most of us are... I wish I'd gotten a chance to drive it before and after.

However, John was very pleased with the difference. Presumably he knows how his own car shifts....

Sounds like the Rennshift really is the way to go... Hmm... Now how do I fit it under the stock center console piece???

--DD

John told me that he had a short shifter in his car in the past and HATED it (really-really hated it). He went back to stock, and the shifter I took out of his car had been gone through and was as nice as they get. He's not one to cheap out on stuff by the looks of his car!

He bought an 18% reduction shifter from me - he liked it a lot.

Come on Dave - didn't you look in my car? RennShift with factory console. Just open the shifter hole up a bit.