Please help!! Shifter problem..

[importtek]

Hey folks,
I have in my shop a 71 914. Customer was referred to me but I usually just mess with air cooled beetles or Japanese imports. Shifter was sloppy so replace both balls on the shifter pivot at the firewall, bushing on bottom of shifter lever and then the front tube bushing and the bushing in the bracket by the transmssion( not sure of the name but is the same as the firewall bushing, seems to be 3 of them). The firewall bushing felt goos so did not loosen the m8 bolt under the center console. Ok the problem is that the slop is gone but the shifter won't go into bottom gears 2,4. Will I need to adjust the center m8 bolt to get it going properly? I checked and everything is in its place it appears. Thanks for any help!!
Tommy

[URY914]

Yes you need to adjust tje length of the shift rod. It would appear it is now too short. Go slow and adjust in small steps until you get it.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Sounds like you're working on a "tail shift" transmission from a 70-72 car. Look in the Tech Articles section of this site for an article about adjusting the tail-shifter linkage. I know the procedure for my side-shifter pretty well, but I don't remember parts of the tail-shift procedure.

--DD

[importtek]

Finally got back from vacation and started working on this shifter situation. I have loosened the clamp and slid the tube in and out in small steps but still have no 2 or 4..The customer said he had been driving it and it was fine. Just the ****er was way loose. Any ideas?? Do I need to seperate the tubes and align somehow left to right on the splines then adjust in and out? I looked at the tech articales but they weren't to detailed for this newbie!! haha Thanks again!!

Tommy

[elwood-914]

I had to adjust the splines when I put in a new shifter, didn't' take long but that was the problem with mine.
I marked it with a silver pen before adjustment, so I knew how much I had rotated it.

[importtek]

Finally got it..What is was ..at the rear of the trans where the back shaft fit into the fork had worn the ball on the shaft. I adjusted the bushing bracket by pushing it up as high as I could and then tightened the 13mm bolts that held it in place. This made the shaft ball contact higher on the fork and thus made it quit binding.Thanks for all the help and replies and have a great day!!