Shift Selector Shaft

[sleepdoc]

The selector shaft referred to in the
914 Transmission Selector Rod Seal Replacement Article has the selector head attached to the selector shaft by a roll pin pressed through the two components.

I notice prior to pressing out the roll pin
that the selector head can rotate on the shaft 5-10 degrees. When I remove the roll pin I see that the pin looks ok, and the holes in the selector head look parallel
and not worn, but the hole in the selector rod shows hourglassing at the ends.

Should the head and selector rod be held firmly from rotation with the roll pin in place?

Does anyone see any problem with having a machine shop drill out the holes and replacing the roll pin with a larger one?

Thanks Mark

[jabb]

The head should not move on the shaft.
So drilling it out and putting in a larger pin should not be a problem. Just make sure it is a good high quality pin that you use.
Some after market pins or hardware store pins are not constructed the same and are to light. The original pin is heavy and made of multiple layer of metal.

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• Joe A.
• 84 911 Targa
• 75 914/6 3.0

[This message has been edited by jabb (edited 10-07-2001).]

[HMeeder]

Yeah, the head should not move at all. Did your shifter seem extra sloppy before you pulled it apart?

My thinking is that you may want to try and hunt down a used rod and replace it. The roll pin and the head should be very snug and while drilling it out oversize may work, it also means that you would have less material in there. Sprited shifting could potential result in a failure of the rod. You also couldn't use the stock roll pin, meaning that you may have to find a substitute that wouldn't be up to the task.

My $.02

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Herb
'72 1.7 Tangerine 'Teen
'74 2.0 Red Rustmobile

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Are you sure that the play was between the head and the shaft? There is generally some play between the shaft and the forks up inside the transmission, but as was said there shouldn't be between the shaft and the head.

--DD

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Pelican Parts 914 Tech Support

A few pics of my car: http://www.pelicanparts.com/gallery/Dave_Darling

[jkeyzer]

I have this problem too. While I was looking for bad bushings on my shift rod, I just noticed that the piece on the end of the shift selector rod can move a few degrees independent of the rod, probably the same problem as sleepdoc had.

How much is a new shift selector rod (the one that goes into the transmission) going to set me back?

This may influence whether I fix this now or leave it for later (never?).

PS. I did find a bad bushing. Ball cup bushing was in two pieces. I was having some grossly sloppy shifting problems and I was expecting to find something big wrong... Sure enough... See below.

[red-beard]

Yeah, that is an ugly looking ball cup!

When I replaced the roll pin in the rear of my tail shifter, the first one I used was not a good replacement. It needs to be a very strong pin. I ended up getting 2 sizes of "C" pins and put one inside the other then drove this into place. That really helped. The roll pin used on the side shift is the same. Drill it out and go with a larger one. Make sure that the roll pin has at least 2 full layers and does not look like a "C".

James

[jkeyzer]

Mine is at least a double layer. It looks a lot like the CV pins, only smaller, so I assume it is a factory part.

[red-beard]

Yep, that looks like a factory one. It seems that the FLAPS does not carry ones that look like the factory one. They do carry ones that look like a "C", basically 3/4th the way around instead of double wrapped. I have had success in using 2 of the "C"s, one inside the other, one smaller than the other, but still giving an interence fit. Presently operating with this in the tailshift 914/6...

After the first, non reinforced one failed...

James

[douglas robbins]

Although this question is not really about the shift selector pin, I did want to pick up on the "rough shifting" discussion.

So it appears upon further consideration that my shifting is fairly precise for a 914. I've eliminated the grinding with a quick adjustment at the clutch pedal and my spring that locks out first and reverse is pretty strong. All my bushings appear to have been replaced by the last owner (fairly recently). The more I learn to shift my 914, the more I like it. At least in some ways.

My Question: There appears to be no spring that distinguishes the 2d/3d vertical shifting collum from the 4th/5th vertical shifting collum. That is, my shifter does not appear to center itself, like a joystick at the 2d/3d gates. Was my shifter ever designed to center itself? If so, is there just some spring I replace? If not and I wanted the shifter to center itself what do I have to do? Do I have to go with Weltmeister (that Dave says is overkill)?

Douglas

[jkeyzer]

I don't think there is any centering from the factory setup.

I think it has a lot more to do with how much you talk to yourself while shifting... ok... 4th... 4th.... (crunch) no, not 2nd!!! ok here we go... 4th...

[red-beard]

Look at the very end of my article on how I adjust the shifter/shift rod. I use the edge of the lockout plate as my line for 2nd/3rd. You have to push hard to go to 1st/rev. And 4th/5th is push the selector all the way to the right. 1st to 2nd is a snap. You just move the selector forward, the sping puts you into the right place and prevents nicking reverse. I think a lot of the problem with nicking reverse is the shiftrod adjustment, not the springs being weak. Unless the lockout plate it worn. I have seen 1 extremely worn lockout plate.

James

[Kevin Powers]

this type of pin is looks like the one in the tail shifter also. but i'm not sure of the size. if your call your local p dealer they will give you the size if you ask. rather than wait 3 days i went to a local co, A M FASTENERS, that sold me a triple rolled pin. when the one in the clutch pedal broke they punched the old one out and pressed not hammered the new one in for the cost of the pin.

kevin

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

That's nice! The clutch pin is often a real bear, just ask Jamie Rust!!

The only force that tries to center the shift lever is gravity. It will tend to pull the gear shift lever toward the left, but the tendency is very slight. This is gravity pulling on the bend in the shift rod that goes around the sump of the engine. (On a side-shifter. Not sure about the tail-shifter.)

--DD

[red-beard]

Actually, the center internal spring in the shift selector will sort of keep it in the center, but I think a lot of these weaker springs are weaker still with time and neglect. I seem to be the only advocate of replacing the spring and the 2 bushings in the shift selector.

James

[jkeyzer]

I'll pull the shift selector console off the tranny this week and see if I can get a new select rod. Otherwise I'll do as you say and drill the old one out.

I'll have to see if Marshall's Industrial Supply has some of the triple rolled pins. McMaster-Carr has them but not in M6 which I think is the original size.

Maybe this source of slop should be in the tech article also. I wonder how many other 914's have a few degrees of slop in the shift select rod?

[jkeyzer]

As of this weekend I have a car that shifts 10x better than it used to. It's a lot more fun to drive now that I can reliably get 4th instead of 2nd!

I found out that it wasn't the shift selector rod but the roll pins that were worn. In fact, when replacing the roll pin for the shift fork (just for the heck of it, it was wobbling a little on the shaft also) I found that it was broken into 3 pieces. I am really glad that I fixed this and no roll pin bits ended up loose in the transmission!

So if the ball pin or selector fork wobble on the shift select rod, press out those pins and look for unusual wear. New triple roll pins from PP were about a buck each.

[Kevin Powers]

jeff, it's truly amazing the diff replacing those pins makes. it makes you wonder how folks have been sold a new tranny when 2 bucks worth of pins was all it needed.

kevin

[Jim Chambers]

Red-Beard, I'm following this thread but getting a little lost on terminology. You refer to replacing the "spring and 2 bushings" in shift selector. I am confused. Is the shift selector the "fork" and rod assembly with the two roll pins which exits the console ? Or is the shift selector the shift lever in the car? In other words, are there weak springs to replace in the trans. as well as up front?

[red-beard]

I think lots of our cars get a transmission replaced when the main problems are shift linkages and clutch issues. The main problem is that all of these items are $$ inexpensive but time intensive.

I know one guy who got soaked for $2500 because the shift rod wasn't aligned properly.

James

[red-beard]

Jim:

I call the shift selector the thing that is in the compartment with you, that you actually put your hand on.

What he is showing isn't a shift fork, although I understand everyone's confusion. The shift forks ride on the tranny shafts and move the sliders around. The piece he shows interacts with the internal shiftrods which move the shift forks.

I'd have to pull the manual out to get the "right" name for the item. I call it the shift "comb". In a tailshift, it is a shift-"finger", since it is a little finger than moves around. I think that the arrangement of the "comb" does more to make the side shift a better tranny than the length of the linkage. That and doing away with the sideways "jog" that the 4 cyl tailshift tranny does at the firewall.

That roll pin should cost about ten cents!!!!

James