Yikes! I just bought a 1972 1.7 with 94,000 miles.
I was the "lot boy" at a Porsche dealer 40 years ago and always wanted one. No mid-life Miata for me! It only has 2nd, 4th and reverse. I'm thinkin' linkage bushings. Any wise owner who can help tell me what to buy? I'm a decent wrench.

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It could also be motor mounts or engine position

- Kerry

Good call on the shift linkage bushings. Get under there and check for play in the linkage. That should be a tailshfter and has (4?) plastic bushings that wear out. Also consider replacing the transaxle fluid with good 'ole 90 weight to see id that helps, unless you know its already been done recently.

When you replace the bushing, also take the time to adjust the linkage. Notice that R,2,4 are all forward on the gear shift lever, while 1,3,5 are aft. If the lever is too far forward, it can keep you from selecting the aft gears.

--DD

Sorry for resurrecting dead thread but are there any tech tips on how to adjust the linkage? I see some for changing bushings but not for actually adjusting the linkage properly

Side shift or tail shift?

--DD

I seem to recall having this same issue on a 914 (tailshift) a long time ago. It turned out the coupling was pulling apart (speed shifting?), essentially lengthening the rod. When accessing the gears at the "top" of the pattern, pushing forward on the lever there was no problem. Pulling back there wasn't enough travel. This sounds exactly like your issue.

You could see on the coupling where it had slipped. Easy fix.

And our host carries them.

Dave, my question was for a tail shift 1970....also do you have the bushings in kits or do I need to look for individual part numbers?

Tailshift bushing kit:
1970 Porsche 914 4-cyl Targa - Shift Linkage - Page 2

The factory adjustment procedure is a bit poorly worded. The general idea is that you change the relative orientations of the front shift rod and the rear shift rod, by loosening the coupler in the center tunnel and tweaking its position.

You can put the shifter into 3rd gear and loosen the coupler and move the gear shift lever so that it just about rests on the spring-loaded 1/2 gate but not quite. Tighten it up, and go back into neutral. Check that the lower part of the gear shift lever is vertical when viewed from the side when the shifter is in neutral. If not, loosen the coupler and move the lever fore or aft until it is, then tighten the coupler again.

You will likely need to repeat this process to get both lateral and longitudinal positions correct. Once they seem good, make sure the coupler is tight and then try to get all six gears. If it works sitting still, take it for a test drive. If all is well, button it up. If not, re-adjust. You may have to set it slightly differently than above--getting all the gears is the most important part, after all.

--DD

Thanks Dave, will add that to the list of parts needed :-) Gas lines, brake lines and gear adjustment are the priorities at this point....!