1980 928 wont shift right

[914punk]

check it ive been workin on this 1980 928 the body is good, the motor runs great, the interior is near perfect. it just wont shift rite its a manual trans ive replaced the forward linkage cup that hooks to the torque tube. it helped very little. there is ALOT of side to side play in the shifter and it dont want to go in to or shift from gear to gear when moving. any insight would be muchly appreciated

[Mrmerlin]

what has been done to the clutch hydraulics?
It may need to have parts replaced as its failing ,
usually replacement of the complete system is the solution

have you inspected the rear shifter coupler?
It has bushings that can fall out or the pin can fall out

[Danglerb]

Even a perfect early transmission is pretty notchy shifting, with a staged feel to the gear engagement.

[aluminum]

Originally Posted by Danglerb

Even a perfect early transmission is pretty notchy shifting, with a staged feel to the gear engagement.

Just what ( Later model ) Standard 5 Spd Transmission will fit right it the 1980 that shifts and works Best / Excellent ? Just How much Better is it ? a Little or a lot ?
will it hook right up to all the 1980 shift linkage ? or must changes be made to swap in a better Transmission or would you swap the whole Transaxel as a unit .
Thanks if you Know ?
My Guess is a 1986 or 1986 .5 and up ?? or am I on the wrong track here ?

My Impression of the 1980 5 Spd is that it's a very poor Unit > Kind of like a 60's MGB 4 speed However the Motor is very Good > too bad they dropped the ball on the Transmission .
Time out or Punt ?

Certainly one of the 928 5 Spd's should work Excellent and fit in ? But just what's involved ? Simple or hard ?

Thanks in advance Danglerb < anyone >

[Pete R]

There were uprades all throught the years in the manual. Somewhere in the 85 range is when they started with the best trannies. I put an 84 in my 79. I wasn't a terrible job, but the first trannies(don't know the cut off on that either) are off by about 3/4 of and inch from the later ones. I had to change the shift linkage, and tranny cradle. I also changed the torque tube but I don't know if it was required fitment wise (mine was bad)

[aluminum]

Originally Posted by Pete R

There were uprades all throught the years in the manual. Somewhere in the 85 range is when they started with the best trannies. I put an 84 in my 79. I wasn't a terrible job, but the first trannies(don't know the cut off on that either) are off by about 3/4 of and inch from the later ones. I had to change the shift linkage, and tranny cradle. I also changed the torque tube but I don't know if it was required fitment wise (mine was bad)

Thank you for the INFO ! >
so the Linkage is different humm Undated and Better i bet >
I have never driven the late type > My Guess is a 86.5 and newer type is best >
BUT > THAT BEING Said ? does anyone Know Just How good are they ?
say on a 1 to 10 scale >> trying to get a Idea if it's worth it or not ?

If It's only a little Bit better then not really worth it Perhaps .

Somewhat OT . But I do happen to Have a 1990 911 C4 5 Spd and now that Transmission works like a dream >> Smooth and Quiet.
That's what I would like to see in a 928 >> Yes I know they do not fit << lol

Point Being ? is a late Type 928 say a 1990 928 Tranny also smooth and Quiet ?
I know they are costly Buy I often get such thing like that for Pennies on the dollar
Unlike my Property Tax Bill

[Pete R]

The linkage looked exactly the same except for a different lenght. I didn't look improved at all. I haven't driven a late 928 manual, but if it's as good as my 88 951 tranny I'd give it an 8. Still not nice and super tight like a Japanese tranny. I don't think the upgrade would be worth it if you have a good tranny now, but if yours is shot I would definately look for one. The synco's are supposed to be significantly better and last longer

[Danglerb]

Greg Brown posted recently in a Rennlist thread that the early design, while klunkier, has better feel in the engagement so you know if you are in the right gear. Apparently an issue racing the newer Borg Warner style tranny engaging the wrong gear is possible with destructive results. Despite this most track cars use a Borg style late model tranny with the G28/55 from a GT highly desirable.

My US 83 has the original 145k mile 5 spd, and its shift with care into second from first, fo get about it down shifting from 3rd to 2nd except slowly with blipping (release the clutch in neutral and blip the throttle to spin up input shaft). I have a rebuilt early tranny I plan to put in it.

My Euro S 85 has 195k on its tranny and its in fair shape, but I plan to put a rebuilt LSD Borg style (as it current has) in it.

Rebuilt I think either is good, my preference is the Borg later model, and big difference is cost. Borg type newer 5 spd transmissions are a good $1000 more than early transmissions, plus two other factors, early transmissions don't last as long and tend to always need a rebuild when purchased used, and early transmissions have some pricey parts like a $600 input bearing that usually needs replacing.

[Sapientoni]

I rebuilt an '81, and they are about the easiest transmission I ever worked on. (Muncie , 914, Triumph, A-H, & other automatics) Usually cheaper to buy the whole set of syncros and do them all, than buy just 1st & 2nd gear. Then you can sleep easier. The pre-selector spring setting is the only thing that requires paying attention, after cleanliness and torque values.

[Danglerb]

Synchros are the easy part, dogteeth are what I found really hard to determine if good or not. There is also a certain spring that is known to fail, break off and hose a tranny, that should always be replaced.

[Alan in AZ]

Even on a GTS the gear selection in 1st is notchy esp. when cold - when warm 2nd-5th are really very smooth but 1st gear is always worse than the rest. In very cold conditions 2nd is a little notchy too.

The later transmissions are certainly more robust - but cold shifting still far from buttery smooth, the shorter GTS knob if anything makes the notchiness even more noticeable (less leverage) - though the shorter throw is certainly nicer to drive with. Good job the car makes up for this in other ways, and on a GTS its really very unlikely you will accidentally select the wrong gear once you are familiar with the car.

Alan

[rsrguy]

Mine is a 78 w/man. It won't engage 3rd... new linkage goodies and the like, then while test driveing the clutch went away(foot to the floor... nothing!). Any thoughts? What kind of time should I alot to a tranny drop? Is it possible that my 3rd gear issue is associated w/the clutch?

[924CarreraGTP]

I just have to say... Thank god for the 4 speed Mercedes automatic transmission.

[Pete R]

Originally Posted by 924CarreraGTP

I just have to say... Thank god for the 4 speed Mercedes automatic transmission.

bleh... boooring

[Sapientoni]

Clutch to the floor sounds like hydraulic line or cylinders. The 3 rd gear thing sounds like syncros or worse.

[928s-4guy]

Ive got a 1978 928 and im having the same problem with the shilft linkage. It turns out that the linkage cup is all wore out on mine also. Ive got it at the shop (i dont have a lift) and they are not sure if they have to remove the whole torque tube assembly to get to it or not? Im curious how hard it was to replace both the front and back cups? If anybody knows anything about this, please call me at (509) 947-5016 or email me at horstinc04@aol.com thanks!

[SanDiego928]

Originally Posted by Danglerb

Even a perfect early transmission is pretty notchy shifting, with a staged feel to the gear engagement.

Very good way of putting it "staged feel".

[BoiseShark]

Both the ball joint and the rear shifter coupler can be replaced without removing the torque tube. Rear is easy, ball is a little tighter squeeze. Make sure when you replace the rear that you grab the tube and hold it counter clockwise as much as you can to line up the shifting. If not, it will most likely be too far a reach for reverse and first.