914 shifting out of whack??
 

All of a sudden my shift plane for gears 2-3 is not what it used to be? Gears 2-3 used to be perfectly aligned up against the spring and finding them was easy - now every time I go to shift into 2 from 1st, I end up goung into 4th gear. To find 2nd I need to push slightly against the spring and then I can find 2nd gear - same thing with 3rd! (difficult to describe?) What could all of a sudden cause this? Seems to happen after I drive for a little bit? Looked at the linkage at the tranny and it seems OK - and do not want to dig into the linkage in the cockpit if I do not have to - just got it all back together and the console is a real PIA to take in and out. Anybody have any ideas?

I would suspect the socket bushing at the shift console.
They break...split, whatever. A another possibility is the bushing into the shift console. You realize these are WAGs, eh?:D

I'd get under the car and look ar the shift rod pivot and everything aft of that.

First try adjusting the linkage. Sounds like it may have slipped a little bit--or a bushing is failing...

You can do the adjustment without completely removing the center console, but you will have to cut the carpet piece that goes over the shift lever. You will still have to remove the horizontal part of the console that slides over the shift lever, but that's pretty easy. You'll also have to remove the center tray & cushion, but that's also pretty easy.

--DD

CHECK YOUR SET SCREWS!!!!

always check the two set screws on the shaft behind the firewall and at the transmission.

i went thru the whole mess of trying to get the linkage right at the shifter. and never could get it right.

i knew i should have checked the set screws, but didn't feel like jacking it up to make sure.

after messing around inside for an hour. i gave up jacked up the back, and sure enough the front one was HALFWAY OUT!!! added more locktight. checked the rear one, it was fine. lowered the car. readjusted all the mess i made at the shifter. and VOILA the thing is back they way it should be.

same weekend a friend had sloppy shifting on his 911. had a similar issue but they had to drill into the hardened shaft because there wasn't a hole for the screw to hold onto and was just a pinch fit that wouldn't hold up.

what Ted said. May also be that one of your shift bushings disintegrated and allows too much slop. If you did nothing to the shifter, it won't just go out of adjustment. Use BLUE loctite on cone screws(set screws)