Trans rebuild necessary?

[macman]

I was driveing my porshe along , i stopped at a stop sighn (puched the clutch in and held the break while thae car was in 3rd gear, I pulled out the clutch while in 1st and the clutch plated rubbed but I did not move (as though the breaks were on. So, I put it into neutreal, pulled our the clutch and the car died. So in other words, the car is now acting like the break is on while i am in 1st and when it is in neutrel, it acts like it is in like 3rd (i can get it moving, but not without burning the **** out of my clutch). I checked the linkage and all seems to be well but i heard from a friend that it may be something less minor that dosen't require a rebuild. Any help would be apprecieated (E-Mail addressee@home.com)
thanks!
-Michael Scheid

[ChrisG]

It is possible that the transmission selector has stuck itself in third - I had that happen to me in a Beetle once ;(

Managed to drive the car home 30 miles in 3rd gear!

There are a set of C shaped connectors in the head of the gearbox - by pulling these in or out you change the gear. The thing which pulls these out or in can sometime, if extremely worn - slip inbetween the gaps in the selectors and get jammed. Hence the gear stick flops around and you cannot change gear.

With the 914 you will find this an easy fix (unlike the bug) as the head of the gear box is at the back of the car and you can take the head off with ease
On the bug you have to get the engine and drive train out.

Anyone else think it is the same?

[rich]

When I bought my 72 The car started and ran great in the P.O's yard. I tried to drive the car but I couldn't shift it in to 2nd gear.
(other problems prevented me from skipping 2nd and driving on but thats another story) Remove the cover over the side shift linkage at the rear of the trans. Check the nylon cup shaped bushing. I guess these are a common source of shifter trouble. I bought this car sight unseen. We were supposed to be able to drive it home. We bought a tow strap and pulled to behind my BMW 2002. It was wild! Friday rush hour traffic,75mph on the freeway, 150 miles later we were home.

[JP Noonan]

The 75 I bought that "ran fine when stored" (sound familar anyone?) would not go in any gear but 2nd and 3rd. The reason was that somehow the two donut style "bearings" in the U-joint between the front shift rod and the rear one disappeared. I mean there was NO trace of them. Maybe they fell out while you were driving.

BTW what year is your car, the shift linkage is different from 70-72 and 73-76.

Also depending on the car, see if a motor mount or tranny mount broke. If one did then the linkage may be bound up. O.K. it is a stretch, but I thought I'd say it anyway.

[macman]

it is a 75. The engine mounts in the fromt were screwed and i just recently replaced them, so i will check out to see if perhaps it is a streched linkage problem, yet, i think it is a little of a long shot because of the way it happened. If it had the problem rite after i replaced the mounts than that would probably be it, but it didn't, it just started to **** up in the middle of the road.

[John Rogers]

Our 1974 did about the same thing and it happened with greater and greater frequencyand was worse each time. I replaced all the bushings that support the shift linkage, especially the cylinder shaped one at the tranny, installed a shifter-spring kit to keep from "nicking" reverse and used synthetic gear lube and it shifts GREAT. (At least for a 901 transmission). Julia (16) has never missed a shift at an autocross yet. Finally make sure there is no slop at any of the linkage joints, i.e. the taper-pin, bolts clamp tight, etc.

[This message has been edited by john rogers (edited 04-13-99).]

[wjdunn3]

Something else to check...
The shift rod that runs from the shift lever through the tunnel and out the fire wall is not a solid bar, but a tube. It has solid ends spot welded into each end. The spot welds on the end that sticks out of the firewall can fail due to rust. Remove the crooked shift rod and inspect the rod sticking out of the firewall. Twist the end of it and see if it moves (twist). If this is the problem then it can be easily fixed by re-welding.

[macman]

the oddest thing happened today, i fired the engine back up in the old porsche and when I stuck it in first it was still haveing the same problem that i was having before untill i played with the shifter rod a bit and it suddenly started to work! I have no idea, but the problem seems to have solved itself. I dunno, it is odd. thanks alot for all your help