Tailshifter for Dummies? Options

[tasfalen]

I have a '72 914 with tailshifter.

Shifting is abysmal.

I'm comfortable working on cars, though I haven't tackled much on the 'teener yet.

Is there something I can do in a weekend, at a decent cost, that would make a difference?

I can't get parts too easily where I am, and $470 for a Rennshifter is a bit out of my league right now.

TIA! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/pray.gif)

[ArtechnikA]

QUOTE (tasfalen @ Sep 21 2005, 03:08 PM)

Is there something I can do in a weekend, at a decent cost, that would make a difference? I can't get parts too easily where I am, and $470 for a Rennshifter is a bit out of my league right now.

if you don't know how long it's been since your shift bushings were replaced, do it. there are at least 3 - a cup bushing on the bottom of the stick, a circular bushing just aft of that, and one at the back. there may even be one at the firewall. check the Pelican tech articles for the full list.

it's not expensive, all the usual places (e.g. Pelican, GPR...) have the bushings, and it's not hard.

and the good news: a RennShifter, nice as it is, cannot help you if your bushings are cr&ppy - they have to be up to snuff first.

[jimkelly]

bushings ...

do your gears grind at all ???

or are you really talking about long sloppy throws ???

Jim

[cooltimes]

Sometimes, it's best to start with an in the cabin shifter rod (thing you shift gears with) adjustment. It is a no cost solution that could be exactly what you need to do if the gears are HARD to find when shifting.

There is a procedure on
http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/914tech_articles.htm]

Also check the set screws in the linkage UNDER the car and verify they are tight.
Beyond that it is likely the nylon shifter rod bushings worn out. These are located starting at the outside surface of the firewall and working to the rear.

[lapuwali]

If the shifting problem is grinding, then check your clutch adjustment first, then consider replacing synchros (common problem, esp. on 1st and 2nd).

There are six nylon pieces in the tailshift linkage: cup bushing under the shift lever, ring bushings just aft of the shift lever and at the firewall, two ball "bushings" at the firewall where the linkage dog-legs around the engine, and one at the tail of the gearbox, just forward of the "knife-and-fork" part of the linkage. There are no setscrews or cone screws, unlike the side-shifter.

The cup under the shift lever and the balls will have the greatest effect on limiting slop in the linkage. The bushing just aft of the shift lever has almost no effect, IMHO. The firewall bushing has a small effect.

The shifter rod where it enters the rear-most bushing also tends to wear, so sometimes even a new bushing doesn't help much in removing slop. The knife-and-fork also wears. In both cases, the only real way to fix it is to weld or braze up new material and remachine. Red-beard's article showed brazing these up and using files to reshape these pieces.

Finally, there's a roll pin inside the gearbox, accessible if you pull that flat plate under the rear of the 'box, that can wear and shear, which causes a huge amount of slop.

With the car in 2nd gear, there should be no more than 1/4" of play at the shift knob in any direction. If there's more, you have a bushing problem. Once the play is taken care of, there's adjustment of the linkage itself, which is done by loosening the clamp bolt under the cover in the center tunnel, at the base of the firewall. This is a bolt and nut, and getting two 13mm wrenches in there to loosen this up requires some dexterity.

There are more notes in my blog on linkage adjustment.

It IS possible to have a tailshifter work acceptably, but it requires everything be new and tight. The end result will still have somewhat vague gates and more play in the shift lever than most people like, but it's good enough to shift reliably with practice and patience.

[JWest]

The RennShift is the last piece to be added for shifting improvement.

4 cylinder tail shifters were never good, even when brand new, and age only makes then worse.

I do not recommend upgrades to the 4 cylinder tail shifters - just replace all the bushings and tighten any sloppy wear points (welding or parts replacement) if that is what your budget allows.

Next level would be a side shift upgrade, and finally the addition of a RennShift to a fully sorted side shifter.

Just for completeness of the post, the 6 cylinder tail shifter is not as bad as the 4 cylinder version, and can be successfully upgraded to shift well.

[Britain Smith]

Why would the 6-cylinder version be any different from the 4-cylinder version?

-Britain

[ArtechnikA]

QUOTE (Britain Smith @ Sep 21 2005, 05:51 PM)

Why would the 6-cylinder version be any different from the 4-cylinder version?

because it is...
{took me a minute to remember... it is because the path through the exhaust is different, mostly.}

it is a direct connection, instead of the remote-control ball device.

914/4 top, 914.6 bottom...