May have found my transmission problem? Options

[914bub]

I have had a shifting problem since I got my 914 almost 4 years ago. When I got the car the clutch was toast so I replaced all the clutch related parts, including the flywheel. Once I got the car driving I realized it wouldn't go into first gear. I speculated that first gear had gone out and the previous owner had driven starting out in second, finishing off the clutch. The car had been parked since 1990 and the PO is deceased so it was just a guess.

The ball bushing at the base of the shifter was destroyed so I ordered a shifter bushing kit and replaced that bushing as well as,(if I remember correctly) the two ball bushings at the firewall.The car would grind and grind but wouldn't go into first gear. After reading a bunch of threads here I decided to pull the nose cone and replaced first gear and syncho with a marginally better set of parts out of a side-shifted core trans I have here.

Success! So I thought........ First gear worked well for about a week and a half, then back to the same old game. I found it hard to believe I installed parts that literally had a couple weeks of life left in them.

I pulled the pedal assembly out about a year ago and then got busy playing with motorcycles. I finally got it back together and in this week.( I rebuilt it not because I thought it would solve my first gear problem but it just needed it).After getting everything together I was looking at the linkage trying to see anything awry and I found this:



I apologize for the washed out picture but you should be able to see what I'm talking about. The bushing the shift rod goes through has NO play although it is old. The shift rod slides freely through it as well. I loosened the bracket and pryed it so the shift rod was more centered in the linkage coming out of the transmission but it seems like it could go a little higher up and be a little "happier". Sorry I didn't take an after picture, I can tomorrow.

My biggest question is should the end of the shift rod be as "hourglass" shaped as it is or is that all attributable to wear? I can drop the shift rod for a better picture, or if someone has a picture of a "good" one I can compare to? If it is worn our machinist at work can build it up if needed so I can shape it correctly.
I need to put the gas tank back in so I can drive it and see if it's better. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I apologize for the long post.

The rest of the gears engage fine, I think the shifter adjustment is ok.

[914bub]

Thanks for all the replies so far. It's definitely not the roll pin at the pedal. The pedal assembly is rebuilt and I had my face up against it last night connecting the clutch cable so I verified that.

I'd like to think that if the roll pin inside was screwed up or loose I would have noticed that with the nose cone off, but stranger things have happened. I'll pull the cover tonight on the trans and have a look.I'm home now for lunch and almost went to tear it apart now but there's too much junk in the way to make it worth the effort, I'll tear into after work.

I did check the linkage at the inspection plate between the seats as I was running out the door this morning. The hardware, as well as the spot welds that hold the front part of the shaft together, are all good. I'm going to double check the balls at the firewall to be sure I replaced them, ( I have 2 spares in my box of parts which I shouldn't have). By clutch tube I assume you mean the metal tube that should be tack welded in the tunnel? I have not looked at that yet. Is a visual inspection all or is there a "test"? I thought I read somewhere about engaging the clutch pedal and watching through the inspection hole?

I'll report back tonight and I'll take all kinds of pictures of crap I don't even think I need pictures of. I learned the hard way recently and have to take another project apart because I didn't pay attention to whether certain parts were updated because at the time it didn't matter. A longer, more stupid story for sure.