Synchro in 1st gear? Options

[Gatornapper]

Please forgive me in advance for asking a stupid question:

Did the new/original 914 tranny have synchro in 1st gear? Got mine with 60k original miles and it did not, nor have I ever driven one that did have a synchro 1st.

But somewhere I read something that said synchro in 1st went out quickly - and then synchro in 2nd would go out.

I have no synchro in 1st, but if it existed originally, that alone wouid be worth my rebuilding the tranny. Maybe Dr. Evil will do another one of his rebuild sessions at Scotty Burnett's?

Synchro in 2nd has a mind of its own. 1st to 2nd - it works 60% of the time fine. 30%, I get a tiny crunch. 10%, I get a bad crunch. Tried everything - nothing I do seems to affect whether it will crunch or not.

Downshifts into 2nd are another thing. 60% of the time, downshifts are perfect. Like a new tranny. 40% of the time, they are a horrible crunch. No idea why. Yes - clutch pressed all the way down.

No problems with any other synchros, tho 3rd, coming from 2nd, takes some additional physical effort to get into gear for some reason.

TIA,

GN

[Superhawk996]

Many of these transmissions are well past their prime, not properly adjusted, and abused from wanna be racers trying to speed shift them.

Side shift or Tail Shift makes a big difference in shift quality. There was a reason the design changed. Even with a side shift, 914 transmission isn't up to modern standards with long throws and lacks detent precision. Shift technique has a lot to do with gear clash. Even with good syncros, trying to shift fast and not giving the synchro's time to equalize gear shaft speeds will result in clash, and will wear out the synchro's even faster and the reoccuring gear clash rounds off the gear dog teeth futher compounding problems.

Verify all shift rod bushings are in good shape and shift rods are properly adjusted.

Firewall bushing
Trans shift housing guide bushing
Bushing cup (sideshift) - at end of shift rod.
The shift rod coupler at firewall needs to be in good shape too, with proper conical fastener, and tight.

Takes time to get shift linkages aligned properly but makes a massive difference.

[Gatornapper]

Thank you. I replaced all shift linkage bushings long ago, even improved on linkage by doing special things to reduce slop. RickB45 says my car shifts much better than his '72 that also has all new bushings. Rods are adjusted about as perfectly as they can and car shifts like new I am told by other 914 owners who have driven it. Linkage is VERY tight.

All bushings were shot when I got the car. One at firewall was completely destroyed.

Having been a precision driver for over 50 years (friend who tracks/races his Porsches rode with me - "Where did you go to driving school?"). I never try to speed shift a Porsche. I do precise shifts always waiting on the synchronizers.

With any manual transmission, I first familiarize myself with the tranny itself and learn its ways, always focusing on slow, precise shifts.

Problem is not in my linkage or my shifting. It is in the tranny.

BTW, for me, my goal is always the perfect shift, in every shift. Like a golfer always seeking the perfect swing, the perfect sweet connection with the club head and the ball. i focus on precision - not on speed.

When I told my Porsche dealer about buying my 914 in 2017, the service guy said, "Oh! I remember that car! We don't service many 914's....... I has a bad synchro in 2nd gear, right?"

He never mentioned 1st gear, but it's never had synchro in 1st.

GN

Many of these transmissions are well past their prime, not properly adjusted, and abused from wanna be racers trying to speed shift them.

Side shift or Tail Shift makes a big difference in shift quality. There was a reason the design changed. Even with a side shift, 914 transmission isn't up to modern standards with long throws and lacks detent precision. Shift technique has a lot to do with gear clash. Even with good syncros, trying to shift fast and not giving the synchro's time to equalize gear shaft speeds will result in clash, and will wear out the synchro's even faster.

Verify all shift rod bushings are in good shape and shift rods are properly adjusted.

Firewall bushing
Trans shift housing guide bushing
Bushing cup (sideshift) - at end of shift rod.
The shift rod coupler at firewall needs to be in good shape too, with proper conical fastener, and tight.

Takes time to get shift linkages aligned properly but makes a massive difference.