So I cruised the red car today....first time I actually ran a couple arrends with multiple stops and starts....

Car never got too warm but you could tell it was operating temp...anyway...I did notice I cannot shift into first gear at anything other than a full stop or super low speed....

Is this normal?

I still have a part throttle miss...but Im planning on branching out my driving...Im gonna get AAA first...LOL

Let me know what you think...and as always thanks for the help....

Steve

You shouldn't be shifting into 1st at high speeds in the first place.

My car is having some clutch issues, and I try to put it into 1st while rolling up to a stop, or if I'm stopped I hold the clutch in for a couple of seconds before shifting.
Works for me.

But I think it was the same way before the clutch issue, so I would say it is probably normal, but what do I know, this is my first 914, and I am not a mechanic.

NEVER NEVER EVER EVER shift into first unless stooooped, unless you like to repair transmissions. Search and tech threads have lot of info on our trannys.

Glad you're our driving though. Happy 914ing Steve.

Bill is right!

I have no clutch issues (less than 7k miles on it), other than I have to replace the cable in the coming months, and I just changed ALL the bushings from the firewall back, and I can shift into 1st going slow AFTER depressing the clutch pedal for a few seconds, but I DO NOT.

I will downshift to second only, and use the brakes from there. Even knowing this, I also know that eventually I will follow Dr. Evil's directions and redo the tranny in the coming years.

And that is a load of dough to redo it. Going for 1st and not being stopped just moves the rebuild date closer.

John

Chiming in here - these guys are right. *NEVER* shift into first except at a dead stop.

The first gear shaft is a known weak point in this trans. My 914 has been in the family since practically new, and it has never happily gone into first except at a dead stop - any motion results in grinding.

Well, except for once on an on-ramp where I went to grab third gear at about 60mph and somehow managed to get first without a grind. Needless to say, the needle hit the redline hard and my heart almost jumped outta my chest. But that's a completely different story.

Ok..cool...thanks guys...no first gear downshifts until stopped....got it...glad it "normal" thought there might be something wrong....LOL Reverse is kind clunky too and it grinds once in a while but because I havent driven this car much....its probably me....

Thank you guys again....man Im having fun....still need to tune it more but its getting better...

Steve

Steve,

Remember now, an Architect told you. You can't plant vines around good advice and hide it.

What part of acceleration is your miss occurring? From idle? If so...........I have a tip that my mechanic taught me.

If the plug wire for the rear cylinder on the PASSENGER side goes ANYWHERE near the Manifold Pressure Sensor, you WILL experience a sluggish acceleration from idle and stopped.

Move the wire AWAY from the MPS and have it go from the cap under the intake pipes as far from the MPS as possible. The output of a decent coil and plug wires near the MPS will play havoc with the MPS. Others on here have confirmed this phenomena.

Makes sense, really. EMI from the plug wire whacks the windings in the MPS.

INSTANT FIX for sluggish launches! As one guy from here said "Holy Hell, it works!"

Good luck!

John