I send DR. Evil a PM, but figured it wasn't fair to pester only him when I could pester the entire 914 community.

Newly rebuilt transmission just installed. Fairly new bushings (ball cup, firewall, rear coupling). Before the the trans was rebuilt I was able to shift into all gears. The only consistent problem I had was some times not being able to shift from 5th into 4th if the RPMs weren't just right. After installing the newly rebuilt trans I still had this problem so I decided to try adjusting the linkage at the shifter and somehow made things worse.

I can get into all gears, but sometimes it takes several attempts for anything other than 1st and reverse. Even after getting it to go in gear I can take it out and then can't get it back in. Especially true for 2nd and 4th.

I can't tell where it's binding, maybe at the shifter? What's the best way to determine where things are binding up at without an extra set of hands?

Does a rebuilt trans take a while to 'break in'?

Dr. Evil is great and his advice priceless. But it took me a couple of times to really translate his instructions into a solution. Not because of his directions but just because I was not familiar with the process. But unless something is binding or the rebuild has a problem, it might be that you need to make an adjustment in the rod position in the tunnel.

He gave some pretty good advice in my thread http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=205321&hl= that might help. I think post 24 is what did it for me.

Thanks for the reply. I read that thread with interest several times.
Post 24 made me wonder if my springs are bad, because I don't remember any 'automatic centering' taking place by the springs.
The more I think about it, the more I'm starting to feel like something is binding somewhere as all of the gears seem to be where they should be, with relation to the shifter. I just can't always get in them very easily. Maybe it's time to pull the shifter and inspect.
This it taking the fun out of installing my rebuilt tranny.

My orginal shifter had bad springs. It did not work as the Dr said it would which lead to part of my confusion. Replaced shifter all was good. If you haven't got the notes from the Dr they are worth having.

Side shifter with no short shift, correct? If you have no springs pushing your stick to center neutral (you should be fighting these when shifting into 1 and R) then this is an indication something is wrong in the shifter. Start there.

You checked the U joint bushings, correct??

worn detent plate and or wear on the contact point on the shift lever? springs a shitey, greasy mess with debris caked on them limiting compression? spent bushings that cradle the ball on the lever? before you tear it apart, index the connection location both for/aft and side to side with a fine tip sharpie so you know what the current setup is.

I recently had my transmission rebuilt and had a short shift kit installed I like the way it shifts through all the gears - after it warms up - even after it is warmed up good, I still have troubles getting it into first gear every now and then when it does go into gear it grinds a little

try putting the trans in to 2nd before 1st.

Thanks I'll try that

Correct.
There is definitely spring resistance when shifting into 1 and R. Not sure how to tell if the springs more worn then they should be. U joint bushings are good and tight.
I replaced the firewall bushings- no change.
Rear shift rod bushing has a decent amount of play, but it's fairly new and came from Pelican that way. How tight should that bushing be?

Sometimes downshifting into 4th is difficult as well. I've also nicked reverse when down shifting from 3rd- thought there was a lockout to keep that from happening.

Also, how much play in the shifter should one have when it is in gear? \Seems like I've got quite a bit when in anything other than 1st or reverse. Most of the slop exists when in 2nd and 4th. Maybe bushings in the shifter itself need to be replaced?

Mine is the only 914 I've driven before and have nothing to compare it to.

A lot of play can indicate the shifter itself needs to be rebuilt. Always a good thing to do.

For the rear bushing that the rod goes through, you can slip a piece of zip-tie in around it and it will keep it from wiggling as much. If your shifter console on the tranz is worn, I may have a better one I can trade you.

Are all parts needed for a shifter rebuild available? I was under the impression that not everything was.

RE: shift console, how does one tell if it's worn?

Grab the bushing and wiggle. If there's more than "a little bit" of slop, it's worn. In some cases (like my car), you can actually see the hole out around the edge of the bushing...

--DD

Yeah where does one get a shifter rebuild kit?

Where is the bushing located? (Not sure if this is the correct diagram, I have a late model car) Does it require me removing the shfter to test the bushing?

The bushing I'm talking about is the castle bushing through the side shift console. That's the bushing that snaps into the thing that has the black plastic cover that fills up with gear oil when your selector seal fails.

Not in your picture at all. (Plus your picture is for a tail-shift car anyway, so there is no side shift console.)

No need to remove anything but the plastic cover to check the bushing. Wiggle the rod, and look for the bushing to move in its hole in the console.

--DD

Sorry, Dave I misunderstood. I though you were talking about the shifter itself. I replaced the castle bushing recently with a new one from PP. There was some slop in it though. I can try puting something between the bushing and the space it fits in so it doesn't move around. Hard to believe that bushing would cause the symptoms I'm experiencing though.

Sometimes I even have a hard time even shifting out of gear, let alone puting it into gear. other times shifting is like butter.
Getting to where i dislike driving the car. Not a good thing.

Going back to the Dr's post, how does one tell if the shift console is worn?

Use JB Weld to secure that bushing. Stopping it from moving around will improve things somewhat.

Any improvement?

Going to try and remove the slop from the rear shift bushing this weekend.

Going back to your previous post, how does one tell if the shift console is worn?

Wanted to close out this thread. Recap: Trying to improve shifting. At times I could shift into a gear like buttter, other times it wouldn't go in at all. 1st was a real bitch, seemed to be easier to shift into first with the car moving. A bit of a clue right there.

Car is a sideshifter. I had replaced all shift rod bushings including the bushing at the firewall, and verified the shift coupler bushing was tight. The new bushing at the rear of the shift bar just before the last cone screw was new, but had lots of play. I removed the slop by adding some material between the bushing and the hole it goes into.
Made a slight adjustment to to the shifter in the car to align it better, and voila, a huge improvement. It's really true that if there's ANY slop in the linkage, shifting performance will be comprimised.

The only real issue I'm having now is that I have nicked reverse a couple of times when trying to downshift into 2nd. My guess is the lockout plate is worn? I need to revisit the digagram to see what might need to be replaced. Living with it for now as removing the center console and adjusting the shifter is such a PITA that I'm loathe to do it anytime soon again. Still dreaming of a rennshifter...

robert, the detent plate should be straight. not with a curve worn in to it on the shifter side. also check for wear on the shift lever at the detent contact point. is the underside of the shifter all gunked up?

k

Kevin, thanks for the info. I haven't pulled the shifter yet to look, but will do so soon now that I know what to look for.

just undo the bolt that runs thru the eye on the bottom of the lever. no need to disturb the current location of the clamp on the front of the bar at this point.

is Dr. Evil's shifter adjustment guide posted somewhere? I've looked and searched and I'm not finding it...

thx

td

***** Anyone have a picture of this castle bushing Dave is refering to. I can not find it on any parts diagrams. *****

Is this it? #29

Click to view attachment

Nope, we had it posted in PDF format and when the site was under attack it was not working. So, if you need it you can always PM me your email and I will send you a copy.

Yup, #29.

--DD

Thanks Dave, my car did not have one. Ordered tonight from Pelican Parts, they had two options. Ibet that will improve the play tremendously.

John

Now that I have this little bugger, I am trying to figure out from the parts diagram if it goes in from front of car or inside the console?

Not to clear to me.

Outside.

Good thats the way I installed it. Now I don't have to take it apart again.