Yesterday I drove my '72 (with standard tail shifter) to work. I had it in the garage, but it still got pretty cold overnight. I started the car up fine, and when I went to back out of the garage, I had a really hard time finding reverse. I kept going into second. After repeated tries, I managed to get it there and went on my merry way. When I arrived at work 20 minutes later or so, I had no problem finding reverse when I "combat parked" the way I normally do.

When I left work in the afternoon, the car was again very cold (head temp sensor said 31) and I had the same thing happen. Eventually got it into reverse after the car had been running a minute or two, but it's really weird. Never had a problem finding reverse. First gear can be difficult, and 2nd you need to be there precisely, but never reverse. I also just recently changed and adjusted my clutch cable. A few months back I did drain and refill the tranny with dinosaur gear oil.

I assume something was cold and not happy inside the gearbox until the engine heat changed that. Has anyone seen this before and/or does it tell me something about my tranny (that I don't want to hear)?

I have a similar cold weather issue with 2nd gear in my 930. When it's cold it is very easy to not get the gear fully engaged in 2nd. I've learned to put it in 2nd when I turn it off so that the bushings/rubber/whatever that gets sluggish will at least be ok for 2nd gear.

when, if ever, was the last time you changed the gear oil?
Top it off?

Sounds like something might be binding up either in the shifter linkage or the tranny itself.

Mine does act sluggish in the cold, but a few seconds in a low gear, wind it up and get the gear oil moving typically does the trick.

rich

What weight gear oil are you using?

Hey Rich - I changed the gear oil about 5 months ago. I've been getting progressively worse leaking at the output shaft seals, and that's on my to-do list. Not sure how much has leaked out since the refill, however.

roblav1, I think I used plain old dino 80w90 gear oil. The remainder is on my shelf at home, but that's what I recall.

Thanks, fellas.

Have you replaced all the shift bushings ?

If you put it in first gear and move it a little bit can you put it in reverse?
If yes, then you may need to do the reverse/first gear slider.
It can be done in the car.

Btw, my 1984 911 does this too.
I rock it in gear and it goes in.

I won't replace it until I cannot put it in gear...l

About four months ago I replaced the rear bushings and at the firewall, I believe. Shifting is tolerable, barely, but it was really weird how that one day when it was really cold it just wouldn't go into reverse. Hadn't happened before and hasn't since. The gear shifter would go where it was supposed to go, but when I'd let up on the clutch I was going forward, not backward. There was never any grinding or anything like that. Took 2 minutes of car warming up and a dozen attempts and then it was successful.

Rich, I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but finding reverse at any time other than that day hasn't been an issue. Not knowing how the gear selection works inside the tranny, I thought maybe something was just not sliding inside the gear box even though it would let me move the gear selector just fine (which is what I think you're describing). Maybe a distinguished graduate of Dr. Evil's clinic can confirm or identify another possibility.

'Course it's always possible the cold froze my brain and it was user error ...

There is no synchro in first and reverse.
Sometimes the gears can line up almost perfectly to NOT allow you to push it into reverse, or first.

Whichever one won't work, use the other gear, rock the car just an inch and then you might be able to get into the gear that was not lined up.

The shaft is not frozen, but it's in some cold heavy gear oil so it won't spin as freely as if it was warm out....

It's a 40 year old tranny, so eventually you will need to replace the first/reverse slider.
Search for an article here, or go find Dr Evils signature (any post he has done) and click on the link in his signature to read about how to do that procedure.

Rich

Ok, that's good info and makes sense. I've got on my to-do to convert to side shifter, but this may still be worth doing for learning and improving until I do get that done. Thanks again.

I had my tail shifter parked overnight as cold as around 4 or 5 degrees above zero, with no issues getting in either gear. I did make the switch to side shifter when I did the Dr Evil clinic, and I'm glad I did. Not yet been in really cold weather.