Hi All,

Hope everyone is staying safe!

I recently had an issue where my shifting rod came apart while driving, luckily it was at a stop light and I was able to get out of traffic easily and safely. However, this required a tow and a trip to the mechanic....obviously.

Before this, my shifting had always been a little troublesome so I had gotten into the habit of being very mindful of my shifting, not shifting too fast or abruptly. After getting the car back from the mechanic, the shifting was the best it had ever been, however, I noticed the function of the stop plate was nowhere near what it had previously been (non-existent as if it wasn't a part of the shift assembly). This wasn't a big concern to me though as the shifting was near perfect, the only real issue was I would nick reverse from time to time going from first to second.

Before this, I had been looking for a more experienced 914 mechanic and when I did take the car into the new mechanic he mentioned the shifting was not like a 914. At the time I didn't want any adjustments made but now I am starting to think I should. As mentioned, the stop plate is there but there is no obvious feel of it being there. In fact, even when I really pull the shifter to the left there is barely any give as one would expect. Other than nicking reverse on occasion the car shifts beautifully.

Any suggestions on what the issue may be? I haven't taken anything apart yet but based on my previous experience and how it current appears, I see no issues.

Thanks

On the later side shift 914's the shifter alignment is fairly easy to set under the shifter in the center tunnel.

Dr Evil wrote up a topic for it a while back

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...188120&st=0

Adjust it correctly and if you still have an issue remove the bolt directly under the shifter and remove it,when the shifter is out you can inspect the stop plate.
Check to see if the plate isn't hollowed out instead of being straight,the shifter lever itself can be chewed out where it contacts the plate ,this can compound the issue.
If you are paying some one to do this and there is a lot of wear you may be better off finding a good used assembly,new stop plates aren't cheap and the labour to fit will be up there as its a pig of a job.
Good luck.

Are you referring to the 1/R lockout plate inside of the shifter? It needs to be there. The lever should jump out of the 1/R plane. The plate wears and wears into the shift lever too. The effective spring compression is compromised. The underside of the shifter, springs, should be clean. Before you remove the assembly, index the front rod to shifter coupler with some paint. Fingernail polish works. 914rubber, among others, offers the plate. You don't need a mechanic to perform this service. Care must be taken when removing the springs in the assembly.

Yes I am referring to the lockout plate and it is there, no jumping out though. I guess my overall question is do I need to do anything if the shifting is good as is?

Thanks for the reply.

Don't understand what you mean by "adjust it correctly". If you mean the overall shifting there really isn't a problem them as I have all gears.

Thank you

Thanks for the reply. The shifting alignment isn't the issue as I have all gears, the stop plate isn't doing what it is supposed to be doing which is knocking the shifter out of the R/1st plane as I shift to 2nd. So I either have a bad plate or the springs are too worn. However, I am thinking this isn't the real issue as the plate was doing its job before the initial breakdown. It is a weird problem in the sense that the shifting isn't as it should be when shifting from 1st to 2nd but the alignment is dead on.

Ture the plate over. I have been through this before and I had the plate upside down. But I'm 72 and my brain thinks it's OK. Who am I to say...

Thanks for the tip! I have checked and the plate is most definitely in correctly.

Does the contact edge look like 'A' or like the other worn one ? Note the crap that compromises the springs. Look at the gummed up spring ends and clear in the middle. I don' think the springs would fully compress correctly. There are also 2 bushings that cradle the shift lever. How many of the linkage bushings were replaced? The one is worn on the lever at the plate contact point also. Those bits of wear add up.

I will have to take apart first to be able to answer all of those questions. Based on the spring I can see, it does not appear to be as compressed as the ones in your sick photo. I didn't replace the bushings in the shift lever when I first got the car so that may be the issue.

I am at the point of deciding whether I leave as is or fix. I am hesitating because the shifting is smooth, I just need to be careful.

Thank you for the visuals and responses.

Fix it as nicking R going from 1st isn't bad for the gears..

Cheaper than syncros and while your in there.

Oh...I see what you did there...very good point.

Thanks

Hi All,

Thanks again for all the replies. Wanted to get an update out there in case others come across the same issue.

Before deciding to take the shift selector apart, I reached out to Auto Atlanta to talk through the issue and buy parts as needed. As a novice mechanic (at best), Auto Atlanta has been a great source to bounce ideas off of if you need a second opinion.

They suggested I check all the following before taking anything apart:

1. See if the rear shift rod is entering the hole straight on where it connects to the transmission at the shift rod head at the back of the car. If not, you have a bent shift rod. I saw no wear on the bushing once I had removed the dust boot nor any indication the rear shift rod was bent in any way.
2. Check to see if any up or down movement is present at the firewall bushing. Mine was good, only minor movement of the rod as one would expect.
3. While holding the shift rod at the bottom of the car near the middle, have another person gentle move the shift selector forward and backward to see if the selector moves without the rod moving. Then do the reverse while moving the shift rod. If you get any movement of the shift selector without moving the rod or movement of the rod without moving the selector, this is an indication your shift selector bushings need to be replaced. I had no slop here, when the rod moved the selector moved and when the selector moved the rod moved.

The only thing left at this point is alignment of the shifter. I ended up loosening the bolt at the base of the shift selector and making a minor adjustment which resulted in the stop plate working properly.

Hope this helps someone down the line. If anything, it reinforced always check for the easiest solution first. Realignment of the shifting can be a PITA but it requires only patience and a socket wrench .

Thanks again!

If you're happy with the way it shifts, mark the position on the coupler and the rod with some nail polish. Then you will know the sweet spot. Happy motoring.