Hello Folks. I am at my wits end with the ability to shift in my 73 teener. I bought my second 914 last june, spent three months getting the engine rebuilt, had the shift bushings replaced at the same time and brought the car home. Three days later the clutch tube broke loose. Got that fixed and the car has not been the same since. When I immediately brought the car home the second time I had all five gears and reverse for a couple of days then I just had two through five speeds. This is something that I think I should be able to fix myself. However, I cannot get the shift lever set right.

I have searched online in this board and elsewhere and found about six different ways to do the same thing. Still no luck. I either have the top gears 2,3,4,5 or the bottom R,1,2,3. Sometimes I get R,1 and thats about it. I have tested and set this car so many times my arms hurt. Is there one easy, clean simple way to do this? Like I said, this is getting me to the end of my rope. I just want to drive the dang car!

If nothing else can someone suggest a shop I can go to in Southern California that can just get this simple task done for me?

Thanks in advance for any help.

IF it is changing as you say then I would seriously take a look at your conical set screw on the fore and aft of your shift rod under your car. You say you changed the bushings so this or the coupler bushings (right behind your firewall in the joint) are the most likely culprits.

Let us know!

How is the connection between the shifter and the rod? If sloppy you might not

have enough throw to get all the way from 1st to 5th.

A guy named Robert brought his teener to the shop yesterday to have a rebuilt tranny installed. He could only get a couple of gears.

What we found:

1.) Coupler bushings were non existant.

2.) Firewall bushing was really worn

3.) Shift console bushing (on the tranny) was worn and hole was slightly ovaled.

Not having new parts, we pulled bushings from a parts car and got a used rear shift rod with decent coupler bushings.

He left the shop with all 6 gears. Yup, 5 forward and one reverse.

I generally put the shift lever at the tranny in neutral, clamp a set of vise grips on the rear shift rod, rotate the shift rod counter-clockwise to the stop, tie it off so it stays, push the shift lever against the spring stops and center it and then tighten the pinch bolt.

Thank you Dr. Evil, So.Cal.914 and Slits! I can't believe I have spent so much time on this until today. I examined and adjusted the cone screws. Made sure the shift lever itself was tight. After this I put the shift lever in neutral, rotated the shift rod counter-clockwise and tightened the pinch bolt.

The car has never run better since I have owned it. It shifts as brilliantly as a stock 914 can shift.

I thank this board for the kind people who would take the time to write in to offer advice to a chucklehead who needed to be reminded directly how to institute this repair.

what is the pinch bolt in this case? does it connect the rear shift rod to the transmission linkage? a little cone looking screw?

that would be the bolt on the bottom of the shift lever were the lever connects to the front shift rod.