Yesterday I test drove a 73 1.8 w/dual webers...haven't had the opportunity to drive a teener...even though I own a tub...but have driven my 944 5-speed many wonderful times...

Ok Tell me ....had problems getting into first, crunching gears on shifts...reminded me of shifting an old VW from the sounds I heard...WTF...I expect this is NOT normal...anybody with a thought or two on the remidy...mikez please respond...your current avatar makes this old man smile...if I purchase the car should I plan on replacing all the shift linkage bushings???


didi mau

a '73 1,8 ? interesting ...

your 944 was -lots- newer when you drove it ...

vague gear selection and crunching may not be 'normal' but they are all too common. the /4 shift linkage is a bit of monkey-puzzle to clear the motor mount bar, although a '73 -should- be a sideshifter which is potentially much better...

wear and DAPO's take their toll... make sure the clutch is adjusted properly. many (dare i say most?) owners have never read the proper procedure and are clueless on the right way. make sure your clutch cable tube is not loose in the tunnel (another common problem). even if everything is -perfect- you're dealing with 30 years of synchro wear. also make sure you have enough of the proper (85W90) spec gear lube - these old transmissions depend on viscous drag to help the synchros work. slippery, thin synthetic is quite the ticket for the new boxes that were designed for it, but a 901 wasn't.

yes, all the bushings ! they lead a hard life in the best of circumstances.

get the clutch adjusted, the oil checked, and the bushings replaced, report back. there are still improvement options open to you but these are the cheap and easy ones.

There is only so much you can repair on the outside to improve shifting, ie the shift rod bushings, clutch adjustment. If done properly this will help alot! If the problems are inside due to wear then they will only help so much but atleast they will make it better.

Geoff

Thanks Guys...I will continue to try and figure this out...did fail to mention that the crunched shifting did not happen all the time...but the failure to get into 1st gear happened about 5 out of 6 times....

and stupid me I didn't look at the VIN and write it down to make sure it could be a 1.8 hiding in there....or the engine number...

Ed, the 73 came with a 2.0 and 1.7. 1.8 came out in 74, IIRC. Get the # off the top of the case and you tell what motor you have.

Every 914 I have driven goes into first better if you shift while still moving.

again - check the clutch adjustment, check the oil. you may also be due for a shift rod adjustment - could be you're on the ragged edge of not having enough travel to actually nudge the shift forks into engagement. every little bit of wear just makes this worse. there's a cone screw that holds the shift coupler together - those can and do loosen all by themselves - they're not expensive...

also - forgot to mention - check your motor and transmission mounts. those are frequently iffy on older cars - having the engine and transmisson moving around on their own agenda will do your shift precision no good ...

click on 914Info in the menu on top of every club-page, or click the link below ...

http://www.914world.com/specs/productionnumbers.php

Andy

Thanks Andy, It's good to learn something new everyday.

with the above.

if in good condition, they shift great, but it'll take some work to get there if the car hasn't been maintained well.

i had my tranny completely rebuild (converted to sideshifter), made sure the linkage wasn't bend, got new bushings and voila!
no crunch anymore no missing gears

the stock shifter is still a bit vague so i'm planning on adding a rennshift.

also, i have swepco in my tranny, which seems to help a lot to keep those syncros/sliders happy.

Andy

There are a lot of things needed to make an original design 914 shift well, but it can be done.

Swepco is not one of them.

Any good tranny oil will make the unit work better. Swepco is overpriced hype.

James

Replacment of all Bushing and the Coupler works wonders.Btw we have the bronze bushing to replace the gearbox plastic one. Steve

So, what are the disadvantages of swepco?

If the 911 guys use it, it must be great for a 914 eh?

The ball cup bushing ?? Does it tighten up that joint like the "twist-tie-on-the-ball" trick (Bleyseng's tip) ??

The disadvantage is $40 per gallon.

Mobil1 is $6.99 per qt.

Coastal 90W gear oil is $6.99 per gallon.

Keep it filled and it will treat you right.

where are you finding 85W90 Mobil-1 ? if i could find it, i'd use it.

i don't think $10/qt vs $7 qt is really a big deal...

i used Valvoline 85W140 when i lived in SoCal - i don't think i could get away with that here (10F this morning ...)

Swepco is nothing more than regular dino oil. Why pay $40 per gallon when you can pay $6.99 a gallon.

85W140 would work fine where you are. Mobil 1 has very stable properties and can work at very cold temperatures.

I run Mobil 1 in the 911 and Swepco is in the tranny (came that way). It has not "fixed" the 1st gear synchro that is going. Mobil 1 will go in after the break in.

I will break in the 914/6 with coastal motor oil and the tranny with coastal, then switch to Mobil 1 for both.

i ask again - where do you find Mobil-1 gear oil that is NOT 75W-80 ? that's all i've seen. i use it in the Subie's diff cases, and i used it in the GLi. i'd (probably) use an 85W-140 Mobil-1 gear oil if there were such a thing.

what i've heard from people who've been in more gearboxes than i'll ever see is that Mobil-1 gear oil accellerates synchro, dog ring, and slider wear, and is not good for the R&P.

actually, what i use in the 911 is Swepco 503, the controversial moly-bearing stuff. the presence of moly has made the synchro operation no worse and i like its other properties. i don't recommend it, because i am unwilling to accept the consequences of what might happen to someone else's car, but i am willing to run it in mine.