I am just starting to be able to drive my 914 and though it has its problems it is great all around. I noticed this the other day will sitting in the car. If you shift to first, i can push the clutch in and go straight forward with the shifter lever and go into second(this is not while the car is running). Shouldn't i only be able to get to second by moving the shifter left, forward, right into neutral and then forward into second? Why am i able to go from second straight forward into first? Is this normal or is my shifting really sloppy, it is a 1972 with a tailshift?

Check a thread I posted last month on the bushing deal--my shifter suddenly felt like I was holding a spoon in bowl of cookie-batter--it just went everywhere, and eventually I only had 2nd and 3rd gear. I replaced all the bushings (and cone screws) and it shifts GREAT now!!!

Jack the car up, put it on a pair of jackstands and crawl under the car and take a good close look at the bushing right at the firewall (where the shift rod comes through into the engine compartment), the bushing that fits in the bracket on the transaxle...and the cup & ball nylon bushings. Basically you need to just examine everywhere the shifter linkage articulates and replace all the bushings at those points. The previous post mentioned the post screws...I'd take a look at them and see if they are marred...but look at the parts the cone srews index into...if the hole is all bored out and a tight fit cannot be achieved, you will have to replace those parts. Once you're under the car and you look at everything it will be almost self explanitory and easy. An entire shift bushing repair kit is a very cheap and easy way to restore shifting "feel". One more thing, the bushing that fits into the firewall can be a bit difficult to push into position so I've found that if you throw it in a pot of boiling water for a short time...it will become soft enough to submit to your cussing and pushing. Just get a large socket with a short extension and tap it in with a hammer...done.

All I had to do is read the title...

Yes!

They really are worn. Get under there and check them all out and replace as necessary. You'll be quite surprised at the difference when you're done.

Also, there is a spring setup in the shifter that helps to push your stick into 2nd from 1st and helps you miss R. It does sound like you need bushings. The easiest way to tell if you need bushings is this test: 1) Have you ever replaced them? 2) NO? Then they are 30+ years old and worn out

How do i replace the spring setup in the shifter? I tried this today whilein the garage. I went through the shift pattern normally with the key on bc the radio was going. The first times i did it it things went well, but i noticed after awhile that shifting from first to second, the reverse lights lit up the garage . To not shift into reverse from first, i have to shift into neutral and kind of move the shifter further over to the right, like going into fourth but staying in neutral, before i can go into second without the lights coming on. How many bushings are there? The shifting is very sloppy for sure, and i would imagine that new bushing would help a lot and make my driving experience even more enjoyable then it already is!!

Look through some of these...
Search 914world for +shift* +bush*

You dont need to change the springs, I just mentioned them since you said you could easily shift from 1 --> 2. Now that you have explained further, you are shifting like you have bad bushings.

Thanks everybody, i think i will be replacing as many of the bushings as i can!!

BTW, I just (10 minutes ago) pulled the shift linkage out of my car because it mysteriously started shifting like crap last weekend while my wife and I were tooling around in the mountains leaf viewing. It was grinding reverse a little bit and second and third became very vague and hard to find. Last Wednesday it finally wouldn't shift to 4th and 5th on the way home.

Sure enough, the plastic bushings of the shift coupler between the forward and aft shift rods are all broken up into little pieces inside the rubber cup. Fortunately I have a set from my last Pelican parts order, so it won't be long before I'm again.