914-6 tail-shifter rear shift rod end - trouble?, Shouldn't this come apart somehow? Options

[smj]

I got my tail-shifter shift linkage bushings from Pelican on Friday; today I happily jacked up my 914-6 to try to put them in. I knew there were differences between the linkage for the -6 and the -4, but I'm not clear how much of what I'm seeing is factory and how much is Mickey...

I did start off following this thread: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=109708 But things diverged pretty quickly. For example, there's a U joint at the firewall end instead of the pair of pivots:



Well maybe that's the way it should be. Looks like somebody replaced the one nut not too long ago... Moving on, here's the sad state of affairs at the far end after I unbolted the support bracket:



Bushing is toast, of course - looks to be rubber, not plastic. The firewall end of the rear shift rod has flanges for the U joint. Wait a minute... How the heck do I get the bracket off?!? I looked for a set screw at the back end of the rear shift rod, but it looks like a rivet:



What the... I poked around at what I think should be a set screw, but it isn't hex shaped inside - and I can pass a 2mm Allen wrench all the way through, it's completely hollow. Here's the best I can do for a close up of both sides:



So... Is this some Mickey Mouse "improvement" somebody's made along the way, or is there a trick to getting that end/bracket off of the rear shift rod? The clear sign of welding about six inches in from the end does not comfort me any...

Thanks! I'm gonna go get some coffee and pray somebody's got a tip for me while I work at the shifter end of things...

[Dr Evil]

Yup, not stock. Gonna have to get creative to fix it. Not the worst I have seen. IF there is any play in the pinned end, you should make a better fit with a better fastener.

[sixnotfour]

Nope Totally -6 linkage someone has welded a different tube , but not unusual to clear different -6 cases.
-6 linkage is nothing like -4 linkage.


remember your a SIX owner

[smj]

Well thanks a million for the quick feedback! There's no detectable play with the pinned end of the rod, so that's something. For the moment I'm inclined to try cutting a bushing and working it around the rod and into the bracket, just to keep the rod off the bracket until I figure out something better and/or long-term.

At the cabin end I found new bushings and fresh grease. But the rod support bracket bushing is rubber, which seems wrong to me. Debating getting the correct plastic one in there now.

That will leave the bushing at the firewall - it's clearly old, the outer edge is missing but it seems not to be moving and still keeps the rod off the metal. I guess I'll go for it since everything's already apart - assuming there isn't another surprise waiting...

Oh, the U joint bushing aft of the firewall -- anybody know if those are still available? This one may be fine, I'm just wondering in general if this is an NLA part or not.

Again, thanks a bunch!

[sixnotfour]

That being said, you're rear bracket is not going to accept a stock bushing, see pics,

[smj]

Nope Totally -6 linkage someone has welded a different tube , but not unusual to clear different -6 cases.

Followed by:

That being said, you're rear bracket is not going to accept a stock bushing, see pics,

Okay, so the U joint and most of the rear shift rod is a replacement? So for a stock -6, you can take the bracket off the firewall-end, get some kind of bushing on it, and replace?

The cut bushing does not want to go in there. Tried trimming the shorter lip down, all I did was make a blood offering to the gods back in Zuffenhausen. Cutting out a 1/4" section didn't help appreciably, and at some point if I cut a large enough section it'll just come off while driving. But, maybe one more try...

Not sure if I should bother with the firewall busing at this point - it's dark, and the coupler just inside the firewall is being difficult.

I had quite a fight with the shifter-end bracket bushing, but at least I got that end back together. Here's hoping it works when I let the car down...

[sixnotfour]

Parts diagrams are you friend;
http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesands...partscatalogue/

[GeorgeRud]

Can't tell for sure, but it looks somewhat like a roll pin. Should be able to punch it out with a drift (perhaps soaking in Kroil or PB Blaster first) and using heat if necessary.

If the part is still available, buying a new pin may give you some idea of what is holding it together. Worst case, drill it put and replace with a new roll pin. I think you definitely want to replace that bushing with a new one, as well as at the firewall.

[Dr Evil]

Agreed, need new bushing. The pin is part 39 - Clamping pin. Should not be hard to replicate if you have to.

[sixerdon]

Yes, it is a roll pin. Not hard to do as per George Rud's suggestion. Then you can replace both bushings, front & rear.
While you're at it, check the parts diagram for all related parts not shown in your pics. You seem to be missing them.
Also, check the bushing in the tunnel while you're at it. If there is any play, replace it.

Don

[stugray]

looks to be rubber, not plastic

Yeah, that is the AA POS that I tried to use many years ago. It wore out so fast that I put the original (broken one) back in with some JB weld and it worked better for a while.

Stu

[mskala]

That looks like a totally stock 914-6 rod, except of course someone
has changed the end part of the rod with an equivalent piece. The
roll pin and u-joints are correct. The roll pin can be pressed out with
a 'chain-breaker' or small pin press.

[smj]

Parts diagrams are you friend;

D'oh! Yeah, maybe I should've thought of that after learning that the -6 linkage is radically different from either flavor of the -4 linkage... Thanks!

[smj]

Can't tell for sure, but it looks somewhat like a roll pin. Should be able to punch it out with a drift (perhaps soaking in Kroil or PB Blaster first) and using heat if necessary.

Thanks George (and Dr. Evil, and mskala) - guess this is just another part of basic mechanical stuff that I never ran into before. Must not be that hard if this is the standard procedure for replacing these bushings.

Yes, it is a roll pin. Not hard to do as per George Rud's suggestion. Then you can replace both bushings, front & rear.
While you're at it, check the parts diagram for all related parts not shown in your pics. You seem to be missing them.
Also, check the bushing in the tunnel while you're at it. If there is any play, replace it.

Another good idea, thanks. And on the other bushings - well, we'll get to that...

Yeah, that is the AA POS that I tried to use many years ago. It wore out so fast that I put the original (broken one) back in with some JB weld and it worked better for a while.

My best guess is that A Bauer in Oakland did this as well as the cabin shifter bushings less than 200 miles ago (but 2006). The line item was just for "shift ball socket" at $6.66 but labor was a smidge over $150, so...

Next post is where I wound up.

[smj]

Okay, I mentioned the rubber bushing at the front shift rod bracket. Here's what it looked like - and whoever was in there was not at all stingy with the grease, there were gobs and clots of it everywhere...



This all came apart easily, including getting the rubber bushing out and the new bushing in:



Getting the shift rod through that bushing made up for it though - not easy, especially with all the grease on everything. Had a bad moment when I used Vice-Grips and realized I hadn't put enough tape on the jaws, had a little scoring on the smaller diameter part of the rod, and couldn't get the shifter cup holder on... sideways. Whew - got that sorted, and was nervous for the rest of the day that it was going to be a horror show trying to shift through that tight bushing. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Doc said I'd have to get creative... I mentioned that I tried cutting a bushing and working it into the rear shift rod bracket. Struggled mightily, but failed. Cut out a 1/4", failed again. Was able to pop the 1/4" remainder right in though. Hmm... So here's what I wound up with as a temporary solution:



I know, not good but better than bare metal. My failed attempt at the cabin shift rod coupler caused the old firewall bushing to disintegrate. So, I started over with the cut bushing, which failed. Took out a small section, failed again. Eventually got another half bushing in there:



Again not recommended or expected to last, but it lets me see if I've rendered the car undriveable until I can deal with the coupler and roll pin properly. In the car, still in the air, it felt like I could shift into and out of gear. Hmm... Maybe I haven't ruined everything forever...

By this time it's 11PM. Get the car down, grab a shower, and the first thing I notice is that I've rendered the hand throttle useless. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) But you know what, it isn't backfiring constantly the way it always has, so there's a silver lining? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Start her up, put it in reverse - doesn't feel half bad. White lights, good. Hey, car moves by itself, hooray! First gear - again shifting isn't too bad. And it moves forward, hooray! Let's take it out...

Shifting into second no longer reminds me of my $800 Golf III beater - "Third gear? Go forward, then feel for a pinch, then work it left, then forward, then left, then forward a little more..." In fact it feels kinda good.

Shifting into third and fourth feels good too. I take some laps around the neighborhood with stop signs, and Neutral - First - Second - Third are all pretty dang good. Decided to take it on the highway to see if it's still popping out of Fifth. Everything's going fine and then - Pop! - exeunt Fifth gear, stage right. I can go back in for a while, but eventually it'll pop out again. Damn. But I'll do some searching first, and if necessary start another thread.

So preliminary indications are that if I educate myself about roll pins and wrestle the shift rod coupler into submission, I can have a vast improvement in the shifting action. I also have a bunch of other photos so that with the second installment to come, I can put together a tutorial for the -6 linkage similar to the one I cited at the start of this thread.

Thanks a bunch for the feedback, really appreciate it.