Anthony DiBernardo

If rushed, the 2-3 shift would grind just a bit. Same with the 1-2 shift.

Suddenly, I am having trouble finding 3rd gear. Wants to go into 1st.

Do I need a clutch adjustment, or a new transmission? Clutch has under 10k on it.

Rebuild in town at a transmission specialist, or get a rebuilt one from Vertex or another outlet?

Please help.

Anthony DiBernardo

Its a 1980 SC Euro with the 915 transmission.

Mark Salvetti

Hard to say. If you read the forums, especially Pete Zimmerman's posts (and his wiki, here: http://porsche.wikidot.com/porsche-9...epair-tutorial), it's apparent that to rebuild one of these with enough new parts to get another 100K miles will probably cost more than those rebuilt gearboxes. Which leaves you wondering exactly what was replaced when someone like Vertex rebuilt it, and what condition the reused parts (especially bearings) are in. Kind of a crap shoot.

Best bet is probably to have yours rebuilt by someone that knows what they are doing - Gary Fairbanks in CT is well-known, and I'm sure there are others that may be closer to you. But maybe not drive-up local. Be prepared to ship, and maybe pay more than a rebuilt from Vertex, but you can be confident you'll get a good transmission back.

Don't do like me - DIY rebuild that started over 15 years ago, and is still in pieces.

Mark

ron mcatee

Make sure all the linkage bushings are new. You may be getting too much slop which will cause the shifting to be notchy at best.

theiceman

drop that cover between the two rear seats and see if your bushings have fallen out of the coupler.

JCP911S

Grinding on upshift is probably a synchro wearing out. Cheapest solution is to shift more slowly, with a distinct stop in neutral. This will postpone wear somewhat.

Not shifting into 3rd sounds like a linkage problem to me. The coupler is under the access plate on the tunnel in front of the rear seats. Adjusting this is a major PIA as it is extremely sensitive to very small changes, so do it on a nice day when you have plenty of time. Also, aftermarket (such as Stomski Racing and WEVO) sell replacement couplers that are more stable and easier to adjust.

I had a similar problem, the cup in the front of the shift rod had torn loose, these cars are 30 years old, so this stuff breaks.

Generally speaking, when properly adjusted, the factory shift on these cars works very reliably.

Anthony DiBernardo

I replaced all the shift bushings. It was a serious pain, but nothing really difficult. In a perfect world, it was a 2 hour job. Mine took about a day. Upon inspection of the coupling and the other bushings, it was amazing the car was even drivable as it was.

With all new bushings, this transmission feels tighter than I thought possible. I should have done this a long time ago.

Thanks for the advice.