svb

a couple things about itself after several months with my new car:

1)I believe F. Porsche intended 1st gear to "just get the car rolling." I find my 911 to be much smoother and happier shifting early out of 1st into 2nd. Heck I'm not going to win any drag races but the car seems most comfortable and smooth when driven like this.
I dont know if 1st gear is taller or shorter because my car is a euro. I doubt I've ever touched 3k in 1st!

2)I have found that, from a standstill, simply popping the gear into 2nd briefly before shifting into 1st makes makes life a whole lot easier than going straight into 1st. My box never grinds but slipping directly into 1st is always a little more strenuous.

My car and tranny have around 50k miles on it. I wonder how long life will be good with my 915.

theiceman

I don't think this is an unusual comment. Mine is exactly the same. I even slip it into first just as I am about to come to a complete stop at a stop sign for example , I find it goes in very easy this way, I learned this trick from my bike and found a barley rollong gearbox is easier than a stationary one when it comes to first.
The first to second transition is also common. I always use " the pregnant pause" when going from first to second.
Maybe my first and second gears DO need work. But I have learned my gearbox and it works well for me.

911 Rod

The 915 gear box is very good once you learn what it wants and not what you want. 1st is just for the pits I always say.

andrew911

I remember with my '78 it would go into first a tad more smoothly when rolling very slow- like 3mph or so kind of slow. I would also recommend going to first (or second) with the car stationary before putting the car into reverse. In fact, I've done this with other cars as well.

Strange that your car shifts smoother/quicker into second when under 3K rpm. I seem to think my '78 shifted slowly into second (never force it!), but for some reason the few instances where I really wanted to "get on it" and took it high in first (say 5-6.3K rpm in first), the shifter would go into second smoothly and (realitively) quickly. I also had a Euro. I assume you have a 5-speed?- some of the euros weren't equipped the same way as the US cars- and I had a neighbor that had a euro 1977 911S with a 4-speed. I'm pretty sure the 5-speed was standard in the US trim cars from at least 1978 on.

Peter Zimmermann

svb & ice: You've discovered what I've been preaching for many years! Your comments will lead to a long and healthy relationship with your 915s. I usually say, "You cannot expect a 915 to adapt to you, you must adapt to your 915." There are subtle differences from one car to the next, each owner/driver should experiment with their car to learn what it likes best, and then do that. The backshift into first just prior to stopping will add many thousands of miles to synchro life. I had an '81 SC some years back. I rebuilt the 915 in that car at about 85K miles, and gave its owner a comprehensive driving lesson. I bought that car at about 114K miles, and my wife and I put 103K miles on it (including some time at Streets of Willow), and the trans was still perfect. The next owner, with a driving lesson, put about 75K miles on the car before he recently sold it, and now I've lost contact with it. But, my methods allowed that car to accumulate about 220K miles, with four primary drivers, without synchro work! Yea, 915!
Pete

svb

Ok I'm adding backshift into first to my 915 skills

911 Rod

But does this not mean you have to keep the clutch in while waiting for the light to go green?
I thought this was bad for the throw bearing.
Thanks
Rod

coldstart

I have the oddest 915 ever in my 1972 911T targa. My car is very original and the tranny likely has never been rebuilt (90K miles).

In my beast, you need to shift into 1st while moving. Forget about getting it into 1st when stopped. You can change into any gear (sometimes requires major effort) except 1st or reverse from a standstill. Otherwise the tranny shifts amazingly well with no grinding whatsoever and extremely smooth shifting.

915s can last a long time but they are extremely quirky.

Like the recent wax job?

andrew911

It is. Do it for stop signs, stop & go traffic, but not stop lights or stop and go traffic that is more stop for 60 seconds then go.

Stop and go traffic was the worst in my 915, becuase I refuese to sit there with the clutch in and on the throwout bearing for minutes at a time. The leg workout in stop & go traffic driving down to south Jersey from the north in the summer was quite extensive for me

Real

Hey Guys,

Is it normal to have a "hang-up point" between 1st & 2nd?? I've been told that I should replace a bushing and that my car would shift as smooth as my brothers '90 944 S2 Cab.. Is this true?? Please tell me that I've not been tolerating something that could be cured by a simple bushing!!

Real

Peter Zimmermann

Real: Tell whomever told you that, well, to get real! No, a 915 will never shift like any 944 derivative, nor will it ever shift like a G 50, nor will it... Your car will only shift like a 915, and that little, as you call it, hang-up point is perfectly normal. That's why you use a two part shift with a 915; (1) pull the trans out of gear and into neutral, and (2) pause and then apply pressure to engage the next gear. The pause helps the synchro. For the 1/2 shift it's helpful to find the rpm that your car likes the best, whether it be 3300 rpm, or 4500 rpm, and use that point to shift the car.

Regarding the 915 T.O. bearing - relax, it's bulletproof. I've replaced 80K mile clutches on town driven cars and the TOB was still good. I used to quiz customers and found that, in L.A. traffic, most owners found that it was much easier to leave the pedal depressed at a traffic light rather than getting the horn directly behind blaring the instant the light changed. I've always driven like that (not using the horn!), and this is why I say that it really helps to have a good clutch cable that's properly adjusted. Makes pedal pressure much lighter!
Pete

Peter Zimmermann

Oh, coldstart, your 1/R symptom is a classic clutch adjustment symptom (or trans oil contamination). Tell us more: (1) how much free play is at the top of the pedal?, (2) when was the clutch replaced last - did the job include transmission tear down for a new mainshaft seal?, etc.
Pete

theiceman

To Sum it up here is my sure fire methods for my car.

1. roll to stop signs and slip into first on the approach
2. leave it in neutral for long lights , but put it into another gear first before first.
3. Choose any other gear before reverse.
4. use the 2 stage pregnant pause between 1st and 2nd.

Don't know if all these are necesary but have become habits of mine I don't even think about now. Gearbox seams to work just fine. I also have a brand new clutch cable, shifter and pedal bushings.

done

svb

ha...I love this board....what a resource. Its amazing how much I/we are willing to adapt to the quirks of this car just to keep it running. The 911 is just that good. Thanks for all the useful tips.

(I do have occasional dreams where I'm pushing my defunct 911 down the street and people still stop and ask "hey what year is that.")

Brian_77_3.6

I recently rebuilt my 915. Everything brand new. Shifting from 1st to 2nd at high rpm is still a problem without a pause in neutral. Low RPM shifting is easy and smooth. I wonder if installing a shifter such as a robotech would make this less of a problem.