mazdaverx7

i have an early 85 and the shifter feels a little sloppy. i'm leaning towards the shifter bushings being at fault. i was looking at ordering some from paragon but they list only one. how many should i order and should i order a new shift lever circle clip? when i do this i also plan to order new shift **** leather from 944online and replace everything at once. are there any other parts i may need when going in there to do the bushings?

pnbell

One thing to try first is to tighten the shifter bolts. This tighten mine up.

Remove the shifter ****/boot, and follow the lever down a couple inches through foam. There is two bolts the hold the shifter to the torque tube. Tighten them a little and your shifter should firm up...

As for parts,, not sure. I was goin to look into this at some point,,, but never did..

mazdaverx7

i'll try torquing the shifter to spec before i order any bushings. anyone have a link or writeup on replacing the shift ****/boot leather?

F40LM

My .02 worth......

Remove the shaft and drill out the mount point for it. Place a hardened bolt in it'splace. Go to Ace Hardware and pick up a couple of plastic washers. Bolt it all back together and squirt a little silicone inside the shaft in the process.

My next step.....building the custom shift linkage after I drop the tranny out of the parts car.

michael

mazdaverx7

i could do that but i want the car to be 100% bone stock with no modifications unless completely necessary. not a terrible alternate idea though.

Hollywood D

I went with the Rennbay kit to replace my shift boot. They have a good write up on their site. The only difficult part is getting the shift pattern cap off of the original shifter. I reused the original one and knicked it in a few spots and had to glue one of the feet back on with super glue. But after I reinstalled it, it looks fine. Just takes a lot of patience and don't rush it. I was able to get it out while my hand was in a cast, so it should be easier for you lol

http://www.rennbay.com/shiftboottutorial.html

ernie9468

Do yourselve a favor & buy a new shift lever(477-711-205d-M260) & a ball cup shift bushing (944-424-231-01-M7370) and be done with it ,nothing like keeping things as they are ,will save you a lot of trouble,also it's migth be a good idea to check your shift linkage on top of your transaxle to make sure everything is snug back there.

John_AZ

I agree with ernie. Keep the car stock and get a new shift lever if yours is worn.

I have done a couple "Drill & tap" (or cut and weld) suggested by F40LM and they lasted a short while. You can also buy a couple of plastic spacers for the shift lever pin to fill in the slack. Both never felt like new.

ALSO,

If you have worn the hole in the shift rod caused by the shift lever pin, you can fix it with a shim.
Post #10

https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-...some-vids.html

Do at your own risk.

GL
John

mazdaverx7

what i want to do is keep the car 100% bone stock, just as it left the factory. i have a deep appreciation for the 944 and i love factory restored cars and feel that the 944 was a world class car when it left the factory.

with all that said, i think i will pull the shifter assembly apart and check for any signs of wear and replace all applicable parts. i'll post pics of the process as well. the 944 is something new to me and i may be seeking some advice as i continue to restore this fine car. i really appreciate all of the advice!

mazdaverx7

i was thinking about getting a rennbay replacement shift boot and was also wondering if anyone here has used them and if they were of good quality and fitment. any input would be very much appreciated!

b5audia4

I got a replacement shift boot off ebay, forgot the seller, but came from UK. They can do different colours or material (leather or alcantra). Reasonably priced too and arrived quickly.

m73m95

This is pretty much what I did.... however.....

Thinking about it now, the best solution is to just buy a new lever. They're cheap, and the original lasted 100k miles... The new one "should" too (If its not a chinese knockoff).

SamGrant951

I replaced the plastic bushing and inspected the level under the shift boot on my n/a today - all was well (lever looks almost new), still has some play but it was a bit better than before - guess its from the rear? If nothing is obviously loose in the rear what else "wears out"?

John_AZ

Intermediate Shift Lever.

Recent past discussion:

https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-...some-vids.html

GL
John

mazdaverx7

makes me almost want to order a new o.e. replacement shifter kit and an intermediate shaft lever, a new articulated arm.. but i'll check the torque on each bolt and torque to spec and check for wear at each lever and bushing point before getting too ahead of myself..