Mister Quickie

maybe I'm not using the correct terms.

What I'm calling the gear shift lever is the vertical stick you actually grab and shift with. This has a ~1.5" rod that sticks out of it horizontally.
What I'm calling the gear shift rod is the ~30 degree horizontal black thing sticking out from within the bowels of the transmission that has a hole at the end which accepts the aforementioned ~1.5" rod.

The gear shift rod is held onto the gear shift lever's ~1.5" rod by what appears to be nothing more than a washer, extremely poor design, not even a cotter pin!

This came loose yesterday in the middle of traffic and couldn't be replaced.
Even if it could, such a poor design begs for an upgrade.

Right now I'm using my pinkie to hold the two pieces together as I drive, not what I signed up for so the question is what can I do to either "fix" what I have (drilling a hole in the rod and sticking in a cotter pin is perhaps a bit more than I want to do) or recommend a short shift assembly that has a "better"/more durable design?

catamount

How sloopy is was the shifter before this happened? Over time, the cross pin that the linkage attaches to wears out. When that happens it becomes difficult to know what gear you are in. There are several replacement options, a new original design, yes there is a C pin that holds it in place. Another that I and quite a few have used and like is from only944.com. Here's a link to it, http://only944.com/partscatalog/only/shifter/

968 GUY

Find an online parts catalog. Find out how it goes together,and what parts you are missing.

Have you heard of Clark's Garage? Clarks-Garage.com. Lots of good info. Do a search on this forum for pretty much any problem you are having and there will probably be an answer.

these cars are getting old and the shifter takes a lot of abuse, especially since there is a long way from the shift lever to the transaxle.

odonnell

The rod is held on using a C-clip, so it must have somehow come off.

V2rocket had a great thread about rebuilding the shift lever - it sounds like this would not only solve your problem, but help take slop out of the lever/rod union.

https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-...t-linkage.html

V2Rocket

the bolt and bearings solution mentioned above really makes a world of difference.

i was in a car the other day that had that mod, as well as the only944 short shifter and link rod and it was super tight...nice.

i'll add that setup to my car later.

raleighBahn

I did the only944 shifter last week - very simple and superior design. It was a very easy job and the results feel great.

Jorgen944

I have some really sloppy linkage right now as well, if I am going into gear it is tough to tell if it is going into 1st or third and when in gear I can move the shifter left to right a good few inches. the front seems fine so I am guessing I am in for a swap in the rear most likely? Is this the common failure or maybe something smaller than needing to up to the only944 linkage in the rear.

raleighBahn

Jorgen, If you have that slop, start with the only944 gear shifter. Easy job and will tighten things up.

odonnell

The linkage arm should also be replaced. The only944 arm is $18 and is a superior design - shifting is light on easy on my NA... will be getting the only944 SS shortly!

Mister Quickie

I like the only944 solution. It has a physical bolt that locks up. I am tempted to buy their short shfiter while I'm at it.

Any reason I need to put the rubber cover back on? I'd prefer it off so I can see everything in case stuff comes loose, you just never know

raleighBahn

MR Q, yes you want to put the rubber inner boot back on, or better yet, get the leather inner sold at only944. The reason is it keeps exhaust gas out of the cabin. Without it, you will die at the next long traffic light

The SSK is great. In principle, easy to install. However, extremely difficult to reach unless you are gifted with ape like arms. There is one connection on there that will have you speaking in tongues.

Do the shifter/boot first... if you have slop, the SSK will not be fun as you won't be able to tell what gear you're in. If the shifter is done, it is very crisp and nice come SSK time.

Mister Quickie

I don't have an interior so the leather cover won't fit. Is there a way to "repair/refuse" the cracks in the rubber shift boot?

raleighBahn

I used gorilla glue to great success. It bonds well and cures very quickly.

william_b_noble

you could browse to my web site and read the article I wrote on repairing this exact situation, or you could mess around and use glue and stuff. Your choice. www.wbnoble.com

raleighBahn

I should have quoted what I was replying to wrt glue. He was asking how to preserve existing inner shift boot instead of get replacement. Gorilla glue in reference to sealing a crack in inner boot (worked for me as I only had one crack - half inch), not fixing sloppy shift