17prospective buyer

I've looked through the WSM, but it never seems to explain anything about what you need to remove to get to those bushings and u-joints for the shift linkage. I fully removed my center console, and i figured it would be a great time to upgrade to a short shifter, 928MS's steel ball cup, and 928Intl's improved bushings, all i can see that i need to remove to actually get at the thing is the steel lining (painted black) and the heat shield. Can anyone direct me where to find a diagram that explains where everything sort of is so i can get my bearings?

Dave928S

Here's a diagram from PET which shows the complete exploded assembly. The front ball cup (7) is a an absolute ^%*/% to get to .... the shifter and bushes in the middle are easy to see and get to, once you have the rubber seal (20) removed in that area under the console .... the rear coupling (2) is reasonably easy to get to on top of the torque tube at the rear, on the front of the shaft going into the gear box (it has a rubber bellows over it ... 13).

Landseer

Here's some more perspective. The TT and trans are out for heavier work.

A few years earlier I was able to manipulate the front rod down around the side of the TT to be able to reach it and hold it with a mini pipe wrench when I first replaced cup. You can see the odd angle of teeth marks.

Rod had a crushed place that fits a wrench, but the cup nut had been loctited (overkill) and the pipewrench was needed to keep rod from bending / crushing with all the force needed.

Pretty tight, fighting that intermediate guide bushing that I didn't realize existed.

Lizard shifter would eliminate the hassle.

Mike Frye

Dave's diagram is great. #2 is the rear coupler and #7 is the front ball cup. Chris' pics show it perfectly. Now you have to figure out how to get your hands up in that tunnel to do all this work.


To get to the front ball cup you need to remove the heat shields (I removed all of them all the way back except the one that kind of wraps around the exhaust hanger doughnut. I left that one in but loose. The linkage just runs along the top of the TT and you have to wrestle with everything between the TT and the tunnel for all of these jobs.

For the front cup: I think there's a *little* more room going in from the DS (US) and there is a flat on the shaft #3 (which is actually shown in the diagram). This will enable you to get a wrench on there to remove the nut and ball cup once you get it popped off of the ball. Popping it off the ball is a major PITA as Dave says. I took 3 or 4 attempts at it over two weeks before finally getting the damned thing off.

For the rear coupler: Make sure you have the right sized allen wrench the first time for that conical set screw and use compressed air or a pick or something to make sure the wrench is fully seated. It takes next to nothing to round that head out and then you're in for a long and, shall we say intimate, period of time getting to know that area of the car. For me it took a dremel, drill, propane torch and several layers of skin from my knuckles to 'persuade' that one off. The bolt on the front is a 13mm and easy to get out, but the conical screw is the fun part. (after you either message, spindle and generally mutilate the rubber sleeve off (13)). I ended up making my own conical screw with a 13mm head so I never have to do that again:




You should find lots of threads on here but basically once you get in there you'll see what you need to do, figuring out how to do it with your setup (lift, liftbars, jackstands, whatever) is going to be up to you.

And don't forget the release arm ball cup: That's the same kind of ball-and-socket assembly that is on the front ball cup and it does make a difference in your shifting. It's accessed from inside the engine bay by removing the air filter box completely (and probably the MAF). The ball is at the top of the bell housing and you'll see the arm sitting on it. When I did mine it was during a clutch R&R so I'm not sure what's required to do it with everything hooked up, but you'll be able to see if there's lots of play (in mine there was no evidence of the old bushing, the arm was just rattling around on there. I think if you disconnect the clutch slave at the bottom of the bell housing, you should have enough play to move it and do what you need to do but I'm not sure. Maybe Stan (Mrmerlin) will chime in. He's been a huge help for me on things like this.

If you're lucky like me, each one of these things will make a HUGE impact on the way it shifts and drives. My car was sloppy as hell when I got it and now it's nice and smooth: Snick-snick-snick.

Good luck and post your results!

ubercooper

I prefer Carl's method

Ed MD

On the rear, I couldn't ever loosen the set screw with an allen wrench,( on 2 different cars!). The grey plastic insert/bushings were destroyed. I cut the boot off, and got insert replacements from Roger that pushed in from the side. The new bushings need a light touch with a file/dremel to bevel the edges to allow you to push them in easily. I used a large C clamp and wood slates to press them in without removing anything. I split a new boot lengthwise, put it on with the split on top, glued the edges with silicon glue and used zip ties for additional reinforcement.

Dave928S

Here's a couple more pics I put in another thread ... may as well include them here. They show the ball cup bushing and the rear coupler bushings (rear coupler pulled apart).

The shifter ball cup bushing is the same part that is fitted into the upper end of the clutch release lever, which is worth replacing WYAIT, as already mentioned.

Edit: The shifter (red) pictured is a short shifter which doesn't have the factory plastic bushings (#15 in the diagram) which can give play.

nlneilson

Where can just the plastic cup for the front (#7 in post #2) be purchased???
I saw a picture and # for it somewhere here on Rennlist.

_________________________________________________
'79 928 5spd

SQLGuy

Sadly, the new Delrin bushings from Roger cannot be pushed in from the outside - because they have "wings" like the stock bushings; you need to remove the coupler and press out the cross pin.

One shop I spoke to suggested sacrificing an Allen driver bit and welding it into the grub screw to both ensure a solid grip and, through the heat from the welding, really melt the Loc-tite.

On my S4, the grub screw was somehow permanently fused to the selector shaft, and I actually had to grind the whole thing off and drill a new set screw pit in the shaft. My knowledge of profanity truely fell short during the couple of days I was fighting with that thing.

SeanR

I've had to do that a few times. What a pain in the ****.

SQLGuy

Roger (928sRUs) has them. They're just a few dollars.

I used a torch on mine to soften up the old insert, then was able to pry it out (I remember trying a screwdriver and a seal puller, but I can't remember which one did the trick). Anyway, short story is, you can replace the insert without removing the carrier from the shaft. It's a bit of a tight area to work in, but not terrible.

nlneilson

Thanks for the information.

Got one ordered from Roger at 928sRUs, $13.

928 Inter. and 928 Specialists just has the assembly for about $85.

Hilton

I wrote this in the thread that broke down into "Carl vs. the people" and found when I tried to submit it that the thread was locked

So, instead of giving up, I hit "back" and cut and paste it.

I haven't installed or even seen one of Carl's shifters - but replacing the front cup bushing is actually pretty straightforward once you've done it more than once. I've owned 3 5-speed S4's and have done it on each (no failures yet - the first was about 5 years ago and the edge of the cup still looks white).

I've even refined my technique for popping the new cup off the ball again to tweak the length adjustment and thats not hard either - I use some bits of wood to make a box-shaped frame around the TT that I can push up with a jack and pop the cup off the ball.

My process for the job is:

1. Do the job before you've done the engine mounts - more room
2. Remove cats and heatshield
3. Remove the shift lever (you're doing this anyway to switch to short shifter) to get more free play in the front rod.
4. Pop the cup off the ball - if it hasn't crumbled out, I use a 9 inch bit of wood over the top of the TT but under the rod, pushed up using two upright supports and a jack - much faster/easier than fiddling around with a pry bar or screwdriver in that space
5. Use a 14mm spanner to counter hold the rod - there are flats for it a few inches back from the locking nut. Heat the nut with a small torch if it won't give.
6. Count the threads to unscrew the cup from the end of the rod and write it down.
7. Press the new bushing into the cup with a socket that has a small gap between the socket and the cup edge (to allow room for the bushing flexing as it goes in)
8. Once screwed back in (I use some blue loctite on the nut), position the cup above the ball but don't push it on, and push the shifter onto the rod pins to check fore/aft position - the shifter should be leaning back very slightly (2.5 degrees per WSM).
9. Tighten the locking nut.
10. Pass a ratchet strap around the top of the rod and under a lumber brace across the base of the tunnel - tighten it to pop the new cup on.

Takes about 30 mins.
(edit: just came across this again.. should point out it takes 30 mins if you've done a few cars probably around an hour and a half my first time).

gruffalo

Brilliant! Thank you!

Now, on to the bushing for the clutch release arm.

I removed the air filter, and dove down there. On my 81 I managed to do it, but my S4 seems impossible.

Any tips and tricks?

SeanR

Takes a combination of top and bottom maneuvering to get the clutch arm aligned up properly, and a nice, large pry bar at the lower part of the arm to seat the top well. I find it easier with two people but after you cuss a bit, a single person can manage it.

Great write up Hilton, thanks.