hb253

The car: 1984 928S 5-speed

I've encountered the first major problem since buying the car in January.

I was heading to the gas station at the bottom of the hill from my house. Exited the driveway shifted up one-two-three then went to go to 4th and the stick felt funny. Got to the bottom of the hill and realized:

- the leather shifter boot had popped up
- the shifter only moves fore and aft, but not side to side
- the car is stuck in gear, either 3rd or 4th, not sure.

Luckily, becasue it was in gear, I was able to drive it back home. The engine has torque, that's for sure.

Once I got home, I tried moving the shifter around, but can't get it to do anything other than move fore and aft. What may have broken?

Thanks.
Hugo
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1984 928S
1979 911SC Targa

AirtekHVAC

Front ball cup on Torque tube....or rear shift linkage, would be my guess....search either, and you will find tons of info. Mine is currently broke (ball cup), but she don't run anyway, so I have not fixed it yet.

James Bailey

Most likely front ball cup. You can as a way to drive it use a large hose clamp or two hooked together to hold the cup on the ball well enough to drive. Also those same big clamps can be used to pop a new socket onto the ball. You access from under the car. There are some good writeups.

hb253

Thanks guys. I'll take a closer look tomorrow.

Assuming it is the front ball cup and nothing else is broken, might this be an opportunity to install the Lizard short shifter?

Hugo
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1984 928S
1979 911SC Targa

Lizard928

Yes!!!

hb253

I removed the handle+leather boot and inner rubber boot. While moving the shift lever fore and aft, I can see that the shift rod going back to the transmission does not move, but the foward shaft (guide tube?) moves forward and backward. I assume that confirms the front ball cup is the culprit?

I was able to get the trans into neutral by pulling forward on the gear shift rod and now I can move the shift lever side to side.

Hugo
--------------
1984 928S
1979 911SC Targa

WallyP

Yes, that makes it 99% certain that the front cup has slipped off of the ball.

As an emergency measure, you can use a ratcheting tie-down strap, a few hose clamps linked together, a piece of rope, or a pair of pantie hose around the shift rod and the torque tube to hold the cup on the ball so the car can be driven.

If you are on the road and the cup pops off:
- Grab the shift lever at the top and bottom.
- Move the lever until it moves freely rotating side-to-side - that is neutral.
- Feel around until you find the third gear slot - second notch from the right. Push the entire lever forward until it slips into the slot.
- You should now be in third gear. This is low enough to pull away from a stop without abusing the clutch, and high enough to get to a reasonable speed without abusing the engine. Good enough for a few miles of driving home or to a shop for help.