Shifter ball cup repaired! ('83 S)
04-21-2015, 07:36 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Shifter ball cup repaired! ('83 S)
After procrastinating for several months, I finally dug in to repair the forward shifter ball cup on my '83. It turned out to be every bit as fiddly and difficult as I expected 
But now that it's done, the shifting as better than ever... super firm and direct, yay!
There is a ton of info available on this and other forums, but I found these links helpful - a great how to by Kurt Gibble and the parts diagram.
http://www.928intl.com/tips/artcl_04.html
http://jenniskens.livedsl.nl/Technic.../MyTip808.html
I was looking for some reasonable shortcuts along the way, but didn't find any... You really do have to drop the exhaust (just the catalytic converter section on the '83) and disassemble the shifter bits under the shift boot.
I have a few tips to add to the other info I found online...
When you order the new shift cup, also order the four nylon bushings for the gear shift lever. When you remove the clips, you are almost guaranteed to destroy the outer two bushings anyway. They are paper thin and get super brittle with age.
Removing the 17 mm nut holding on the shift cup is a PAIN. First of all, you do need to disassemble the shift lever and its springs, pins, clips and bushings (more on that later) to be able to move the shift cup down the side of the tunnel enough to get a wrench on it. I put an open ended wrench on the flat spots about three inches back from the end of the rod obviously and thoughtfully provided by Porsche for this purpose. Unfortunately, as soon as I started twisting my 17mm wrench, it only succeeded in elongating the flat spots
I then grabbed the cup with vice grips and again applied torque with my wrench... and more... and more. This only broke the cup off the end of the threaded shaft, leaving the nut and about 3/4 inch of threaded rod exposed. I figured I had only one chance left at this point... and if it didn't work, I'd have to remove the shift rod itself (shudder). I grabbed the threaded shaft with vice grips tightened as much as I possibly could. This finally did the trick, and only because the cheap pot metal used to make the shaft is so soft that the vice grip teeth really sunk in to get purchase. So my advice... Go straight to the vice grips.
Popping the new cup on the ball worked well with a small Stanley wrecking bar supported against the top of the tunnel with a small piece of 1/4" wood. I tried the rope method, tied in a loop and leveraged with a bar against a piece of wood on the bottom of the torque tube, but found that if I put the rope directly over the cup it would always slip off... and if I put it on the threaded shaft portion directly next to the cup, it would cause the shaft to bow. Definitely do not want to break the new part too
Finally, reassembling the shift lever is also far more difficult than it should be. It is not feasible to compress the springs in situ, or at least I have so concluded after an hour trying various combinations of channel locks, shims, leveraging screwdrivers and more. The dental floss method described in the link above did the trick in the end. It's really hard to get the outer nylon bushings in place!
Overall one of the less pleasant jobs I've done on the car, so much work for such a small part, but the results are great. Great to have the 928 running again!!
Rick
But now that it's done, the shifting as better than ever... super firm and direct, yay!There is a ton of info available on this and other forums, but I found these links helpful - a great how to by Kurt Gibble and the parts diagram.
http://www.928intl.com/tips/artcl_04.html
http://jenniskens.livedsl.nl/Technic.../MyTip808.html
I was looking for some reasonable shortcuts along the way, but didn't find any... You really do have to drop the exhaust (just the catalytic converter section on the '83) and disassemble the shifter bits under the shift boot.
I have a few tips to add to the other info I found online...
When you order the new shift cup, also order the four nylon bushings for the gear shift lever. When you remove the clips, you are almost guaranteed to destroy the outer two bushings anyway. They are paper thin and get super brittle with age.
Removing the 17 mm nut holding on the shift cup is a PAIN. First of all, you do need to disassemble the shift lever and its springs, pins, clips and bushings (more on that later) to be able to move the shift cup down the side of the tunnel enough to get a wrench on it. I put an open ended wrench on the flat spots about three inches back from the end of the rod obviously and thoughtfully provided by Porsche for this purpose. Unfortunately, as soon as I started twisting my 17mm wrench, it only succeeded in elongating the flat spots
I then grabbed the cup with vice grips and again applied torque with my wrench... and more... and more. This only broke the cup off the end of the threaded shaft, leaving the nut and about 3/4 inch of threaded rod exposed. I figured I had only one chance left at this point... and if it didn't work, I'd have to remove the shift rod itself (shudder). I grabbed the threaded shaft with vice grips tightened as much as I possibly could. This finally did the trick, and only because the cheap pot metal used to make the shaft is so soft that the vice grip teeth really sunk in to get purchase. So my advice... Go straight to the vice grips.Popping the new cup on the ball worked well with a small Stanley wrecking bar supported against the top of the tunnel with a small piece of 1/4" wood. I tried the rope method, tied in a loop and leveraged with a bar against a piece of wood on the bottom of the torque tube, but found that if I put the rope directly over the cup it would always slip off... and if I put it on the threaded shaft portion directly next to the cup, it would cause the shaft to bow. Definitely do not want to break the new part too
Finally, reassembling the shift lever is also far more difficult than it should be. It is not feasible to compress the springs in situ, or at least I have so concluded after an hour trying various combinations of channel locks, shims, leveraging screwdrivers and more. The dental floss method described in the link above did the trick in the end. It's really hard to get the outer nylon bushings in place!
Overall one of the less pleasant jobs I've done on the car, so much work for such a small part, but the results are great. Great to have the 928 running again!!
Rick
Last edited by rjtw; 04-24-2015 at 02:18 AM. Reason: Added photos
04-21-2015, 08:16 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
what i did with the new one, was weld the shaft to the ball cup and then replace the nylon cup insert. the spot weld is cheap and its where these things break.
04-21-2015, 08:19 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Hey Mark! Long time no see. Still racing the '87? I still have your original wheels and love telling friends that I'm riding on those that set a world speed record!
Last edited by rjtw; 04-21-2015 at 08:35 PM.
04-21-2015, 09:36 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
I don't think I removed my exhaust when I did mine....now, I am getting old, and my memory is not what it used to be....I think I removed all the screws from the heat shielding, and worked it over to the side, then did the deed......I gotta find the section of my thread...I believe it's in there.....
Well, I just re-read your post....I did not go as deep as you...I only replaced the insert, not the entire cup housing....
Well, I just re-read your post....I did not go as deep as you...I only replaced the insert, not the entire cup housing....
04-23-2015, 05:31 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
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04-23-2015, 08:57 PM
#8
Nordschleife Master
Removing the 17 mm nut holding on the shift cup is a PAIN.
<snip>
I put an open ended wrench on the flat spots about three inches back from the end of the rod obviously and thoughtfully provided by Porsche for this purpose. Unfortunately, as soon as I started twisting my 17mm wrench, it only succeeded in elongating the flat spots I then grabbed the cup with vice grips and again applied torque with my wrench... and more... and more. This only broke the cup off the end of the threaded shaft, leaving the nut and about 3/4 inch of threaded rod exposed. I figured I had only one chance left at this point... and if it didn't work, I'd have to remove the shift rod itself (shudder).
<snip>
I put an open ended wrench on the flat spots about three inches back from the end of the rod obviously and thoughtfully provided by Porsche for this purpose. Unfortunately, as soon as I started twisting my 17mm wrench, it only succeeded in elongating the flat spots
I then grabbed the cup with vice grips and again applied torque with my wrench... and more... and more. This only broke the cup off the end of the threaded shaft, leaving the nut and about 3/4 inch of threaded rod exposed. I figured I had only one chance left at this point... and if it didn't work, I'd have to remove the shift rod itself (shudder).The cup sometimes has loctite on it, on the locking nut and/or the threaded section in the end of the tube - a bit of heat from a small pencil blowtorch works wonders and saves all the bending/breaking stuff.