The same thing JUST happened to me this afternoon...

 

So I finally fixed this today after waiting a while for parts...

WORK:
Replace (2) shift sleeves (P/N 96442422401)--#26 in the pg. 1 pic. They are no longer oval shaped, but round. They are rubbery-plastic. I'm guessing that over time, they harden and crack as rubber does, then become brittle and fall apart--which leaves guide tube #27 to work itself loose over time and create the problem.

COST:
$10. (plus my time, which is priceless) Sleeves are ~$4 each, you must buy two; one for the forward end of the guide tube, and one for the rear end of it.


PROCEDURE:
--Take the center console and, ultimately, the gear shift lever boots and covers off to reveal the working metal joints inside. Takes about 30 minutes. (Procedure on p-car DIY.)

--Take out old shift sleeves, or in my case, push them until they break out of the hole completely. The pieces will fall into the tunnel below where you will be to retrieve them anyway.

--Slide guide tube #27 back so you can remove Lock Ring #28 from the front of the guide tube--do the same for the rear Lock Ring. Once again, it's okay if they fall in "the tunnel".

--Once you have the lock rings removed, put new shift sleeves (#26) in their respective holes and make sure they fit well. There is a groove in the middle of the shift sleeve to see that it grips the thin metal panel well. Careful to not push them through the hole or you'll have crawl under the car to retrieve things from the tunnel more often.

--Slowly and easily wiggle the guide tube back into the new shift sleeves. This will be a tight fit. Just try to center it from end-to-end as good as possible.

--CRAWL UNDER THE CAR (after lifting it properly. safety first, of course.)

--Take the tunnel cover off from the bottom of the car. (Procedure on P-car DIY)

--Retrieve any broken or loose parts that may have fallen in there.

--Attach Lock Rings (#28) to each end of the guide tube (#27) (So the pins are on the outside of the rubber shift sleeves, of course.)

--Inspect all other joint while you're under there. Maybe take the time to install a short shift kit?

--Put tunnel cover back on and put the car back on the ground properly. Put everything back as it was before you disassembled it.

--Done.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whole thing took me about 1.5 hours. Smooth shifting once again! Actually has a newer feel with those new, more cushy sleeves in.

-Harry

 

I have now have this problem... loose shifter. I can pull/lift the whole shift **** assembly up at least an inch. I can still shift, but it's difficult to select 5th. I searched and found this thread and I believe it's the same problem that I have?

(P/N 96442422401) - #26 in diagram [need to confirm this number for my ’90 MY]

I have a couple questions as I'm much, much less experienced then everyone that has already posted.

At this point...
I have almost everything removed to release the center console, the shift lever and shift boot remain in place. I'm afraid to remove the shift lever as I don't want it feel slightly loose in the future. Garrett376 says pull, pull hard. Looks like I can move the console enough to leave both the shifter and shift boot in place and still remove the rubber shift boot (#20). Side note: found a rats nest of speaker wires for the front/rear speaker fader… I’m tempted to just cut it all out!)

At this point I started questioning whether everything could be accessed from below instead? Is this a top and bottom job (remove and expose everything under the shift boot AND remove the center tunnel)? Or can everything can be reached from below instead?

Can I attach the front and back lock rings (#28) to each end of the guide tube (#27) from inside the car, or only from underneath?

If I have to remove the tunnel, is it straight forward or is there I trick or two I should watch out for?


One last note:
I found this post by Euromagination, which looks like my problem is curable from below only, but I really couldn’t follow the description.

Thanks in advance for any help with this issue!
Best,
Udo

 

Ok, at this point I've searched some more and I've also sat with the diagram a little longer so I've going to move forward with my best guess? I think my problem is shift sleeves (P/N 96442422401)--#26 in the shift linkage picture above. I stopped short of removing the shift boot #20 or removing the center tunnel below the car.

- I've going to remove the center tunnel tonight (after I buy a floor jack and jack stands... new tools!) and get a better look.

- Removing the tunnel looks easy... hopefully just regular bolts? Not something fancy?

- FYI, if this happens to you, this might not be an overnight part order from a RL sponsor or Pelican? Via my local shop, I was told this is an OEM Porsche Part. Meaning, the vendor orders it from Prosche and waits for it to arrive. Pelian says this adds a couple days before receives/ships the part.

- My P. Deals says Atlanta has it in stock... they are sending it next day...

- IF, my problem is the shift sleeve and guide tube, is the car still drivable or will this put too much stress on the assembly? Just easy driving, slow shifting.

Thanks,
Udo

 

Udo- that center tunnel is just a few bolts- nothing fancy. you'll see the shifter assembly very easily. Good time to do the short shifter swap

 

Jetta, you need to be under the car to attach the lockrings; if you take care you can do the whole job from under the car. Make sure you get the right guide tube bushings (#26) for your car, in your case they are round not like the ones in the picture. If you want to install the RS short shift kit, you WILL have to make the holes for the guide tube bushings OVAL, like the ones in the picture. This is the link to my RS short shift install. https://rennlist.com/forums/964-foru...ighlight=crg53

 

Thank for your encouraging words Hawk and Steen.

Again due to RL resources, I was able to:

• put my car up on jack stands. (correct locations and method - Scary!)
• remove the center tunnel and expose the transmission tunnel
• understand the shifter assembly and locate the problem
• confirm that in fact I do have broken shifter sleeves (good since I ordered them already based on the detailed descriptions of others)
• move the assembly around to confirm that I could actually replace and fix the problem (remove lock rings and replace broken shift sleeves)

Wow, what a night. Part scary, part "This is what it's all about! Buy new TOOLS and do the work yourself"

So I can fix this (keep in mind I'm a total Newbie here)! I've never had the feeling before... "oh the shift linkage just fell out, I can fix it". The part is supposed to come in today... hopefully I'm not celebrating to sooooon?

A couple notes:

• regarding removing the center tunnel. Simple nut removal, only takes a turn or two to remove each nut
• Had to also remove some nuts/bolts from adjoining panels as they overlap or are connected via hooks and indentations
• replacing the shift sleeves can be done from below only. Now I have to re-install most of the center console inside the car. I did find 8 cents and will clean everything up as a bonus.

For lots of pictures of what I'm talking about:
http://picasaweb.google.com/udoreisi...gShiftSleeves#

A surprising side note: After spending hours in the garage and after buying tons of new tools and parts (also Wevo m.m.) the wife was happy. Why? Not because I was out of her hair, but b/c I can now tackle more 64 jobs and not have to re-arrange everything with the family so they can drive 30 miles one-way to drop off the car for days. It will still happen, but little-by-little not as often!

Thanks everyone,
Udo

 

Udo, isn't that a great feeling, first time under the car, spending quality time bonding with our objects or affection. All BS aside, good on you, make sure you have a celebratory beverage when the job is done. One of these "while you are in there" check your SHIFT COUPLING to see if you have worn bushings or cracks in the coupling, that happened to me when I did the RS short shift .

 

I am 3 weeks into ownership of my 1991 964 and it looks like it's my turn to tackle this. Just like Udo, this is my first time getting under the car and I am excited!

-Mike B
1991 964 Coupe

 

Good luck Mike. You have the right mindset about this...have fun while you're in there.
More pictures of the procedure here: http://picasaweb.google.com/udoreisi...gShiftSleeves#
Let us know if you have any questions?!

 

So far so good. I got the center console and the rubber shifter collar off this afternoon and both rubber gaskets are indeed shot. It looks just like your pics! I live on Long Island, NY where there are at least four Porsche dealerships within an hour of where I live so I figure one of them has the part I need.

Now, what jack and jack stands to get? I assume I am raising the front of the car. Where exactly is the jack point? I know I am going to have a tense Saturday morning when I tackle the jack for the first time.

Mike B
91 964 Coupe

 

I finished the job at 11:00 last night. took the car out for a spin and it shifts better than ever. Thanks Udo and all the people who wrote "how-to" instructions and took pictures. This is my first time underneath the car and while it was fraught with anxiety (Jacking!) everything worked out great.

 

Sure wish that you did not have to cut the hole bigger for the part number 27 tube I would have put a short shift kit on in a sec.. o well .. Good info here as My car did this same thing time to get a new set of rubber for part number 27 any others to look at I want to take care of problems now not when they come up. REALLY great info here