Shift fork guide on 901 transmission - 1970 911T

[Hawkeye]

Hello to All

My project started out to be a general clean up, replacement of seals for the input shaft, gear selector rod & shift fork guide, release/throw-out bearing & its attendant components while the transmission was out of the car. It appears I was in error removing the shift fork guide cover plate before making sure the transmission was in neutral.

I am able to see the ‘dongle’ but I am unable to reposition it to allow the guide plate placement for final bolt-up. On a couple of occasions I was able to get the cover ‘home’ but the shifter rod had very limited movement; so much so, I assumed the ‘dongle’ or gear sets were improperly positioned thus compromising any proper gear selection.

I attempted to complete this task numerous times with no assuring or positive results. Not wanting to force things & possibly incur any (read: expensive) component damage, I quit what I was doing until I could get some or any advice on what the hell I was missing or messing up on. I am at a bit of a loss as to what steps to next take. Haynes, while still a help, doesn't solve my issue.
Here's a couple of 'pics' of the part in question:




Any advice or help will most certainly be appreciated.
Thanks & Cheers
JB

[Jon B]

It appears I was in error removing the shift fork guide cover plate before making sure the transmission was in neutral.

If one of the internal shift rods is not aligned with the other two, and the transmission is in gear, then go in and push that rod back into neutral.
If you're not sure what's going on, then post a picture of the internal shift rods through the guide opening.

Jon B.
Vista, CA

[Hawkeye]

Hello Jon

I apologize for not getting back & thanking you for your input before now. I seem to have hit a stumbling point here as I am unable to get the transmission into neutral per your suggestion. This may in part, be likely due to my lack of experience &/or timidity to apply enough force to get the shift rod into neutral. This transmission sat for 25+ yrs. so there may be another issue at play here. Having said that, the input shaft turns freely & spins the output half-shaft flanges as one would expect – so we know it is still in gear. I've tried the picture option with which my equipment seems to result in blurred images of no use whatsoever.

I’ll be having a “Porsche savvy” buddy dropping over in a couple of weeks to have a look & hopefully he’ll be able help me set things right.

Thanks again Jon

Cheers
JB

[Jon B]

If one of the internal shift rods is not aligned with the other two, and the transmission is in gear, then go in and push that rod back into neutral.

Here's a factory view of the gear cluster, with the black arrow pointing to the center shift rod, for the 2nd & 3rd gears of a 5-speed.
This view is reversed from your view, which you'll see through the shift guide opening.



In this view, the operating centers of the three internal shift rods are aligned in the neutral position.
These are what your "dongle" push, in either direction, to engage a gear.
If your transmission is in gear, one of these three shift rods is no longer aligned with the other two, and must be pushed back into neutral alignment.

You'll need to leverage a tool against the housing opening, and with some moderate force the rod will disengage and re-align with the others.
You'll merely be doing what the "dongle" normally does...

Jon B.
Vista, CA

[Hawkeye]

Hey Jon

Thank you for the factory view photo. It is much appreciated as it a great help towards my understanding of the shift rod general arrangement & their respective roles in the gear selection process. I have to put this project on hold for the time being but will be definitely using the visual & your operational description when I can get back to it.

Once again, many thanks
Cheers
JB