Shifter adjustment

[Jay Laifman]

How is the 915 tranny adjusted at the coupling? I'm sometimes grabbing some of reverse when pulling out of 5th. I see that someone said that is a sign it is not adjusted correctly. But, I can't find a thread on how to adjust it.

I did replace the coupling and my shifter is farther forward. Is there a general rule about whether the stick shift shaft coming up from the floor should be vertical or angled back?

What about side to side? I thought I set it so that 3/4 was sort of in the middle with 1/2 and 5/R split equally side to side.

Thanks for any help.

Jay

[M_deJong]

Seems your adjustment is off at the splined joint. Fore aft should have the shifter centered in its throw, i.e. Vertical at the base. I set the left right with the shfter against the first-second stop - full left and the shaft rotated to the stops on that side, full clockwise looking toward front of car.

[beh911]

Jay, attached is an old tips doc I gleaned from rennlist forum posts back in mid 90s, the dawn of internet Porsche advice

I would read through this and get an idea of how to proceed. It has helped me troubleshoot 915 transmission shifting issues in the past.

Best,

Bryce

[gled49]

You didn't say which shifter you have? I assume it is the later tower and not the early 72 type. If it is the tower I adjust the side to side towards the reverse/5th gear which is under preload, to insure full engagement of the tang on the main shift rail into the 5th/reverse shift rail inside the trans. Sometimes it takes two people, one to hold the shifter against the spring and the second to make sure the main shift rod is rotated fully in that direction and to tighten the pinch nut and bolt on the splines. You have to be able to make two shifts without issue. 2nd to 3rd and 5th to 4th. Sometemes you have to tweek it a little, but that is my starting place. Gordon

[Jay Laifman]

I have a late '73. Interesting that most all the descriptions say align on 1/2 but Gordon is suggesting something different for perhaps what I have. Is that a difference between the towers or just difference between styles?

Thanks all.

[M_deJong]

Manual says to use the 1-2 side for both shifters. Gordon's method is probably ok, but i think the shifter needs to be fully right against the spring when adjusting which seems more difficult to do.

[Jay Laifman]

Is the 901 the same? Particularly with the shaft being straight up from the base?

I have to say, when I first got the 911 with the 915, 25 years ago, it took some getting use to. But, ultimately, I really came to appreciate it. That said, it never seemed to be the "knife through butter" that my dad had said about his '67 911. Now that I recently got a '67 912 with a 901/902 tranny, I admit I see what he means. That tranny is so smooth, shifts beautifully - just like that old ad I remember seeing for Porsche transmissions that showed a racing gloved hand, the shifter and a feather. However, when switching back and forth between cars, I note that the shifter is further back - that is, the part of the lever that goes down into the mechanism is not straight up, but tilted back. Should that be straight up too? It does make for close quarters when putting down the parking brake when the shifter is in first.

[Jay Laifman]

Just to report back. I first did the 1/2 side method - by myself. Didn't work so well. Hard to find 3rd. Then I did the 5th side method with my son helping. Worked like a charm. Shifts beautifully, right in, right were it is supposed to. No more 5th/R snip.

Thanks all!

[savaden]

The 915 adjusts on the 1-2 side because reverse is on the right. The 901 adjusts on the 4-5 side because reverse is on the left. The adjustment techniques are the same, just reversed. The 915 is a little more fiddly because of the reverse lockout and slightly shorter throws. Replacing the stock rear coupler with a Wevo - Stomski, etc. aircraft type universal really helps with the smoothness and precision of the mechanism.

SV

[Jay Laifman]

I gotta say, as above, I did my 915 on the "easy" 1/2 side, and it was terrible. Redid it with my son helping on the spring 5/R side and it is amazing. I don't know if it was switching the side, or my son's help.

This weekend, I did the 902 (on my '67 912). First I did it on the 4/5 side, with the bottom of the stick perpendicular to the floor - and it was worse than imaginable. It was like the shifter was attached to rubber bands connected to an engine in another car. So, I redid it on the 1/R spring side, and not so far forward. It's wonderful again.

One funny thing I found. After all the times I've commented that the factor apparently designed the slop in to the rear coupler, mine hand no slop and it had the Porsche P on it. I don't know when that was used or supplied.