915 Gearbox Linkage? Issue

[Metal]

Ok. So I recently picked up the new addition (a 1975 911s) with a 915 gearbox.

Backstory: When I picked up the car the seller was having difficulty with the boot lock so in his infinite wisdom he placed a metal pin in it so it would wedge closed and not pop back open on my journey home. Temporary problem solved and I managed to drive it 1,000+ km back to Melbourne without issue.

I return home to find that along my journey I had managed to rupture a fuel line. I ring the mechanic I used to take my 996 to for servicing and explain that the engine lid is jammed shut (cannot budge it open) and explain I am definitely dropping a small amount of straight fuel onto my garage floor (took a couple of days to start seeing any fuel on the ground) during which time I've been trying to get the engine deck lid open..

So I drive it sheepishly to the mechanic hoping the car won't explode, park it and hand over the keys.

I call the mechanic for an update and he proceeds to tell me the gearbox is stuffed and it's only selecting reverse gear. My reply "What are you talking about? I just drove it to you!" His response "I don't know what's going on". 

So I get a ride down to the mechanic and get in; I find I can move the gear stick into all gear positions. Slides in and out no problems. So I put the car in what should be neutral and depress the Clutch pedal and fire her up. Starts fine. As soon as I start to remove my foot from the Clutch in neutral I start heading in reverse. So I put the car in 1st gear and again slowly release the Clutch pedal. Car stalls.

After some investigation I believe the linkage must have slipped from the spline probably due to my retarded mechanic forcing the gears in an old 911 he obviously has no clue about..

On top of stuffing my gearbox they were unable to open the engine bay however they were able to repair the leaking/ruptured fuel line. So now I have just replaced one problem with another..

He tried to fix the slipped linkage (or at least that's what I think is the issue) but failed to adjust it. I sent him a YouTube vid and some details on how to adjust but "Fail".

So I'm going down there tomorrow morning and will get them to push it out of the workshop and into the car park where I will have a go (I have little idea what I'm doing) at fixing because as it is I can't drive the car anywhere unless I'm in reverse!

If I can't fix it/adjust it myself (wish me luck) then I'm going to have to use my Roadside Assist to get it towed to a mechanic who deals with old Porsches (the place I should have taken it to in the first place..)

I'm a little frustrated with what has happened to say the least but I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty tomorrow morning.

The only clip for adjusting the linkage/coupling I can find is below:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b3nPONBAaZM

My first question is do I need to start the car and find neutral gear first (which may be in 3rd gear) before switching off and loosening the nuts to adjust? Or do I leave the gear in what should be neutral (but is actually reverse currently) and start fiddling.

Does it sound like I'm on the right track with what is going on with my gearbox or something more sinister? Any tips?

Keeping in mind it drove perfectly fine when I dropped it off. Not a happy camper unfortunately. Will NEVER use this mechanic again..

Thanks.

[Fraz]

I have adjusted 915 shifter and rebuilt bushes before.

You may have to play with the adjustment to find neutral first, then adjust from there, you don't have to start the engine for this.

Very disappointing to hear about your spanner stuffing up your shifter, I personally doubt he has stuffed the box without some very major abuse.

I see your in Melbourne, I am in Lilydale. If you need a hand feel free to send me a PM or I can recommend as descent machanic.

Fraz. 

[Metal]

So after reading through some info on other forums it appears getting stuck in reverse is somewhat of a common problem. Apparently it can be fixed by removing the reverse back up light switch to get to a pin you need to push in. There's a picture of this shown but I have no idea where abouts on the car to find this switch. Any takers? As usual I can't upload the pic due to size restrictions on here.. So here's the link (can see the pic at the bottom of the page).

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/784188-79-porsche-911-sc-stuck-reverse.html

I have adjusted 915 shifter and rebuilt bushes before.

You may have to play with the adjustment to find neutral first, then adjust from there, you don't have to start the engine for this.

Very disappointing to hear about your spanner stuffing up your shifter, I personally doubt he has stuffed the box without some very major abuse.

I see your in Melbourne, I am in Lilydale. If you need a hand feel free to send me a PM or I can recommend as descent machanic.

Fraz. 

Thanks Fraz. I have a mechanic lined up about 15 minutes away who has fixed linkage/bushes issues and has a history of working on AC Porsches. Problem I have is getting the car to him.. Looks like tow truck if I have no luck later this morning ?

If I can figure out where this switch is I may be a chance to push the pin myself (with the help of Mr Useless mechanic) to disengage reverse so I can drive it. I'm guessing it will need to be up on the hoist to get to. Having said that if it's only accessible through the engine bay then I'm buggered as I'm currently locked out.. ?

[Fraz]

Bit more info here @Metal, switch by the looks is at the front of the box or front drivers side above the crossmember.

In this link it's suggested to push the switch and move the rear wheels by hand to get the gears moving to disengage the reverse switch. 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/659567-915-prob-fixed-big-thanks-pelican-forums-john-walker.html

All the best and let us know how it works out. 

[Al]

If it's that coupler that needs sorting then yeah that's a fun task (not). Takes a while. However I came up with a bush mechanic method of speeding things up with some last known good reference points.

Go to my blog (which i haven't updated in ages) and take a look at the coupler with the tape and line markings.. this really helped me sort mine.

https://tripleblack911.com/

Have fun.

Just had a thought.. loosen the coupler. Chuck the gear leaver where you think reverse is, tighten the coupler then push the lever into neutral.. you may get it out of gear with some fiddling like this.

[Metal]

Thank you to all for your tips and quick responses.

The pin had indeed come loose in the reverse light switch. Pushed it back into the transmission and wouldn't you know it she's a goer. Great reference post for anybody that encounters this issue in the future. It appears once it's been done it's not a recurring issue (fingers crossed). The shift coupler had nothing to do with it however I think I'll buy an aftermarket unit like this to replace the stock part to be super safe and eliminate any play..

http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/PORSCHE-911-912-930-Shift-Rod-Coupling-manual-transmission-coupling-NEW-coupler-/201763596140?nav=WATCHING_ACTIVE

Next in line is getting this damn engine bay to see sunlight ?

Symptoms were:

Reverse was engaged when in neutral and was the only direction the car would travel..

Appeared as though both a gear and reverse were engaged simultaneously when a gear (e.g. 1st) was selected and car would not move and would stall as you slowly released the clutch.

Vehicle is undriveable in this state (unless you like to drive everywhere backwards..) and being in a lefty that would only come in handy at Maccas drive thru.

[P-Kay]

That coupler is not that different to standard. Personally, I would upgrade to either the Stomski or Wevo

[Metal]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll investigate those!

[Arnage]

It's so weird that these things happen when a Car finds a new home.

when I first got the C3 a couple of days later it would not go from ignition to turning the engine over. Turned out to be a loose fuse, more luck than judgement to cure that. Then shortly after it was running like a bears arse, after phone help from Don Munro & Mark Poole it turned out to be a tiny piece of shit in one of the idle jets. A quick blow out refit and all was good. Put in another inline fuel filter after to be sure it did not happen again.

 

[BlitzKonig]

Seems like you're figuring out bits and pieces as you go and making progress.

Would I suggest, if its not already on your list, to change the transmission fluid while you're at it? Swepco 201. Your box will love you for it. 

Regarding the boot lid... You might be able to remove the lower latch (mounted to the on the chassis) via removing the muffler and coming from underneath with a very flat/thin spanner to unscrew the bolts holding the latch in place, if Ive understood what the previous owner did correctly...

[Mike D'Silva]

good work on getting it working again

[Metal]

It's so weird that these things happen when a Car finds a new home.

when I first got the C3 a couple of days later it would not go from ignition to turning the engine over. Turned out to be a loose fuse, more luck than judgement to cure that. Then shortly after it was running like a bears arse, after phone help from Don Munro & Mark Poole it turned out to be a tiny piece of shit in one of the idle jets. A quick blow out refit and all was good. Put in another inline fuel filter after to be sure it did not happen again.

 

I agree. When I first got my water cooled car it was losing power/engine cutting out while I was driving. Super dangerous. Seems to happen when a car gets a new home for some reason!

My missus has gone from hating the car due to the fuel leak (smell) & trunk lock problem in the first few days of ownership.. to saying it has a cute bum and seems alive like it has a personality or something..

I knew it wouldn't take long for her to come around and warm to the new addition ?

[Metal]

Seems like you're figuring out bits and pieces as you go and making progress.

Would I suggest, if its not already on your list, to change the transmission fluid while you're at it? Swepco 201. Your box will love you for it. 

Regarding the boot lid... You might be able to remove the lower latch (mounted to the on the chassis) via removing the muffler and coming from underneath with a very flat/thin spanner to unscrew the bolts holding the latch in place, if Ive understood what the previous owner did correctly...

Thanks for the tip. Yes this is exactly what my next step will be. I'm just waiting for my new lock to arrive before I take the muffler off to get it open so I can replace it at the same time hopefully forever solving that problem..

[Al]

It's so weird that these things happen when a Car finds a new home.

when I first got the C3 a couple of days later it would not go from ignition to turning the engine over. Turned out to be a loose fuse, more luck than judgement to cure that. Then shortly after it was running like a bears arse, after phone help from Don Munro & Mark Poole it turned out to be a tiny piece of shit in one of the idle jets. A quick blow out refit and all was good. Put in another inline fuel filter after to be sure it did not happen again.

 

previous owner took a dump in your tank?

great idea on a 2nd filter.. think I'll do that also.

[Stew F]

After fitting my short shifter I had to adjust the shift coupler. Man, what a fun job that is. Took me ages. It's close now, but still needs a tweak.  Just have remember that to adjust the shifter to the left you turn the coupler to the right, and vice versa. Does that make sense?

[Metal]

After fitting my short shifter I had to adjust the shift coupler. Man, what a fun job that is. Took me ages. It's close now, but still needs a tweak.  Just have remember that to adjust the shifter to the left you turn the coupler to the right, and vice versa. Does that make sense?

What short shifter did you go with Stew?

[Stew F]

 

What short shifter did you go with Stew?

I bought the factory short shifter kit