[roundel]

Originally Posted by bentone

how to shift the 915, etc..)

Some advice from another NOOB
Being rather new to the Porsche world with my 86 Carrera, I have recently learned a bit about the 915, but could probably learn more. So far I have learned on my OEM short shift 915 to come to a complete stop and hit 2nd before trying to get into 1st. Otherwise: CRUNCH. Pause a second or two in neutral before trying to get into reverse. Otherwise: Crunch. The rest is muscle memory of where to put the rather vague shifter. If you drive it awhile, you should not crunch the edge of 1st trying to go into 3rd from 2nd. One thing about the throttle. I don't completely lift off the gas like I do in any other car when up shifting. Breathing on the throttle on an upshift allows me to get the shift a bit smoother and faster. I guess because of the lighter flywheel than most cars, my car looses revs faster than anything else non-Porsche I have driven. This makes matching revs on an upshift trickier than usual.

[Trak Ratt]

Originally Posted by bentone

... how to shift the 915, etc..)

Once you accept that all cars are made up of parts that don’t last forever and your’s is pushing 25 and you replace the bushes for ~$12 and replace the trans fluid with Swepco 201 for ~$30, like any other 5 speed transmission

[Rick V]

You need a set of Charlies coupling bushings. I love these things. The best part is after you install them, re-bush the shifter, 201 the trans you will find out just how bad your engine mounts really are..............That is all your money I will spend in this post. Stay tuned and welcome

[Trak Ratt]

Originally Posted by roundel

Some advice from another NOOB
Being rather new to the Porsche world with my 86 Carrera, I have recently learned a bit about the 915, but could probably learn more. So far I have learned on my OEM short shift 915 to come to a complete stop and hit 2nd before trying to get into 1st. Otherwise: CRUNCH. Pause a second or two in neutral before trying to get into reverse. Otherwise: Crunch. The rest is muscle memory of where to put the rather vague shifter. If you drive it awhile, you should not crunch the edge of 1st trying to go into 3rd from 2nd. One thing about the throttle. I don't completely lift off the gas like I do in any other car when up shifting. Breathing on the throttle on an upshift allows me to get the shift a bit smoother and faster. I guess because of the lighter flywheel than most cars, my car looses revs faster than anything else non-Porsche I have driven. This makes matching revs on an upshift trickier than usual.

Yours on the other hand is toast! Open your wallet proceed with caution.

[roundel]

Do you think it is that far gone? If I follow the recommendations I listed, it works without issue.

[tdatk]

Originally Posted by kaefer

For some reason that pic of Rick levitating on a fun run comes to mind.

Oh you mean this one.....

BTW.. Welcome Beth.....and little Willie

[Seltzer]

Originally Posted by Jase007

Welcome bentone.
Don't let the targa part stop you ... goes plenty fast out there ... especially upsets the Carerra coup(e) crowd when you pass them

I could not agree more.

[Trak Ratt]

Originally Posted by roundel

Do you think it is that far gone? If I follow the recommendations I listed, it works without issue.

Whatever floats your boat. But you need a rebuild. When it starts jumping out of 3rd....

[Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by roundel

Do you think it is that far gone? If I follow the recommendations I listed, it works without issue.

Your first gear synchro is toast. 2nd and 3rd likely not far behind. It's not going to explode into a ball of flames the next time you drive, but when one of the forward motion synchros (2, 3, 4, 5) go, then you're done. You'll have plenty of warning before it goes completely, BTW. Hard as it is to believe, DR's not trying to be a dick. He's just been around the 915 block a few times and knows the symptoms. The crunchy first gear is how it starts.

Now, the "slop" in the shifter is a lot of things. Anyone with an old 915 car (and they're all old) should do the following:

- Replace ball cup and shift rod bushings under the shifter.
- Replace shift coupler bushings under the access plate behind the seats. Preferably with a set of Charlie's brass bushings.
- Replace the trans fluid with Swepco 201.
- While replacing the trans fluid, check the shift fork inside the transmission. This is important. I've now seen 3 transmissions where the stud holding this fork in have come loose. It's an easy job to take the access plate off when the trans is empty and secure this fork - but the transmission has to be empty. I'm changing trans fluid this weekend, maybe I'll post pictures.
- Make sure your clutch cable is in alignment. Good procedure in the Bentley manual.

A bonus, but not super critical:
- Replace your trans and engine mounts with either new Porsche parts or Wevos. DO NOT buy the "OEM" ones for $20 each. They are garbage. I know this from experience.

All of the things I list here are things that wear out or go out of spec and need periodic attention. As these cars get old, a lot of this stuff is neglected. Taking these steps will make your 915 shift better.

That said, it will not magically add material to your synchros. And in a 915, they wear out at about 100k. If you're keen to preserve the life of the synchros, double clutching helps a lot.

[KFJ]

What he said ^

I just rebuilt mine and can tell you that I can safely shift into first while still doing 10mph. I don't really use that feature much, but it was the first thing I tried when testing .