DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

To add to what has already been a year of bad lack. I now have a serious problem with my gearbox, five weeks before the Highland trip!

I put the car into a local VW/Porsche specialist last week for a tune up and to pull the engine, and and sort out the various oil leaks and replace a very leaky oil cooler. Good news is I now have a 914 which doesn't leave a mark every where it goes. The bad news is the car will no longer stay in second gear!

On removal it was obvious that a bodge job was carried out previously with cable ties and springs connecting the shift rods to the firewall. It was obviously this tension that was keeping it in gear.

Staring the car in second gear with the complete shift mechanism disconnected from the gearbox, still sees it jumping out of gear on the slightest touch of the accelerator.

I know very little about geaboxes and am at a complete loss at what to do now. Do I have it rebuilt? Where? Approx cost? What sort of time will this take? Or should I look for another box? Anyone got a late side shift 914 box?

If anyone can contribute any useful ideas, contacts etc. I'd be very appreciative.

Cheers

Hello there.

The cheapest will always be a good replaced box.

The rebuild parts are very costly now, and its hardly worth stripping abox unless you plan a total rebuild.

The last one I saw bills for came to 2.500 done by Gantspeed several years ago..in my old 914-6.

Kind regards
David

I know Adam bought a nice one recently. Maybe contact him and see if he'll sell it?

fourteener wrote:I know Adam bought a nice one recently. Maybe contact him and see if he'll sell it?

Cheers, James. I'll bare that in mind. Thanks

take a look through the Pelican tech articles and see if you can check off some other items before you write the gearbox off.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/914tech_articles.htm

just a thought, though the tests you've tried so far seem conclusive

Sounds like the dog teeth on second have worn to the extent they are only barely engaged.

At the risk of sounding like a complete bodge artist (sometimes a fair comment ) why not reinstate the spring loading bodge to get you running again whilst you contemplate the rebuild / replacement?

Either that or just forget you have 2nd gear for now?

Excuse my ignorance of this box, but does it have a detent (spring loaded plunger) acting on the shift rod for this position? If so maybe it is not functioning, or if it is the worn dog has sufficent thrust to overcome it

Hello, Gary.

Yes, it has detents of course..but this is never the problem.

It is the dog teeth and slider: they will btoh be shot for sure..

Upon inspection its is alos almost certain the bearing adjacent to 1'2nd gear will be shot, and likely also the big ball race on the output shaft..bothe do not much enjoy the steel and moly particles relsed from the grinding gear..

It would be normal prcatice to replace all the synchro bands of course..

The price I quoted was before some ofl these parts almost trebled in price overnight!

Kind regards
David

Check the shifter setup and oil level 1st.
My 901 box kept jumping out of gear. So I stripped it and there were two pieces of obvious damage. 1) the selector and synchro ring were worn where I'd been holding it in gear. 2) there was an oil leak from the clutch pivot point, and hence the oil level was low. All the other parts resembled the "after" shots rather than the "before"! I did have to reset the selector fork positions during the re-build as I'd moved them during the strip down.
I re-assembled it with just the worn parts replaced, leak fixed, chucked in fresh oil, and away I went. 1st few times out it jumped again ( boy was I Pee'd off) but after that it settled down and was reliable after that. Track day'd and everything.
I was surprised how simple the box really was. I guess you're talking Side shifter 901 box yeah .

Tim

Cheers, guys pretty sure every which way has been looked at. I'll mention the oil but to be honest I think I'm clutching at straws.

Looking around at prices for parts I think a rebuild is off the cards. So finding another box seems the best option.

Gary71 wrote:At the risk of sounding like a complete bodge artist (sometimes a fair comment ) why not reinstate the spring loading bodge to get you running again whilst you contemplate the rebuild / replacement?

Oh I wish Gary, they've tried that several times with no joy.

You could try negawsklov and see if he has a gear box in the one he is breaking?

If it had been diagnosed sooner you could have jumped on ebay and got hold of this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... &rd=1&rd=1

This one is for sale on ebay US. Might be worth watching?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PORSCHE- ... enameZWDVW

or this at a push for parts possibly

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970-72- ... enameZWDVW.

I've just had a chat with Paul at PRServices and they have a box. Unknown condition, not cheap though but they will swap it back if it doesn't work. May be my only option with only a few weeks until the highlands trip.

Still open to other offers though, don't be shy guys

Racecraft76 wrote:You could try negawsklov and see if he has a gear box in the one he is breaking?

Cheers, Stephen I've sent him a PM.

Stephen - sent you a pm.

DDK shines again!

I've had loads PM's and emails, some with offers and some with good suggestions. Many thanks to everyone for their time and input.

Special thanks goes to Adam (abm914) and Andy (Lightweght_911). Adam has kindly let me have the box he reecently agreed to buy from Andy. Many thanks guys.

Quite frankly I'd be right up s*&t creek right now if it wasn't for DDK and the generosity of it's menbers

Always great to hear about the DDK spirit.

Hope things get a bit better from now on .

Nice DDK always comes through in the end