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jakeru · 06-11-2017, 01:20 PM

There are multiple sources of slop in the 986 shifter system, and the majority of the slop doesn't occur in the shift console mechanism. Take a look at the following videos:
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/60643-excessive-shifter-play.html

looseness in the contraption

5-speed owners have a bellcrank back at the transmission (referred to as a "contraption" later on in above-liked thread), which users have reported to add ~1/3 overall system slop to the side-to-side throws.

There will also be some amount of slop present inside the transmission, which presumably, would require transmission removal and disassembly to fix, so I would discount any promise of perfection achieve by a simple solution, like changing only a shift console.

But that said, if you're comfortable with center console removal, focusing on easy to remove sources of slop in the shift console can provide a noticeable and significant performance improvement for very little $ required.

Back to the topic of Phoenix engineering bushings, here is one install tip. If you don't find they install completely tightly in the shift console bore, (in my case, there was a bit of slop there), use some anaerobic locking compound activator first, and then anaerobic locking compound on the bore:

It gets a bit messy as you also want to grease the ID of the bushing, and you won't want threadlocker fluid getting to the inside surface, or grease getting to outer surface. Even with activator, it should probably wait for several hours to fully cure before using, and this will also make the bushing more difficult to remove, if that's ever needed. (In my book, the fact the Phoenix bushings are removable is a plus, however!).

The other main source of slop to attend to on the Phoenix bushings is the front-to-back dimension potentially being excessive, which will contribute front-to-back slop if not dealt with. I made shims by cutting out of very thin stainless sheetmetal to eliminate this, but had to remove and reinstall a bushing a few times to check and keep adding more shims in until it got the front-to-back slop here all completely dialed out:

The ID of the Phoenix bushings was machined spot-on perfect tolerance, which is good because there would be no way to fix that if it had slop. (We're talking maybe less than .001" here; if I recall; you will not be able to notice it!). However, when disassembling the console pieces, do exercise caution to try not to "scar" the plastic pins, which insert into the Phoenix bushings. If you do "scar" the plastic pins, the protruding part of the scar can be pushed back smooth or scraped/filed smooth. If there is interference here, it may just result in some additional friction.

You really don't want much friction in the shift mechanism, especially in the side-to-side direction, or you can increase your risk of a "money shift".

I used DuPont krytox grease for all my shift console lubrication needs, as it won't attack the plastic over time. If that's not available, silicone grease should provide similar benefit:

There is in my opinion, absolutely no benefit to ball bearings on such a slow-moving joint, compared to a solid, long-lasting bushing, provided the bushing can be installed with tolerances this tight.

Some of the non-OE style aftermarket replacement bushings have a threaded depth adjustment bolt that would make installation easier than the "trial-and-error" shimming method that I found was required to eliminate all play with the GT3/Phoenix engineering style bushings.

The common Chinese-made aftermarket short-shift kits offer adjustable depth bushings, as does Function First's bushings, but I have no experience using either of these products.

Although there are other sources of play in the shift system that are outside the scope of this thread to try to cover all in one post, I hope this info is helpful.

Cheers!

06-11-2017, 01:20 PM	#10
jakeru Registered User Join Date: May 2015 Location: Greater Seattle, WA Posts: 534	There are multiple sources of slop in the 986 shifter system, and the majority of the slop doesn't occur in the shift console mechanism. Take a look at the following videos: http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/60643-excessive-shifter-play.html looseness in the contraption 5-speed owners have a bellcrank back at the transmission (referred to as a "contraption" later on in above-liked thread), which users have reported to add ~1/3 overall system slop to the side-to-side throws. There will also be some amount of slop present inside the transmission, which presumably, would require transmission removal and disassembly to fix, so I would discount any promise of perfection achieve by a simple solution, like changing only a shift console. But that said, if you're comfortable with center console removal, focusing on easy to remove sources of slop in the shift console can provide a noticeable and significant performance improvement for very little $ required. Back to the topic of Phoenix engineering bushings, here is one install tip. If you don't find they install completely tightly in the shift console bore, (in my case, there was a bit of slop there), use some anaerobic locking compound activator first, and then anaerobic locking compound on the bore: It gets a bit messy as you also want to grease the ID of the bushing, and you won't want threadlocker fluid getting to the inside surface, or grease getting to outer surface. Even with activator, it should probably wait for several hours to fully cure before using, and this will also make the bushing more difficult to remove, if that's ever needed. (In my book, the fact the Phoenix bushings are removable is a plus, however!). The other main source of slop to attend to on the Phoenix bushings is the front-to-back dimension potentially being excessive, which will contribute front-to-back slop if not dealt with. I made shims by cutting out of very thin stainless sheetmetal to eliminate this, but had to remove and reinstall a bushing a few times to check and keep adding more shims in until it got the front-to-back slop here all completely dialed out: The ID of the Phoenix bushings was machined spot-on perfect tolerance, which is good because there would be no way to fix that if it had slop. (We're talking maybe less than .001" here; if I recall; you will not be able to notice it!). However, when disassembling the console pieces, do exercise caution to try not to "scar" the plastic pins, which insert into the Phoenix bushings. If you do "scar" the plastic pins, the protruding part of the scar can be pushed back smooth or scraped/filed smooth. If there is interference here, it may just result in some additional friction. You really don't want much friction in the shift mechanism, especially in the side-to-side direction, or you can increase your risk of a "money shift". I used DuPont krytox grease for all my shift console lubrication needs, as it won't attack the plastic over time. If that's not available, silicone grease should provide similar benefit: There is in my opinion, absolutely no benefit to ball bearings on such a slow-moving joint, compared to a solid, long-lasting bushing, provided the bushing can be installed with tolerances this tight. Some of the non-OE style aftermarket replacement bushings have a threaded depth adjustment bolt that would make installation easier than the "trial-and-error" shimming method that I found was required to eliminate all play with the GT3/Phoenix engineering style bushings. The common Chinese-made aftermarket short-shift kits offer adjustable depth bushings, as does Function First's bushings, but I have no experience using either of these products. Although there are other sources of play in the shift system that are outside the scope of this thread to try to cover all in one post, I hope this info is helpful. Cheers! __________________ 2001 Boxster Last edited by jakeru; 06-11-2017 at 03:29 PM.