Hope this helps fellow 986 owners. I too was stuck in 3rd on my '97 986, as the bottom part of the lateral shift linkage popped off the 8mm ball on the bottom side of the transmission. Old Porsches are often owned by enthusiasts that may not have the means to be buying replacement factory parts, so to cut to the chase: I know the sponsor sells a replacement linkage for $200+ and Numeric sells one for $125. I made mine for $25 but it took me a while to find a metal 8mm ball socket (it's a '97). 98+ use easier to find 10mm sockets. Anyway, a 10mm and an 8mm metal ball socket, M6x1.0 304 stainless all thread, and two 304 stainless locking nuts. Check out the pix, if I can upload. Took me an hour to make, precisely matching the 126mm center-to-center ball sockets of the original part. A good glob of bearing grease in each socket and installation took 5 minutes, without taking off the triangular aluminum underbelly. Endurance testing has begun. Shifter feels more notchy, not as mushy as before. BTW, both failed part sockets were toast. Anyway, if anyone is interested, and not to take business away from others, but I'm willing to precision-make this linkage for others for around $60, including an hour of my time. If you drive in a spirited fashion or are racing (btw, I drive like a grandma), the original linkage WILL fail and leave you with 3rd and 4th gear only. Thankfully, I did not need reverse to get home, but it is amazing that I could get going in 3rd, from a stop, uphill.
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