repairing a cut shift knob... - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

ehD · 03-14-2007, 06:49 PM

so i bought a used boxster where the previous owner had cut the original shift knob, claiming it's easier to shift... well being that i was relatively new to manual cars i just nodded in agreement ignorantly..

so anyhow this knob basically is kind of loose and can be pulled off, which kind of makes shifting mushy. the leather wrap thing around it is really loose too. so i'm wondering what's my best way to fix this cause i'm actually having a bit of trouble shifting. would simply getting an actual short shift kit solve my problems. should i just glue the knob down? do i need to find someone that can like sew back the leather wrap?

any help is appreciated, i'm just so damn ignorant on this stuff =x

03-14-2007, 06:56 PM

Buy a new one like these:

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=P&Category_Code=POTEBXCC

ehD · 03-14-2007, 09:49 PM

hrmm is there a cheaper solution.. i think the shifter itself is okay.. i guess the best way to explain it is the knob and sleeve part are okay, but the shaft itself is cut... so what i guess i need would be a new shaft...

do these short shift kits not come with a knob? i'm not quite sure how the original knob fits over the shifter in the first place.. is it glued or screwed or what?

ehD · 03-14-2007, 09:50 PM

wait... is the 'boot' supposed to be sewn on to the knob?...

porsche986spyder · 03-15-2007, 07:37 AM

Try this, remove the shift knob boot and knob and wrap the upper part of the shaft with electrical tape to make it wider. Sounds like the inside of the knob's sleve has been worn down. It may just need to be held on tighter. You will have to experiment with the thikness of the tape wrap before you put the knob back down on the shaft. Good luck.

CJ_Boxster · 03-15-2007, 08:24 AM

The stock black shift knob appears to be sewn or permanetly attached to the boot. if its detaching, you can try to glue the boot to the knob but it'll look ****************ty. The boot is also suppose to securely snap into place on the center console.

Peer · 03-15-2007, 09:11 AM

CJ_Boxster wrote:
> you can try to glue the boot to the knob but it'll look ****************ty.

Not if it's done correctly.

-- peer

Tool Pants · 03-15-2007, 09:38 AM

The stock shift knob is a friction fit on the shift lever. The oem shift lever has a groove at the top of the lever to lock the shift knob in place.

Since this groove is at the top of the lever if you cut the lever to make it shorter then there is no longer a groove at the top of the lever.

I am guessing this is what is going on. Can't tell for sure without some pictures.

CJ_Boxster · 03-15-2007, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peer

CJ_Boxster wrote:
> you can try to glue the boot to the knob but it'll look ****************ty.

Not if it's done correctly.

-- peer

****************ty i say!

ehD · 03-15-2007, 03:10 PM

here's some 640x480 photos...

the boot taken off, showing the shifter

everything i have, including momo shift knob + oem shift knob

close-up of the cut shaft

boot put back on to show length comparison

my current setup... knob is loose and mushy

trying to stuff the momo knob on unsuccessfully

i think the electric tape solution sounds like a good temp fix... but i'm curious... if i wanted to theoretically use the momo knob what would i do? could i just buy a short shift kit and pop on the momo knob with no problems? but then i still would have problems with the boot i guess.

so i guess the solution for now is just to wrap electric tape to shaft to make it thicker so the knob wont slide on/off so easily. and than glue the boot to the knob. would this fix the mushiness feeling.. or would i just prevent the sliding of the knob.

anyone who bought a short shift kit selling their stock one?

03-15-2007, 03:21 PM

Dont glue or anything stupid like that. Take out your shift boot, turn it inside out, zip tie it to the shaft and when you put it back on it will be doubled over and look neat and tidy, thats how mine is. I also had to grind down the side of my shifter to get it to be small enough for the knob to slide over it.

ehD · 03-15-2007, 03:57 PM

not knowing anything about metal work and the such... what would i use to grind it down.. can i just use good ol fashion sandpaper? btw this approach seems a lot better

ehD · 03-15-2007, 05:17 PM

ok i filed down the shaft a bit, covered the momo handle with a towel, and hammered it in. torqued it tight. wrapped a metal wire around the shaft thru the inverted boot. hope this solution lasts...

Tool Pants · 03-18-2007, 02:14 PM

From your pictures the shaft was cut like you said.

Then I see a picture of the mushroom shift knob used on a 1997-1999 2.5. That knob will no longer lock down because the groove has been cut off. And the boot has been cut off the knob.

Then I see an aftermarket shift knob that would usually screw into a threaded round shift lever, but the Box has a flat lever.

03-18-2007, 04:58 PM

No, they make them with 3 screws and you tighten them on.

ehD · 03-18-2007, 11:04 PM

yea.. i don't know how long those three screws will hold it in.. how are the short shift kits for boxsters... are they made rectangular too for the oem knobs or are they more 3rd party knob friendly?

djomlas · 03-18-2007, 11:38 PM

nope, look the same as oem ones.

ehD · 03-19-2007, 04:17 PM

thats a bummer.. so how do people normally go about adding other knobs...?

jakc993 · 01-22-2008, 12:38 AM

hi guys

new to the forum, again trying to change the knob too. purchased a momo combat evo air metal knob for the box but it doesn't fit. man what a dissapointment. well i am going to sand down the inside of the momo knob and try to make slightly larger to fit. and since this will probably be cheaper to replace the knob than anything else. i beleive its off just by a little, haven't actually measured the exact measurements but hope this works. then i will use a glue gun and hopefully this will place it in position. anyhow any help will be appreciated.

porsche986spyder · 01-22-2008, 08:05 AM

It's like they say, you can't fit a square peg into a round hole.

So unless you do some sanding of the shift knob or cutting the inside of the knob to make the round hole fit around the square shaft of the shift rod, your not really going to ever get a nice tight fit. You could try hammering that sucker on after you do some sanding or cutting, but it will be a ******************** to get off later on if you ever needed to. And if you hammer it down you will never get it all the way down the shaft, creating a much taller height in the shifting throw than the stock knob, unless you cut the height of the shaft too. Kinda sucks either way. I would just buy a nice Porsche made shift knob on e-bay. They always have them on there real cheap.