Short Shifter keeps poping loose on my Boxster

[gd2aan]

I have a 2000 Porsche Boxster that I had my Mechanic install a B&M short shifter and it keeps poping out leaving my car in first gear. This has now happened 2 times and the mechanic now says the the transmission needs a fluid change. That is why this happens.

I find this hard to swallow since everytime it popped out I was turning at a stop light at low speeds and it popped loose. The sifter when first installed was nice and tight then started to get a little further between shifts then popped out. The 2nd time I picked up the car and noticed that it seemed a little far between shifts but chalked it up for non use for about 3 weeks and was wrong. Now it seems to be related

They charged me 1300.00 to do the install and for the shifter.

[Burg Boxster]

I hope you really mean they charged $130 for the install. If it truly was $1300... RUN AS FAST AND AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN FROM THAT MECHANIC!!!!! A non-handy DIYer can should be able to do it in 3hours or less FWIW.

Anyhow, sound like it could be a couple of things - mis-aligned shifter cables, loose cross bolt, ill-adjusted end stops on the shifter etc. First thing I would do is pull up the shifter boot and have a look. Take a picture of it from as many angles as you can and post them here for us to diagnose further.

If you don't know how to pop the shifter boot, do a search on short shift or shift knob replacement in the archives for details.

Good luck!

[Lil bastard]

From your description, can't rule out a bad tranny or motor mount. Further down the list than BB's suggestions, but still there if all other things are ruled out.

[yellowboxster01]

Originally Posted by gd2aan

They charged me 1300.00 to do the install and for the shifter.

At most that shift kit was $300. That means they charged you $1K for the labor of the install. I recently put a short shifter in my car and it took right around 2 hours start to finish. I know a mechanic can do it in an hour. That's some hefty labor rates right there.

If you keep going back to him, he'll be able to retire in a year off your buck alone.

[gd2aan]

Ok, Thanks for the quick update. I did pull the boot and ash tray out and was able to hook up the shifter back so at least it was drivable.

The info you posted makes a strong case on the issues since this was the 2nd time it popped out since I had the shifter added. I plan to have the mechanic adjust it to work as it should. I already paid to have it set correct to start with!

After I had re-attached the shifter to the cable and poked around. I saw the adjustments areas but did not have time to tinker nor any instructions to adjust so it would have been a hit and miss session.

Regarding the 1300.00 I should have been more detailed (sorry for the scare). it was about 500.00 in labor the rest was parts since the whole cable assembly needed replaced because the plastic cup on the OEM cable shifter had shattered and the whole assembly needed replaced. Since they were in their I had them throw the short shifter in. The cable assembly now has a metal connector instead of plastic.

When I picked up the car after it popped out the 2nd time, they reccomended I do a gearbox service with redline fluid and this could help keep the shifter from popping loose. Maybe their is some truth to what they say.

Shifter Cable 302.00
retainers 60.00
holddowns 17.00
short shifter 299.00
Labor 545.00
tax 49.00

I do track the car about 8 times a year so I do tend to have things needing attn.

[jmatta]

I installed my B&M short shift in less than two hours..the toughest part was removal of the center console (btw, that included muchos cleaning). Most people that install a short shifter, then complain, probably didn't properly re-attach the cables and misaligned them. How many of these has your mechanic done?

Do you have high mileage on the car or has the tranny been abused?

[blinkwatt]

Do you drive an 6-spd? They are known for popping out of 2nd, bad syncro.

[gd2aan]

No it is a 2.7 5 spd / and the shifting was awesome when worked, but had typical notchyness with a short shifter but nothing serious. The guys I use work on my other cars and has always been very good. I hope to chalk this up as a fluke. If not I will be posting my unhappy results!

I did notice when they put it back in after the first time it popped out the throws were a tad longer then then when it was originally put in. this is why I think it is a setup issue.

The car has 55k on it