997 shifter install and comments.....

[por911]

Well, it took me a couple hours due to being exceedingly carefull pulling all the plastic console bits and hardware. Was it worth it, totally, yes. Just to give others a basis of where/what I am working off from is a base 01 986 with 55k on it, no agressive driving either(no track, DE, autoX, etc). The car also has had new driveline mounts installed in the last 5k

The new 997 shifter housing is the one on the left with the green shifter alignment tool(comes with housing) on it. It was surprising how much play was in the old housing considering the miles were relatively low. It's important to mark and or scribe the shifter cables effectively when disconnecting them from the older shifter. The shifting is much tighter and more precise with the 997 shifter, gear changes are much shorter. It gives the car a much sportier feel and makes it much more friendly to use. The other had a vagueness that is gone. So much more is transferred through the new unit and I say that in a positive way.

Here is a pic of the new shifter installed, sans the console and bits. It was nice actually to have the whole thing apart to clean out the area(vacuum, wipe down plastic bits/console, etc.). Hope this helps others.

regards

[Tool Pants]

The base boxster has the green plate shaped like a T. I do not see it on the original shift housing, but it is on the 987/997 housing. Did you move it over?

[por911]

Sharp eyes, yes I moved it over previously. Here is the part # 997-424-010-00 for the shifter housing as a reference. It would be interesting to compare the GT3/RS version to this one.

regards

[clickman]

I don't understand the need to mark the cables if you've got the alignment tool. When I put in my 9x7 short shifter, I had it in neutral with the tool in place, then just plunked the cables into their slots...

[por911]

The cables have a tendency to move, either when you pull them up to remove them from the housing itself, or tension within the positioning of the cables themselves. You might luck out, but its probably best to mark or scribe them to be sure of a proper setting. With the cables installed, I had 4 open threads showing behind the blue cable end, and 3 showing on the black end. Good to see another Islander on the board. I spend the summer in the southern gulf islands.

regards

[356hunter]

Sharp eyes, yes I moved it over previously. Here is the part # 997-424-010-00 for the shifter housing as a reference. It would be interesting to compare the GT3/RS version to this one.

regards

According to the PET, Part number 997 424 010 00 is for the "normal" shifter housing. Is everyone saying this "normal" 997 housing is a "short shift"? or is it the same shift length just a smoother mechanisum?

Then, I see in the PET p/n 997 424 983 00 with the option code IXCZ which is for the short shift. Is this one not preferred? or what?

Brad

[geoff]

According to the PET, Part number 997 424 010 00 is for the "normal" shifter housing. Is everyone saying this "normal" 997 housing is a "short shift"? or is it the same shift length just a smoother mechanisum?

Then, I see in the PET p/n 997 424 983 00 with the option code IXCZ which is for the short shift. Is this one not preferred? or what?

The 997 424 983 00 is the Porsche short shifter. 997 424 010 00 is the 997 style stock shifter, which like the 997 short shifter has the metal plate on the side like the short shifter, so it is less loose than the original 986 shifter and some have said it has a slightly shorter throw than the 986 shifter. You can see the metal plate in the second picture at the top of this topic. Porsche charges a big premium for the 997 short shifter relative to the standard 997 shifter, so a lot of people just put the 997 shifter in their 986 to remove some of the shifter slop and maybe slightly shorten the shift throws

[por911]

The standard version of the 997 shifter definitely shortens the throw compared to the old 986 housing. The new housing(997 std) is strikingly different, much tighter and the throws are more precise, whereas the old housing was vague and lacked precision. I just could not justify the extra $300 or so for the short shifter version. For $200 or so dollars though, I feel it was a no-brainer of an upgrade on the car.

regards

[Tool Pants]

This is a pic from Popoluo of the 997 shifts.

The left black one is the stock, and the right blue is the short version.