Slight Gating-in Issue Into 3rd With Porsche Ssk

[sinbad]

I installed a Porsche short shift kit several months ago. I sometimes have a little difficulty getting from 2nd into 3rd gear. I do not have any problem from 4th into 3rd gear. If I move the shift knob slightly then it slips into gear no problem. This issue seems more prevalent during warm-up and doesn't happen in any other gear.

It might simply be how I'm holding the shift knob while shifting since I can correct difficulty into 3rd gear with small wrist movement.

The cables were properly marked (I even counted threads) during SSK installation. The SSK arrived to me pre-packaged with Porsche bracket and plastic bushings installed.

It does have a Porsche warranty. However, I didn't want to take it in and end up having other shifting issues.

[sinbad]

Sorry, forgot to add: 2000 S 3,100 miles.

[sinbad]

Has anyone else experienced this issue? If so, then what do I need to do to correct it (without causing the same issue for other gears).

A local Porsche dealer tech had mentioned to me that since the mileage is still low on the car, it is still breaking in (???).

Any thoughts from would be appreciated.

[Tool Pants]

Without having the opportunity to try to car it sound like it is just the nature of a short shift, as you installed it properly. Once you have driven the car more you get use to it.

See if you can try another car with the Porsche/B&M and if it feels the same.

[sinbad]

My neighbor installed the same short shift kit about 2 weeks after mine in '99 996. His shifter is more loose and in-gates all gears without any problem; however, his car has thousands of miles more than mine. His original shifter seemed to loosen up thru about 10,000 (and stayed same since). I suppose it is possible I just need to be patient for more miles to be added. Anyhow, I was curious if others have experienced this same issue to settle my concerns.

[HenryV]

I had the B&M installed at about 15,000 miles and, as Jeff remembers, it originally did not want to jump back to the neutral center position from the 1-2 position (986 5-speed). Adjusting the B&M had little or none effect on this, but on longer drives (30+ minutes) the 'stickyness' disappeared.

I was about to bring it in and have it checked out, when at about 20,000 miles, this 'stickyness' went away completely and has not returned. I am now at 25,000 miles and the shifter has no problems.

Because the shifter takes more force and precision than the standard shifter I recommend to slow shift movements until you have gotten use to it.

As to your low mileage - your cables may be within their tolerances, but close to some limit. By switching to the SSK you may just be on the edge. Normal wear and tear will loosen it up.

If your clutch is falling out of gear when driving, the clutch is slipping at speed, or you cannot engage a gear no matter what you try, the cables are misaligned. It doesn't sound like you have this problem.

You could have a mechanic test drive the car for you and compare. If you have a problem he should notice it right away.