ok guys, i installed the 997 shifter, everything went well except that i read everywhere that the shifter is much smoother than the 996 so i thought i would be ok but it seems like it is now worst. My problem is not in the shifter but it looks like it is in the cable.

At the same time, i don't know if that's a problem because i never tried any other Porsche so i don't know if this is something normal or not.

When i go from let say 3rd gear to 4th, i can hear a clicking sound coming from the shifter. i found out it comes from the cable, and it seems to be something loose or notchy in the piece circled in red. I did a little video where you can hear it a bit but my camera sucks so sorry about that.

You will have to raise the volume to hear it well, the big click that you hear in the middle of the video is the gear coming in, that is normal since i shifted all the way until the gears would come in. So you can see it does it if i just move the shifter a little or if i engage it completly.

Anyone ever had that problem? Should i replace my cables?

Click here to watch shifter-45

 

I'm thinking maybe a cable to shifter alignment problem? In the picture the cable ends don't look as lined up as as they should be if that was taken with the shifter in neutral. The shifter alignment tool is pretty cheap and a dealer probably has one laying around you could borrow. I've heard the alignment can be a little touchy at times.

 

Looks like the cable is not aligned. I still need to install mine!

 

it was aligned with the tool.

anyway, even if the cable is unhooked and i pull on it by hand, it still does the same thing so it doesn't have anything to do with the shifter itself.

 

comon, someone who installed their own shifter most know if they heard that noise or not.

by the way, shifting goes really well it is just the noise that is really bad.

 

anyone ever replace one of those shifter cable?

 

Did you ever find out what the problem was? I just installed a 997 shifter and have the same problem. I never noticed the clicking noise before and it sounds like the cable is rubbing somewhere.

 

i ended up replacing the shifter cable and it cured my problem. I really didn't think it would work but it did. Now that i know it, if i had to do it again, i would buy a set of cup cable instead but i was able to buy mine on ebay for cheaper than the dealer so at least, problem is cured.

Also, when the cables were out, i couldn't feel where the click was from, didn't feel or heard anything special with my old cable in my hand, only when they were installed on the car.

I didn't search any further since the new cables cured the problem so...

 

Got it - I think I will change those next.

 

I just changed to the 997 short shifter following Mike Kelly's instructions to the letter (It's on this board). I must of counted the notches in the shift cable receiver about 10 time several different ways, plus took some very high res photos. As I remember, and it maynot be the same in all cars, but there we ten notches counting from the back of the shift cable reciever to the end of the threaded end of the cable. I was prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. It came out perfect. I'm happy new cables fixed your problem.

You're might be better off not getting the cup cables as I think they were designed for the RS shifter.

 

For some reason the shifter just seems stiff when coming out of fifth or sixth gear. I hear a clunk when letting the shifter out of fifth and moving it toward first gear - engine off. Not sure if it I just new and tight or misaligned. I will have to pull the console off to play with it and figure out what went wrong. The old shifter had a green plastic plate affixed on the bottom and I transferred it to the 997 shifter as it had slots for it, but did not have the piece. I wonder if the linkage is rubbing on his piece and getting hung up.

 

I had two parts on my 996 shifter that were not on the 997 short shifter. One was the green plastic plate you mentioned #986.424.010.02 and another black plastic plate over the shift cables at the linkage. I left both of them off. I spoke with a dealer who said neither part was in the catalogue anymore and he looked at a new 996 shifter and they were not on it. Perhaps they find out that some parts are not needed and delete them in later models. Also go look at the thread that Mike Kelly posting on this section of the board. The green plate is not on either the 996 or 997 shifter. When you take it apart check the cable retainer clips were the shift cables snap into the shifter. They are a bit fussy and there are tiny little fragile plastic tabs on the shift cables that are very easy to snap off.