You think I should have my indy take it out and then reinstall it? I feel it would be worth a shot

 

The question is, does your indy know how to do it properly? If he installed it originally....I think not. But I do believe the only reason for problems with the SSK is installation....after all the physics of the lever is the same and there really is not much difference in the physical parts of an SSK.

 

He didn't install it actually. Before I got the car though, the previous owner installed the B&M and it was notchy and clicky as all hell. That's why I thought I'd drop in the 997ssk, but now it's only a little bit better. It's like every other day, the shifter feels absolutely fine and doesn't click. But then, it clicks and is stubborn the other days

My indy is already hesitant about all SSks. He says all of them make noise and are stubborn!

 

Also, how am I suppose to know at what length are the linkages supposed to be clicked in? Since the B&M was clearly installed incorrectly, I have no reference point!

 

I had a 996 stock shifter for a while, feels ok but the very long throw just doesn't go with the car.

I had a SSK on my previous 996TT. It felt good, not notchy but it does give your shifter mechanism and synchros a harder life.

Then I went to the 997 stock shifter that I have now which feels great. I prefer it to the SSK bc it retains a little more real feel, the SSK takes away some sensitivity.

If you have the cables messed up and no reference, just leave the car in neutral, then release the cables and let everything get to rest in neutral position (cables, stick), then click in the cables without adding tension in any direction.

Next gently lock the cable positions and carefully try out that the gears engage properly.

Another thing to consider is that gearbox oil temperature will change the feel of the gearbox slightly, and if you have to bleed your clutch, the car will shift easily when cold but get difficult to shift when hot - and it gets somewhat "random" like you are describing, if you happen to rev-match perfect the gear will go in easy even with a poorly bled clutch and if you don't then it will resist. So check clutch bleed as well.

What's most important during this phase when you are trying to figure it out, is to NEVER force these cars into gear, it's utterly expensive if you damage any of the internal components with excessive force on the stick. We're not talking a little expensive, it's going to get extremely costly if you cause damage. Gears should trickle in gently and rev-matching helps it become even smoother so that's a good driving habit to develop.

 

Before I experienced it to be worse when the gear box/shifter was cold more so then it was hot?

 

2 different root causes;

If worse when cold, then gets better hot, you can try a different gearbox oil that doesn't get "thick" when cold.

If the problem gets worse when hot, then it's ususally a clutch bleed issue, not a gearbox oil issue. Clutch oil will give a higher pressure when cold than when hot, so if the car needs a bleed, it may work ok when cold then the clutch fluid heats up and it doesn't release the clutch fully anymore.

 

Good Info to know,,Thanks..

 

I did change to a B & M on my 996 C2 and liked the accurate throw and the notchy-ness. Almost like steering through a Ferrari shifter gate. Must say the reverse was a very short throw, possibly a little TOO short but it worked great . Now on my 996T I have decided to keep the OEM version, slighly too long but pretty precise

 

996 stock to B & M to 997 stock here.
The 997 stock is perfect for me.

 

I prefer the Porsche 996 SSK made by B&M. I installed it myself, works flawlessly, exactly what I expected. Shifting is short, positive and deliberate with a bit of increase in the effort which is not a bad thing. It's very predictable and I haven't missed a shift since installing it or felt any reason not to like it. If this was luxury car it may feel a little too engaging but for a Porsche it is very fitting and adds to the driving experience. Next will be to remove the clutch booster spring for the pedal to increase the clutch feel and increase the effort a bit.

 

Interesting you mention that, when the car is cold the shifter seems to be smoothest with no noise whatsoever. When everything starts to warm up though, the noise and notchyness come back. What would you recommend I do? Also, would a 30k service not pick up on a clutch bleed problem?

 

the standard L-O-N-G throw??

 

So I went out for a nice long drive today, and I noticed that the shifts are incredibly smoother when I take my time shifting. The effort and noise and is severely reduced when I'm taking it easy like that. I'm hesitant to go with the 997 standard shifter because I don't feel like running into the same problem again, so I may just put in the 996 standard one back and see if it really does bother me that much

 

The 997 SS can be a bit stiff, I have one in my 987 currently. I put the OEM 997 into the 996 and very happy with the improvement it made to the 996.

Perhaps you should go to the OEM 997.