And yet again, another broken shift cable.

Hello all, I was driving my 987 Cayman S Saturday night and as I was shifting form second to third my shift cable broke, I knew before hand that this was a common issue on these cars. When it happened I did a search and found plenty of stories of this happening, but no definitive answers, so thats why I am now posting my experience from an objective view point to help anyone else out there. Symptoms: The car was in second gear and the shifter could freely move forward and backward but not side to side. regardless of clutch position. Price to fix: around $400 for the cable and 4 hours of labour at $100 an hour. Total bill was just under $800. I'm a DIY person, but I did not want to remove the centre console from my car nor did I want to lower the transmission. Much easier to spend $400 on labour than attempt it myself. I went with an OEM cable, I briefly looked into the Numeric cable but I heard that it would make the shifter feel quite heavy and I did not want to ruin the feel of my street car. If you want a short shifter, this is a great opportunity to fit one, as it should only add 0.5 hours to the labour (if not no difference at all). On a side note, this was the night before Atlanta's Caffeine and Exotics event of which I had a space reserved for my car. I would have gone anyway but the experience of waiting for a tow truck and then getting it towed meant that I didnt get home until 1am, didnt exacly feel like getting up early the next morning. Unfortunetly, my facebook news feed the next morning was filled with photo's of a 918 Spyder that unexpectedly dropped in on the event :wall: hopefully it will show up next month.

We need to start a thread for everyone with a broken shifter cable... to list their car's year and mileage. If we build a list of how many cars have broken shifter cable maybe we can each present it to Porsche dealers when ours breaks and demand some-kind of good will? Or at least get a running count on how many we've had so far and at what miles?

Unclear where you heard that. The Numeric cables add a more positive and mechanical feel to the shifter with no added effort/heaviness. The cables CAN transmit a bit more noise inside the cabin if the grommet isn't installed correctly through the firewall. I had a short shifter but went back to standard due to occasional track use. When you're flying through the gears, the added throw in all directions of the stock unit removes doubt which gear you've selected. The short shifter adds heaviness to the feel, especially when the oil in the transmission is cold. They even tell you that in the short-shifter product description on Suncoast.

Why does the transmission need to be lowered?

Markstudy, 2008, 73K miles Bofus, thats what I was told by the shop who fitted it. they didnt seem to be biased either way though. I have read some P9 threads since then and I have begun to regret my choice to go with OEM, Trev450, I scrolled through some DIY articles on the subject and one of them mentioned that it might need to be lowered, not disconnected but the engine and tranny mounts lowered. Is that incorrect?

I don't know, that's why I was asking.:hilarious:

Just did this job myself. The transmission certainly does not need to be lowered. Access is difficult on the left side of the transmission, but it can be done.

Mine broke on Friday, April 3. I was approaching a red light in 3rd gear and pushed in the clutch and pushed the lever to neutral and then let out the clutch at which point the car promptly died because it was still in 3rd gear not neutral. I babied the car to a safe place and used the Porsche Roadside Assistance to have it towed (flatbed) to the dealer for repair. I did not want to tear up the clutch driving it too far. All covered by warranty. I agree we need a thread to track these. My data point: 2012 987.2 Cayman S , 26,000 miles, April 3, 2015. SA said this is a weak point on purpose to protect other components from whatever - like a mechanical fuse. I don't buy that explanation.

^^^^ At least you have a back-up Porsche , and a 911 at that ^^^

My cable broke/came loose this morning. I had new OEM cables installed a little over two years ago by the dealer along with a SSK ( Porsche ) after the cables coming loose several times at the transmission. I knew immediately what had happened when the lever shifted from 3-4 too easily, but to my surprise the cable ends were still attached at the transmission. This means the cable has come loose at the shift lever end, requiring removal of the console. I'm probably going to install an Agency Power (no affiliation) cable end to hopefully fix this problem. I've removed the console twice before but I almost think I'd rather remove the trans again instead. I just replaced the clutch so I know how to do the transmission R&R. I cannot in any way see how my new clutch installation could have cause the cable to come loose at the shifter though.

sorry if its not my place to chime in since i own a tip but i would recommend gathering data for class action. even if it fails or deemed "wear and tear item", let it be known as it is extremely dangerous while driving. in my lifetime in owning many different sportscars and bikes, i have never had a shifter cable break or replaced. thats with well over 150-200k miles on the clock minus the bikes of course. porsche needs to own up with many quality and quirky issues for charging a premium for these cars - IMS , AOS , water pump, visors, cupholders, interior peeling etc. i understand that these are not older cars as it kills me sometimes to read up on some of the user stories. i feel the your pain especially what parts and labor costs nowadays.

I'm really not happy with the OEM parts. This is my second set of OEM cables, four years old last August, and the break occurred where they almost always do, where the left cable rod attaches to the cable at the transmission end. It looks too small to handle the strain over time, and I don't abuse my car, never "speed shift" or dump the clutch, gave that up around age 19 or so.

I've just been 'cabled' .. sure is a deflating experience. I'm now sitting here reading about the large group that I'm now a member of and wondering which stack of hundreds I really don't need. 'grrrr'

You have two basic choices, either replace with stock cables or go with Numeric . I had two sets of stock cables on my '06, and at 84,000 miles the second set broke, so i went with Numeric , and I'm happy I did. The stock design on the 987.1 is bad, routes the cable in such a way that the end WILL break at some point, probably depending on the number of shifts it makes. It has happened so many times to the same cable breaking at the same spot that there is no doubt as to what happens. Numeric cables don't cost much more than OEM, and have a lifetime guarantee, which OEM do not. My second set was installed with a two year warranty and broke after about 3 years. OTOH, if you don't plan to keep the car that long and don't drive it a lot, plus you don't care what happens to it after you divest yourself of it, then by all means replace with stock cables, they PROBABLY won't break while you have the car.

I've been driving fast cars including Lotus, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc since i got my driving license over 45 years ago and i've never had loss of gear change on any car, let alone a high performance car. For me, there is enough people complaining of broken cables to indicate that there might be an issue in the cable design and Porsche should be looking into it (if they aren't already). I've spoken to various OPC mechanics during services and i get the impression this is not an uncommon fault. The last thing anyone one wants is for a cable to go whilst overtaking. The prospect of no 'drive' whilst in the wrong lane overtaking with a closing speed of 140mph with oncoming traffic gives me more than enough pause for thought! I personally want to have confidence in my Porsche so that i can enjoy the driving experience - i don't want that niggle in the back of my mind that i might get a failure at any time even on a low mileage vehicle. I would be interested to hear what the official line is in Germany. I know there are some who have the view that this is 'whining' or 'if you don't like it buy something else'. I don't share that view. This is a safety item just as important as brakes and i don't want the responsibility for killing either myself or someone else for the sake of a few dollars worth of cable. The response 'if you don't like it buy something else' doesn't work for me - i could be in 'something else' coming in the opposite direction to someone driving their Porsche with this problem. At the very least, Porsche should comment on this potential problem considering the number of posts about this on various Porsche forums. I would like to think that Porsche care enough about their customers (and reputation) that they can come clean if they have a problem without having to resort to legal action, as others have suggested. They must know how many replacement cables they have sold worldwide and while this may not include those replaced with aftermarket cables, at least it would be a start in getting a feel for how big a problem this is.

Some good points raised here and not without justification. And while I'm in agreeance that Porsche should acknowledge this as an ongoing issue, I fear they will treat it with the same level of disregard that they have for water pump failures, d chunks, etc, etc.

Yes, no difference from the IMS failures, except that a class action lawsuit finally brought some relief for at least some owners. I think Porsche considers the cables a "wear item."

There has not been any activity in this thread for quite a while - maybe that means the issue is resolved for most (as in they have already done the replacement). I have a 2011 Cayman base with 31K miles on it and the cable snapped on July 27, 2018. I just removed the console to prep for the replacement which I'm not looking forward to doing but that's how it goes. I have owned a Lotus in the past and never had the feeling that car was going to leave me stranded but I don't have that confidence in the Porsche even though I meticulously maintain the car. Something always seems to need repair and I don't track the car. The cable seems under-designed, the actual cable is very small and apparently is subjected to harsh bends that cause the wear. Mine did not break at either end, it broke about a foot from the transmission.

Most, like mine, break right at the connector on the transmission. It is a known problem but Porsche has refused, AFAIK, to make good on any repairs out of warranty. They have supposedly made an improved cable, and I verified that the ones on my 981 are different from the 987, I haven't seen any 981 breakages yet either. I paid the dealer to replace the first broken one with an identical set, mostly out of ignorance, but the second break prompted me to replace with Numeric cables . It wasn't that bad a swap, and I had just replaced the clutch a couple of weeks before the break, which really irked me but running them over the engine was no big deal, I did it all solo but having a helper would definitely speed things up. I guess a class action lawsuit would be the only way to get relief, and with the 987's seven years out of production I'm guessing that isn't going to happen now. I wish it would, I have documentation for both repairs and could recoup a lot of money.

Are you going with OEM cables or Numerics? I did the Numerics install on my 2009 myself. The job isn't really that hard. As everyone will tell you, the hardest part is getting the rear left connection done. The trick is getting the cable routed correctly over the engine and connected to the transmission bracket. I did this from above (but tightened with the special wrench from below). Make sure you get the special wrench if you go this way. It makes life much simpler. Let me know if you have any problems.

I'm going to go the Numeric route. I've heard of too many people having the OEM cables just break again within a few years and have not heard of the Numeric cables breaking. I will get the wrench for sure. I already have the console out and that was not too bad - Does the whole shift assembly need to be removed to disconnect the cables at the shifter end? I'm surprised that there are no YouTube videos on how to do this - at least none that I have found.

Good question. I put the Numeric shifter in at the same time (it is only another 4 nuts to remove). I can't think of a reason you can't leave the OEM shifter in place if you aren't swapping it out but even if you have to pull it, it is a trivial task. You will need to adjust the cable ends at the shifter to center your shifter. You do this after you adjust the transmission side. You can do the adjustment without the special Porsche tool. Take a couple of pictures of where your lever is before you detach the old cables and just line it up by eye based on the pictures. It isn't a critical adjustment....you are just moving the lever a little left/right, and front to back. If you don't like where the lever sits, now is your chance to move it around a little bit. The two things to watch are: 1. Where the cables cross and go through the firewall. A couple of the center console screws at the back (firewall side) may be tough (or impossible) to put back in because the new cables are thicker and you can't push the back of the console down enough to get the one screw to "start". (furthest back passenger side if I remember correctly). Some people leave the little metal clip that holds the cable to the body off. I managed to get mine on but I had to man handle it a little. Again, this is do to the cables being a little thicker. 2. The second "fun" spot is connecting the left side cable to the bracket on the transmission. Not the end of the cable, that is easy - the problem is the twin nuts that tighten around a bracket on the transmission to hold the cable at the correct angle. If you can get a helper for 5 minutes that connection will go much easier. One person up top and one person underneath. I did it by myself and found that if I draped myself over my trunk I could see what I was doing an align the connection much easier than trying to do it from below. You need to tighten the nuts from below. Yell if you have problems. It really isn't a hard job and it will feel awesome when you are done. Follow the advice about reusing the grommet that goes through the firewall and you may also want to pick up the "insulating tubing" that Numeric sells. You can also reuse the insulation off of your OEM cables by cutting it off with a box cutter. Either way, you will want to use something. I definitely have a little additional noise transmitted into the cabin but with the top down I can't hear it.

Zuch, what did you use for cable insulation on your car? Reuse OEM? Numeric insulating tubing? I'll be doing this job in the future and want to avoid any additional noise if at all possible...

I reused the OEM cable insulation. It works fine and I have no noise transmitted into the car ( 2007 Cayman S ). I think the firewall grommet may be more important to reduce noise. Cut it carefully off of the old cables, and wrap it in the same way around the new ones. Make sure the cable sheath does not contact the firewall. No need to remove the shifter for this job, but as noted, it is easy to remove once the console is off.

+1. I used the OEM cable insulation. If you cut it off in a spiral you can (in theory) put it on the Numeric cables without using cable ties...but I used ties anyway. If you use black ties and don't crank down on them too hard, you don't really see them.

NR Cables for a couple of years now. Cables are rock solid in feel as everyone attests. I had no install issues and highly recommend them for the feel and precision. I had the driver side connector pop off twice at the tranny as the plastic bushing inside the aluminum end bracket wears out. NR has a clip-on end piece to replace the plastic bushing and aluminum end bracket. It pops on and has a wire clip that holds it in place. They are aware of this issue and offer the clip on as an option. Ask them about it if you need more information. BTW, I greased the fitting at install just because it looked like it would enjoy the help.

I've had shifter cables fail twice on my '09 Cayman , both times covered under warranty. The last time (just one month ago) my Service Advisor told me Porsche had released an updated version of the cables and support. To say the new parts are an improvement would be a huge understatement. Shifting feels much more solid and precise than before. Time will tell if they are more robust but my initial impression is that they are a big improvement.

Thanks a million for the tips - I was leaning toward the insulation tube since it's only $30. I was wondering about the fitment of the console particularly if I do use the insulation tube, the cable would be quite a bit larger in diameter than the OEM. I just hope the console lays flat and does not have any movement if the rear screws are left out. What is the best way to determine if the cables are adjusted correctly at both ends? Is it just feel? I assume that you would start the car while still on stands and cycle through the gears, if it shifts ok then good to go. Does not seem like there has to be space shuttle tolerances on that adjustment. I also assume that if you are happy with the position of the shift lever then all the adjustment can be done at the trans end - is this correct? Thanks again for the advice.

Do not turn the car on while the console is out of the car. If you have disconnected the wiring harness (which includes the passenger airbag light) you'll trigger an airbag warning light on the dash that can only be reset with the factory PIWIS or a Durametric. The cable adjustment was pretty easy for me, and there are instructions included with the Numeric cables . It's easier with that green clamp thing that holds the shift lever in place. The main thing is making sure the cables are adjusted long enough so that the gear can be completely engaged before you run out of room on the shifter. As for the console fit, it is a bit tricky to get it all in there. I ended up leaving the rear U-shaped cable guide out - the Numerics don't fit in it, and they are tight enough in the console to not go anywhere. I was able to get the rear screws in properly, and would recommend that to avoid squeaks and rattles.

Ah, good points and many thanks for the warning about starting the car with the center console out - I had not thought of that! So it sounds like it is easy enough to get the adjustment correct by running through the shift pattern while the car is off since removing the console again to adjust is the least desirable option. thanks!

Don't let the adjustment piece scare you...it is really pretty simple and the instructions are good. The transmission end is the adjustment that really matters and it isn't rocket science. I was able to use the U-shaped cable clamp but it required some "resizing". I left one screw out of the console. There was one other that was difficult to start but eventually went in. No squeaks or rattles. Yes, you can run through the gears with the car up on stands. You can do this without actually starting it. It is pretty clear whether you are "in" or "out" of each gear. You won't use the insulation tubing inside the cabin. It is used on the portion of the cable in the engine compartment.

OK, got it. It sounds easy enough. I used to own a Lotus and did all the work on that my self and have so far on the Porsche without any issues. If I run into a problem or have a question I might hit you up but not expecting any at this point. Thanks for all the help. greg