Yet another shifter cable thread - upgraded OE cable?

Hi All, I have a base 2009 Cayman with a 6spd manual. My shifter cable broke today. I'm out of warranty and was considering the Numeric but also saw on Suncoast that there is an updated OEM cable on the market. I saw this updated OE cable referenced in other posts, but couldn't find any actual discussion about the cable. Is this a long-term fix or should I go with the Numeric ? I have some concern with added noise and vibration that are reported with the Numeric cables . Thanks for your help!

I don't have any experience with the "updated OEM" cables you speak of, but... I haven't noticed ANY vibration after switching to Numeric cables . Added noise certainly does exist. Mostly noticeable when stopped at a traffic light. There is a mechanical gear engagement sound "clunk" when you engage first gear (louder outside the car than inside). Once moving, its quite a bit quieter, or drowned out by road noise. Reading about the "updated" cables on suncoast ... it almost reads as if the lever itself is updated, not the cables. The cables tend to snap where the cable meets the crimp at the transmission end. The updated version reads as if there is a bunch of new shenanigans up by the shift lever. It might even have the exact same pieces at the transmission end. Maybe try calling suncoast and see if they can offer any help.. or at least send some pictures comparing the two.

Chuckd, don't know about the updated OE cables but I had issues with noise coming into the cabin due to Numeric cable installation. I resolved it by selective use of some automotive sound deadening mat. Car is now as quiet as ever. Bern

Add another Cayman to the broken shifter cable list..... 2011 base car, 36,000 miles, owned from new. The cable broke as I was making a right hand turn through an intersection, shifting from 1st to 2nd. Luckily it stuck in 1st and was able to get off the road. Towed to the dealer. I would also be very interested to know if anyone has info on the OEM replacement part and if it has been improved or not. I had no idea this was "a thing" until it happened to me and started looking into it. Seems not that uncommon with Caymans . I assumed Porsche had figured out how to make a proper manual transmission car by now.

Sorry to hear of your problem and glad nothing serious came of this "feature" of owning a MT. Be glad you do not own a 987.1 as your list of "features" would be a lot longer and cost way more to fix. Complete BS from Porsche this even occurs and worse that they will not stand behind their piss poor design. This is one of the reasons I went with PDK in my Cayman . Good luck, Eddie

The kit is $800. Suncoast Porsche Parts & Accessories Shift Cable Update Kit It replaces parts on the transmission as well. The is CLEARLY a design defect and a safety issue. A recall really needs to happen with this. If enough people complain it might have a chance of happening seeing as how these German companies are already in the dog house.

Thanks very much, guys. Interesting, the Suncoast page says Porsche has discontinued production of the original cable. Proof that Porsche recognizes the original is faulty. I agree this needs to be a safety recall. To me this is up there with brakes and steering as red flag components - the mfg should not be screwing around with stuff like this. Design it right the first time! If something slips through the cracks, take responsibility and fix it once it surfaces as a problem! Unbelievable.

Porsche does know about this. Please talk with your dealer. I had replaced my 2009 cayman cable with the updated cable. And the service advisor called Porsche and found they would cover a large amount of the cost. Lee

I've had my own custom cables made. I started fitting them today. It's a good learning experience.

I ended up going with the upgraded OE cable, cost me $1355 installed. The car shifts better than ever and are more precise. That said, It is very frustrating that Porsche finally decided to improve their flawed design, and then charge an extra $300 for the upgraded part.

Had the updated OEM cables installed, part # 987-424-042-12 .

For those who installed the updated cables and parts, how is the condition of the cables after time? Am also contemplating which route to take and would prefer the OE solution if it was permanent.

Hi, I have a question about shift cable breakage. I've seen numerous threads on this, but have failed to notice whether there is any way to inspect your shift cables and determine if they're in danger of breaking. I just got my 2009 Boxster S , with 20,000 miles in October, and then put it away for the winter in November. While I'm waiting for spring, is this something I should become concerned about? I prefer to stay ahead of the problem, but also prefer not to spend the $$ unless there is at least some indication that I need to. Many thanks! Eric

Eric, the cable breaks where it makes a sharp bend on the left side of the transmission. It is inside the sheathing, I don't think you can inspect it. They seem to break at around 50K miles or so, so you may have some time left. I noticed a slight vagueness in my shifting and a harder time getting into first and reverse, so at that point I preemptively installed the Numeric cables . Others have reported no advance warning. I am really happy with the more solid connection with the Numerics, so I think it's a worthwhile upgrade even if your originals haven't broken yet.

"After time" is the difficulty. I'm one of the ones who replaced with the updated OE cables instead of Numeric on this board. It's only been ~7 months, so haven't hit 10,000 miles yet since the replacement yet. So far so good, it still feels as crisp as it did on the first day of replacement. But the upgraded OEM kit only came out recently so there aren't a lot of us out there to provide feedback. I had no signs/symptoms before it broke, and like racergreg said, you can't really inspect it. As for upgraded OEM kit vs Numeric - well, if the breakage is caused by the sharp bend to get to the mounting point, then I have my doubts about Numeric being "permanent" solution. If there is a stress point, it will break eventually. Numeric might last you longer, but it's not made of unobtanium ... The upgraded OEM kit also included 2 other pieces related to changes in how the cable connects to the shifter itself, which the Numeric cable doesn't.

This thread has picture of the new kit from the Porsche service software - see post #7 and post #8 from "220volt" about his conversation with Suncoast: LINK: http://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman-...man-and-boxster-chat/115170-new-oem-updated-shift-cables.html?highlight=numeric According to the poster, parts 3, 22 and 25 are the parts included in the new OEM shifter kit. I'm no engineer or mechanic and haven't seen what the shifter mechanism actually looks like, so i could be wrong but ... 3 = cable itself 22 = looks like a part that goes inside the shifter, that translates the H pattern movement into correct position for the cable. Those of us who have gotten the new OEM kit have reported much more precise feel when entering into gear after the new kit is installed. This part might be the reason or that. (or it could be placebo effect ) 25 = looks like left side bracket at the end of the cable where it attaches to transmission (i'm assuming this is probably where the stress point is that is causing the failure, which is why Porsche included a replacement for it in the kit)

Is there a tell-tale sign that cables are about go snap or go bad? Looking at an '08 Cayman S and noticed that the shifter felt a little vague. I didn't think much of it until reading about the cables being a known and expensive issue.

A known issue, yes, but not that expensive, particularly if you are a DIYer. Since the cables are either intact or not, it's hard to say there is a fool-proof sign that the cable is about to go. (It's almost always the left side cable). I changed mine to Numerics when the shift feel went from crisp to sloppy.

Thank you for that. I think I will go with the Numerics. Might even order them now - the install doesn't look too difficult!

Correct. It's the removal that's a PITA. It isn't particularly difficult (except the OEM cable connection on the driver's side) but it is time consuming since there's a lot to remove in order to access the cables all along the route.

Thank you both for the input!

My 2012 Cayman S has 39K miles on it, and the dealer ship replaced my original shifter cables with the new OEM replacement (987-424-042-12) after I reported noisy shifting. The invoice also shows a support (987-424-065-01) and bracket (987-424-066-00) replaced. Within 300 miles, the shift cable grommet popped off the transmission lever/post. So this is common even with the new OEM cables - or is it possible my independent shop could have inadvertently loosened the cable when my clutch was replaced 100 miles ago? Has anyone changed to the new OEM ones and never looked back? I'm seriously considering installing the Numeric cables regardless of my remaining warranty. P.S. - Also had another thought. I noticed shifting into reverse was especially difficult then, and still a little difficult now. Does anyone think it's the reverse gear that is putting more tension on these cables connections than any other gear? Wonder if anyone can drive their Cayman without using reverse and tell us the results ;-)

Just had a set of Numerics installed on my 987 last week. They shift great with a very solid and mechanical feel but LOUD! Lots of whining during acceleration, crunches during shifts and highway noise. The shop reused the firewall grommet and installed some tubing at the rear of the engine compartment where they contact the chassis but very noisy. I added tubing from the tubing the shop installed all the way over the engine to the firewall which yielded a big improvement. Still whines in first and crunchy shifts but much better overall and close to stock at highway speed.

As you've seen, the firewall grommet must be cut away from the OEM cables and does not fit as well over the Numerics. I added a few square inches of dynamat over the grommet to completely seal it. Bern