987.1 Base 5 Speed Shifting Feel

Hi all, I recently got my 987.1 Cayman with 5 Speed transmission with standard none sport shifter. The car has about 140,000km/87,000miles on the clock. I found the shifter takes quite a bit of effort to shift, usually pushing 2nd or 4th gear out to neutral. 1st,3rd,5th seem to require less effort. I’ve driven a 987.1 6sp, and also a several 997.1 , the shifters are all buttery smooth and does not require much effort at all to shift in and out of gear. However, I have not yet driven another 5 speed 987 to confirm if this is just a characteristic of the five speed tranny. I’ve inspected the cable ends underneath the car, did a shift cable adjustment and took out a bit of slack, also the shifter base does not look exactly worn out. Possibly the cable is seizing and not sliding properly from shifter to tranny? And it would be greatly appreciate if any of you have experience driving both the 5sp and 6sp to share the difference. Thanks!

I have the 5 speed and it’s a bit notchy, you feel the mechanicals as you go into each gear, especially when the engine is cold. But when it’s warmed up, I would say it’s one of the best shifters I’ve felt. Yours doesn’t sound like the norm.

Thanks Marco, mine does take quite of bit of effort to move in and out of gears. The 5 speed shifter cable failure rate seems a lot lesser than the 6 speed per my research. However, I couldn’t find any supporting information if this is sign of cable failure. Most of the 6 speed cables seem to shift fine and just snaps without any warning, or gain shift effort gradually before failure. Hope to hear from more 5 speed owners chime in and see if anyone else is having the same experience.

What you've described is definitely not normal shifter action. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

Your cables may be out of adjustment. 2nd and 4th are when you're pulling the cable (as opposed to pushing) - if the cables have stretched, or some other problem, you'll have less distance to pull. If you're handy, get under the car and pop the cable end off of the driver's side tranny connection. Then put the transmission in 2nd or 4th by hand by pushing the ball of the bell crank forward. Now have someone "shift" the car into 2nd or 4th from inside the car using the shift lever. Does the cable end line up with the ball on the bell crank, or is it more towards the rear of the car? The cable ends have a threaded adjustment if you need it.

For me, downshifting from 3rd into 2nd is harder than any other gear, not sure if its due to the cables having stretched as racergreg@ pointed out above. Here is a video of the 5 speed shifting at the transmission, note that it has an additional connection between the forward and reverse cables. Other things I've done that has helped (didn't solve my downshifting issue): Installed the Function First shift right kit: FUNCTION-FIRST > Shift-Right Solution Changed out the cable fastener, mine was completed eaten through Parts 996-424-147-00 and 996-424-145-01 Mine has 101K on the odometer, I did order new shifter cables (987-424-041-11) just in case but haven't installed them.

Thanks for the response guys! I got under the car over the weekend to inspect the cable ends on the transmission side. All the cable end bushings seem to be fine with no excessive play. Also recorded a few videos for my self to see the movement of the shifting at the transmission. All seems to be ok. My guess is, the resistance I am feeling is from the cable internally. How do I remove the cable ends from the transmission side? I am planning to remove the cable ends and see if they slide smoothly without being attached to the transmission. Thanks!

Take a flat head screwdriver, carefully push up, and pop them out.

Update: So I took popped the shifter cable off the pivot ball. The cable itself slides smoothly with no binding or roughness. While the cable is off, I move the transmission into 3rd gear and 4th gear by hand. I found when it is put into 4th gear (plunger moves towards inside transmission), it takes a lot of force to move it back out to neutral. But it is smooth and require minimal force to move in and out 3rd gear on the other direction. I’ll try to post a picture later if my words can’t describe clearly.

When was the last time you had the transmission fluid changed? May not be related, venturing a guess.

Another update: PROBLEM FIXED!! So this is the rod that I was taking about. It moves in towards the transmission when shifting into 2/4/R gear. And outward in 1/3/5 gear. I took a sandpaper and sanded down the rod as it was quite dirty. The shifter shifts butter smooth now with very little effort! I would say it was the rod being corroded and could not move in and out smoothly. Again, thank you all for the input on my concern. I’m also really glad I didn’t pull the trigger and purchase a new pair of shifter cable which wouldn’t fix the issue.

Congrats! I need to give this a try!

hi greg I know this is an old thread - you mention that the cable ends have a threaded adjustment if you need it - I assume you are talking about at the gear lever side inside the car? Jim

There's adjustment at both ends, but it's easier to do the adjustment at the shifter. It helps to get the green plastic alignment tool to hold the shift arm in place while you make the final adjustment.

thanks but where is the adjustment at the gearbox end?

The adjustments are where the ends screw into the cables if you have Numerics. I don't think the stock cables have those.

Yes, the Numeric 5-speed cables are threaded on the transmission end and you match the Socket's reach to match the ball/shaft travel. Once adjusted properly, the shifting in either direction is dead-on precise. Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

Numeric 's parts are not priced ridiculously. But they ARE priced "premium" and when you have it in your hands it all makes sense. The entire shift kit is transforming. Maybe even too mechanical for some.

Fair enough, I was referring specifically to this linkage, where the markup seems to be pretty flagrant: Shift Rod Linkage Adjustable Shift Rod Linkage for Manual Transmission 986 Boxster Just like the Stock Cables are prone to breaking, so are the Shift Rod Links. The stock Shift Rods are made up of rubber bushings which result in slop in the shifting and the frequent popping off/breaking. So we eliminated all of... store.numericracing.com I’m sure the shifter and cables are fantastic, but my car is a higher mileage driver, and it wouldn’t make economic sense to spend $1k+ just on a shifter and cables. (Might feel differently if it was a CS worth $30k+) So I’m looking for alternatives, especially because I’m not convinced my cables are a significant issue, and shifter slop can be fixed very well rather cheaply.

Ahhhh. Yes, that's a unique piece that probably could be "built" yourself and be every bit as good as the retail part. And for le$$, as well. Thanks for pointing it out. Sometimes this old man just thinks he knows what he read.