Just bought a 996-drove from 700 miles-Today Problems with the Short Shifter

Hey guys, i just finally bought a 2002 996 with 38k from San Fran and drove it back to AZ- 13 hours (will make thread regarding this later)- everything was smooth 100% and smooth shifting, it has a EVO_B&M_SSK Short shifter kit (thats what the work order from Sharkwerks in 2007 says exactly) i noticed today the shifting was very strange, the stick itself seemed hard to put into 3rd and 2nd and now all lower gears as the day went on, like 2nd-4th & 6th seem so hard, and sometimes i can't tell if its in gear or not i'm grinding gears all of a sudden cuz can't put it in gear easily..i'm sure this wasn't happening the past 2 days- seems sticky and clicking when it goes into gear, whats going on? How did this happen in a day? Is this just an adjustment issue and if so, HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ADJUST and what tools do i need if i do myself (which i doubt i will do) Its just strange that the last 2 days on the drive it was perfect then all of a sudden today its like this

If you have a small amount of mechanical skill you can chech the shift cables. Lift the rear of the car on jack stands where the tires are 4-6" off the ground and check to make sure the shift cables are correctly located in the ferrels on the transmission. Sometimes after working on the motor/trans these do not get put back correctly and work themselves loose. When this happens shifting gets sloppy and difficult. It should be obvious if a cable is not where it should be. This happend to me and is a simple intuitive fix. Good luck.

Quotes source post: 8009595

Thanks man, but unfortunaley i dont even wanna try messing with the car, and i have no mechanical skills whatsoever..lol..

I had a similar problem with a B&M shifter in my 996 race car. I could have fixed it, but instead I just took it out, sold it, and went back to the stock shifter. In my case, it had nothing to do with the transmission end, it was actually in the shifter cage itself. For some reason, the short shifter changes how the the cables align in the shifter cage, and as a result the clips that connect the shifter to the shifter cables sometimes catch on the bottom of the shifter cage. This is probably what is causing the clicking that you are hearing and the catch that you feel when you shift into certain gears. You can fix the problem with a little dremmel work on the shifter cage. Getting in to the cage is really not very hard if you follow the B&M instructions which are excellent btw. In the picture below, the red marker is pointing at one of the two clips (the one in blue above the maker) that tends to catch on the cage.

So you drove for 13 hours, and the shifter was fine. Then, the next day, you have these issues? Something must have come loose. Not the best introduction to Porsche ownership, but good luck and welcome!

Quotes source post: 8010105

Ya but you don't feel anything driving on the highway. He would be in 6th gear pretty much the whole time...

I you don't want to work on your car then you really have 2 choices. Take it to a porsche dealer, or to an Indy who is familiar with Porsches. Many have indicated a pretty simple fix, if it has to do with an adjustment in the short shifter.GL, don't let this dampen your enthusiasm.

As others have said, easiest/cheapest diagnostic is to remove your center-console (very easy w/ B&M instructions) and check on the 2 cables for loose-ends. If so then you can do the adjustments yourself by threading on the cable-ends to tighten. If it's more than that then you can take it in to dealer or Indy. Good-luck...

someone in the Scottsdale area should offer up the name of their trusted indy....

If one of the cables snaped out of place, there is an inexpensive plastic tool that holds the shifter in position for putting the cables back. You can get it from a dealer. For what it is worth, I am not a big fan of the short shifter, but I like the standard shifter even less.

If you are looking for an independent shop in Phoenix-Patrick Motorsports.... ****I work there so I am sure we can fix it without too much hassle. (Sorry for the plug)