Lessons from my 987 shift cable/short shifter install

Yeah, I was actually considering the Ben Auto shifter and was likely going to start with either that or the GT3 setup.

There's a lot of posts regarding the Numeric kit. So you will just hear multiple folks describing it very similarly. Precision Rifle bolt action like Very high quality and too beautiful to cover up with the console.

@sstearns2 I’m interested in the vertical link you put together using ball joints for the assembly on the right side of the transmission. How’s it holding up? Any adverse effects going without rubber bushings in that spot? Also, I know you said you changed the gear oil — do you know what the part no is for our cars? Have gotten several different responses on that.

The dealer told me any synthetic 75W90 gear oil would be ok. The stuff that is in there from the factory is very difficult to find and is usually only sold in large quantities to the dealers. I'm running Mobil 1 and have been completely satisfied.

hi, great right up.Can you clarify what you mean here? I also have a 5 speed. thanks!

Hi Scott, great right up. Question if you can recall. Where the cables connect to the gearbox mounts, do they cross over one another? Cheers Simon

I have been at this install for over 3 days, I have the 5 speed as well. I installed each cable one at a time in accordance with the OEM cables. The Right cable is just 2" too short. The left Cable is 2" too long. I thought perhaps I had the two swapped for the transmission side, I did this and the shifter did not work. I just wanted to make sure, in this photo the top shift cable goes to the left side of the shifter right?

It sounds like the transmission is not in neutral, so make sure the transmission is in neutral. You should be able to pull the thick shaft out by hand. It has three positions and the middle one is neutral. I can’t remember which cable goes where, but the instructions should lay that out. Be sure to remove the brackets that cables attach to from the transmission, clean and lubricate them, and the attach the cables to them before attaching them to the transmission. Much easier.

The shiny parts in the picture. The 90 degree arm has a bearing that needs to be greased. The install is much easier if you remove the “shiny” brackets in the picture, attach the shift cables, and then reattach the brackets.

it’s been a few thousand miles and vertical link is working great. I think I just used the Porsche manual transmission oil. It was expensive. I probably just used what Pelican sells.

Hey mate, reviving a very old post. I have seen one other post of DIY vertical linkage in your photo. This post finally pushed me over the edge and tried it myself, for that thank you. With worn out/dried out factory 5-speed shifter ends, changing the vertical link to solid piece alone has made a very noticeable change, so happy have done it. In the US I ordered the parts from McMaster-Carr (10mm ball sockets, M8x1.25 threaded rod ~110mm length). Only thing that is raising my eye brow is whining noise from rear during deceleration, especially slow speeds in gear, but apply slightest bit of throttle and noise is gone. Now, I'm wondering if the length of this vertical linkage is that sensitive and causing the transmission whine as if synchros are partial engaged? I also changed the trans mounts and new exhaust while I was under there....but I can't attribute the gear noise to these parts unless the whine was there all along and new exhaust is some how amplifying. The factory piece measured 128-129mm between ball socket centers, and that's the dimension I used. With rubbery plastic bushings I don't see 1-2mm difference would make a difference.

some pics

Glad my post helped. I’d try putting the old part back on and see if the noise changes. I’d also try changing the transmission oil and using the Porsche factory fluid. There is also a cable adjustment procedure on the shifter end, but you probably already did that.

Fluids next for sure! and you are probably right about adjusting the shift cables again at the shifter, I'll do that shortly. One other area I noticed some slop was in the 90 degree cam at the lower attachment point. That part has some flex at the center rivet. I may tackle this one next

Thanks for this overview! Considering doing this job this fall -- will be saving this for reference.

Reviving this thread as it seems to be the only one addressing the slop from the rear linkage assembly instead of just the shifter. I will also be doing the DIY vertical linkage swap this week but was curious if anyone has tinkered with the lower pivot yet? I see it mentioned above by pbedrosi but no follow up so I thought I check. I think that part is the last one of this shifter slop puzzle. I was thinking of pulling it off and looking into rebuilding it but a replacement is not cheap so I don't want to leave me with a $300 screw up.

Watch this space. I have few other urgent things to fix but I’m going to tackle that part Eventually.

I changed the bush in the pivot linkage, removed a lot of the slop when fitting my numeric cables and shifter. But was about £1 from Amazon.

Is that a brass bushing? And is the arm just bolted on there or does it need to be drilled out to be removed? Any other pictures you have of the process or info on that bushing would be greatly appreciated!

there are two 13mm nuts holding the linkage to the gearbox. The old bush can be tapped out, here is the new one I used sourcing map 4Pcs Flange Sleeve... sourcing map 4Pcs Flange Sleeve Bearings, 10mm Bore x 12mm OD x 20mm Length, Self-Lubricating Sintered Bronze Bushings : Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science

Hey Guys, First post from a new 987 Boxster owner..... Here are my notes from replacing shifter cables and installing a short shifter. There are some great videos on the whole process, but below is notes of details that would have helped me. The short shifter is the ~$50 one from eBay. Cables are numeric . 5 speed. 2005 987 with 92K miles on the original cables. One cable was still smooth, but the other had a bit of resistance so it was probably close to failing. The shifter had quite a bit of side to side play. There is still some side to side play, but probably 2/3rds of it is gone. The side to side play that is left is in the transmission. No play fore and aft. The shifter is so much better now. It has a bolt action mechanical feel now. Shift effort is firm and solid. It used to feel like a diesel Jetta shifter, but now if feels like a Porsche shifter. I changed the transmission oil while I was under there. I used the Porsche oil FWIW. I also replaced the fan and temp HVAC switch faces since the center console was already apart and mine looked terrible. Notes for the Shifter Side... The plate that holds the rubber firewall seal has a front and back. Mark it and remember to slip it over the new cables before attaching the cables to the shifter. Don't ask me how I know so much about this little detail.... One of the new shifter bushings in the short shifter kit had a washer between the plastic bushing and the aluminum bushing housing. This made it impossible to install the clip that holds it in place. I pulled the bushing out and removed the washer and now it fits perfectly. You will reuse the plastic pin the holds the one cable to the shifter, so don't lose it. Don't bolt the shifter assembly in until you get the new cables ends attached to it. To install the rod end onto the shifter you need to lift the shifter assembly up and slide a piece of wood under it so the rod end is sitting on the wood. A few taps with a mallet on top of the shifter arm and it will pop right on. It takes a lot more force than the ones on the transmission side. Notes for the Transmission Side... Don't try to remove or attach the cables to the bracket with it attached to the transmission. Once the cables are fully disconnected on the shifter end, remove the bracket with the cables still attached and pull it out under the car so you have easy access. Reinstall the bracket with the new cables already attached. That is much easier than trying to tighten the the bulkhead nuts in situ. Remove the idler that the one cable attaches to. Disassemble it so you can grease the bearing. Mine was bone dry. I just used wheel bearing grease. Don't forget to put the little rubber cover back on it. A little rubbing with extra fine steel wool shine up the bracket and idler nicely. My shift link (the ~6 inch long vertical link on the transmission) had a lot of play in it. The rubber ends were rock hard. I used steel gas strut ends (10mm ball, 8mmx1.25 thread), a piece of stainless threaded rod, nuts and lockwashers to make a replacement. mcmastercarr.com It's much stronger than the factory part and has zero play and was only about $30. That's all I got. Hope its helpful. Cheers, Scott

Nice work.

Excellent! Thanks for sharing.

Yes, thanks for sharing! I gotta ask though..... Since your pic shows that the 5-speed has a very different cable arrangement at the transmission, and in fact does NOT have the notorious 6-speed severe bend on the driver's side cable mount, is it fair to say that the 5-speed has fewer unexpected cable failures? Afterall, you changed yours for the first time at much more mileage than the horror stories indicate. I just acquired a 2006 Basic 5-speed with 47,000 miles and it's so pristine and tight and refined that I don't know that I should let this issue haunt me yet. Note: I also have a well dialed in ND Miata and I don't expect there is anything that could be done to get this cable shifter to feel like that thing does. It's absolutely fantastic. (I obviously am one that enjoys the mechanical direct linkage feel) So regardless if the oem cable is healthy, much of what I have read is the upgraded cables give an increased "direct feel" to the pilot. Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

Hi Snake... I can tell you that one of the old cables has significantly more resistance to movement than the other old one and the new ones slide like butter compared to the old ones. I'm going to cut the cables and pull out the inner core tomorrow and see if the cable inside is frayed. If you like the direct linkage feel then the numeric cables will make a big difference since the ends are solid rather than the factory rubber. Just replacing the vertical link with the solid one rather than the factory one with rubber ends will probably be a noticeable improvement and its cheap and easy to do. The short shifter is also cheap and pretty easy to do. Scott

I cut the cables and pulled the inner cables out and they both looked like new. The grease inside had dried up long ago. They appear to be the originals with 92K miles on them. Maybe there is something to the 5 speed cars not having the shifter cable problems the 6 speed cars have. Scott

Thank you VERY much for updating with that information regarding the 5-speed cables! Again, since I have only experienced the shifting of my recently acquired 5-speed and it has 47,000 miles, I don't have any comparison to what it might feel like brand new. So I don't know how it SHOULD feel. But it definitely isn't "mechanical", but rather vague compared to a direct-mechanical-shifter. I'm guessing that I can relax about being stranded shortly, but still look forward to the upgraded cables at my leisure? Driving the ND back-to-back is going to make it difficult to just ignore the fact that the Boxster shifting CAN be improved with modifications.

I'm guessing that it's fair to make that assumption. But I just went weak in the knees and ordered the Numeric short-shifter & cable kit. I can't exactly BLAME this thread for the weakness, but I need to find somewhere to point to. It's such an amazing machine in feedback from the steering and suspension that I just can't let the shifter off the hook. It needs to step up and play its role too!

Most of the Numeric shifter and cable orders are for the 6 speed transmission. I have not heard of any stuck of the side of the road issues with the 5 speed. So, you can change the shifter to gain tightness and a mechanical feel and leave the old cables in place, or change both and get a really tight and informative response from your shifting. I love the Numeric system both up and down shifts, I just am mindful that quick forceful shifts can overwhelm the syncros. When the transmission oil is cold, I take it easy on the shifting force and allow those syncros some time to make the gear change happen.

I promise that I'm not looking for increased shifting leverage, or force, or even speed. But rather an increase in the mechanical feel-feedback that I suspect is a result of dampened pieces used in the oem design? I admit it gives it a soft and luxurious and very quiet appeal, but I just prefer to feel that click. Personal preference. Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

What's the OEM part number for the shift link on the 5spd? Mine is pretty loose as well.

Found this: Dedicated to your Porsche needs Part number is 986-424-931-06 at least for the Boxster 986 5spd, seems its the same for the 987.

So with the numeric upgrade (shifter and cables) are there any worries about wearing out the syncro's. I have not done too much research on this yet but I remember seeing this mentioned as something to be concerned about if you don't get things adjusted correctly. Mark

I can't see how that's mechanically possible, even if you get the cable lengths wrong. Anyway it's not very hard to get the lengths right, just follow the instructions and use the Porsche alignment tool on the shifter.

EDIT: The correct part number for Cayman 5spd connecting rod is 987-424-932-03. Helped by the parts advisor at Gaudin Porsche, a new one costs $207.

With Numeric shifter and cables, a power shift is not recommended as you can override the synchro's easily. The more you do this the weaker they become. So just be knowledgeable about pushing them too hard. Even downshifting, it helps to blip the throttle mid shift to help the synchros match up. Just think about 1000's of shifts and miles doing this stuff with a smile on your face.

Well, I mean, most other RWD cars have the transmission lever sticking out of the transmission. It's a completely solid mechanism with no rubber involved. Even with all Numeric parts in the 987.1 & 2 there are still rubber buffers for the fore-aft movement of the shifter (they're internal to the half-moon input piece on the left side of the transmission). So you've still got more give in the shifter linkage than on most other cars with manual transmissions. Additional synchro wear isn't something I'd be concerned about from the cable change, honestly.

Anyone else have any experience to share about Numeric cables on the 5-speed cars? Debating whether to make a change because I've got a very, very sloppy shifter.

The sloppiness in the shifter is more likely related to the shifter mechanism than the cables. Many people replace both. The stock shifter has lots of plastic pieces which cause the loose feel. The Numeric shifter is far more precise. There are other options as well. Rebuild kits for the shifter which replace much of the plastic pieces with stronger hardware. Or the Porsche GT3 shifter which is more precise than the stock one, but less so than the Numeric .