The final issue (hopefully!) – Gearbox self-centre

Firstly, thank you for all the great posts to date, I have found it a wealth of knowledge and it’s really helped my 996 journey so far. In 2022 I purchased a 996.2 C2 manual with 76k miles and have spent the last year and a half working through the car with various specialists. After sinking a not insignificant amount into the car I have tried to ensure I am making the most of it with various trips including Le Mans 24h and the CAT driver training course which was brilliant. However, I am still having issues with my gearstick self-centering and notchiness in first and second gears. It’s the last (hopefully) big issue to resolve, but I am desperate to resolve it as its taking away from the enjoyment of the car. The Issue - Gearbox Self Centering When I start up the car the gearstick self centres perfectly. However after 20 minutes or so of driving when coming out of 1st/ 2nd or 5/6th the gearstick won’t self-centre back to the middle unless I physically push it across. It seems to get halfway then gets stuck and needs a tap to bring it back to centre. This happens with the clutch in or out. View attachment IMG_4221.mov I don’t believe it’s the shifter itself as I swapped it over for a 997.2 GT3 shifter when I first purchased the car and when I recently disconnected the shifting cables to the shifter it moved around very smoothly. It may be nothing, but I did find it a little hard to get the blue cable to clip back into place and as you can see the in below photos it only just clipped in. Could anyone confirm if this is typical? Also, just for info, I had a specialist swap out the transmission fluid c.12 months ago and they used Mobillube PTX to see if it helped with the notchiness of the gearshift, although it didn’t make much, if any difference. I have access to a ramp this coming Saturday as I am going to be attempting my first DIY oil change, so does anyone have any ideas on how to sort the gearstick self centering?

across on these threads Gear lever not returning to centre Hi there, I have a 2004 996 C4S and love it to bits. There is one part that I would like to improve and would welcome your thoughts. The spring that makes the gear lever return to the centre of the gear change seems to be not working properly. This means that when coming out of 1st for... 911uk.com Gear lever self centring Whilst I was under the car with the exhausts I cleaned the gearbox linkage parts, oiled and greased. Ever since I fitted the 997 short shift kit it's not self centred very well. Feels like the lever is under tension. I assume that when it's gone back together in the car one or both cables are... 911uk.com and worth a read https://www.pelicanparts.com/techar...Pin/TRANS-Installing_996_Shift_Detent_Pin.htm

If it's intermittent (or when the car is warm) I'd say it's the shifter cable sticking......if it's all the time I'd say the spring in the gearbox that centralises it is goosed.

Thanks guys. It's absolutely fine when the car is cold, as you can see here. It's only after 20 min or so of driving that I have the issue. View attachment IMG_4235.MOV

Mine sometimes does it, seems to go through phases and only seems to do it when the cars warm. I'm convinced it's the cable sticking.

I'd echo the comments about the shift cables. That's the next thing to try. I have had some luck before with pulling the cables off at the gearbox and greasing them up, but it's not a long term fix. If they are original they will be the best part of 20 years old..... As an aside - A brand new Porsche set I had fitted the other year had an issue immediately and wouldn't self centre properly as there was problem with the material used in the manufacture of the cups on the end of the cables. A replacement, non faulty, set from Porsche transformed the feel and the gear lever jumps back to the centre now.

Brilliant thanks, sounds like I need to give some new cables a try. Could anyone advise on what lube I need to buy to apply to the gearbox and shifter linkages?

I just wanted to close out the thread by saying I swapped out the gearbox cables at the weekend and what a difference! Feels so much better! Improved both the self centring and the change itself. Lots of step by step guides already, but the only real issue I had which wasn’t already covered was fitting the cables through the body shell. I had to use a metal leaver to pry the metal tabs up but after that they were fine. Thanks for the advice.

Good stuff!