External centering shift shaft questions

[DeLorean]

So this 86 900-S has external centering... I have no idea why, the trans it had should have had internal centering. The shift shaft also has no hole where the alignment pin should go! SO I pulled the centering spring out of the housing and we attempted to do the alignment by estimation... That did not go well. Is there an alternate method of shifter alignment based on some other method for the external centering cars? This transmission obviously has internal centering, so the external centering mechanism may just be causing alignment problems.

I guess last resort is just to remove the shifter assembly and swap it with a non external centering unit... I would not mind if I could avoid this somehow.

[Jordan]

I guess last resort is just to remove the shifter assembly and swap it with a non external centering unit...

I thought there was some info about centering in service manual we posted. Did you check it? I know they have special alignment tools...but I've never had too much trouble without them.

[paulh]

I guess last resort is just to remove the shifter assembly and swap it with a non external centering unit...

I thought there was some info about centering in service manual we posted. Did you check it? I know they have special alignment tools...but I've never had too much trouble without them.

to elaborate, the typical procedure for the internal centering cars is you stick the trans in 3rd, then put the shifter in the 3rd gear position, and drop a pin into a hole in the shifter housing, and that locks the shift shaft and shifter in third. Then you just tighten up the shift coupler and its all aligned. the issue is that the external centering shaft seems to not have the hole in it at all for alignment, i think theyre done differently.

Paul

[Jordan]

Check pages 58 - 60 of the service manual...

[paulh]

ahhh! so you align it in reverse, weird, i guess its an early 86 car then, thanks!

Paul

[Crazyswede]

one type of transmission has a little fork on the diff cover. You put the saab locating tool into the hole in the shift shaft so it lines up in the fork on the cover. I think there is then still a hole in at the shifter...line em both up and tighten. I have always been able to line the shifter up by feel. Takes a little longer but its not that bad once you do it once or twice. The trick is to put the transmission into a known gear. But the Saab way (sigh) does work quite well too.

[DeLorean]

Well.... I got it but not without great effort. I tried aligning it in reverse (used the alignment hole). Still could not get all the gears reliably... it was as if there was something in the shifter housing that was not letting it go. Pulled a shift shaft & housing out of my 87 parts car, (external centering) and tried to install that. the shaft length was too long, took both shafts out to compare them, and they were a different length. made the 87's the same length as the 86's with a hack saw, installed that, aligned in 3rd, and it works!

Still not totally sure what the issue was with the original shaft, but it may have been bent.

[DeLorean]

Oh I should also mention that the reason they were different lengths is that apparently the internal centering Vs the external centering cars use a different length shift coupler.

[Luke]

The early couplers are longer than the later ones. The really early ones didnt have a slip fitting ->83?, they had pins at both sides. The car you took apart probably had the smaller inner drivers too right? I usually just pop the springs off the centering device under the console to render it useless and use the proper coupler.

[Geoff]

I don't know if the problem was your shift rod or not but you don't need to change out shift rods to get rid of the external centering. Just remove the two 7mm screws that hold the centering mechanism and pull it out. Or just pop the spring off.

[DeLorean]

Just remove the two 7mm screws that hold the centering mechanism and pull it out. Or just pop the spring off.

That was the first thing I had done when I took the console off and saw that it still had (functioning) external centering.

[DeLorean]

The early couplers are longer than the later ones. The really early ones didnt have a slip fitting ->83?, they had pins at both sides. The car you took apart probably had the smaller inner drivers too right? I usually just pop the springs off the centering device under the console to render it useless and use the proper coupler.

It did not have the smaller inner drivers, but it was on transmission #2 already according to the records and had a pair of "rebuilt" drive axles so who knows what the deal was there.

This is the current project car--






and this is what's gone in--

[Jordan]

I had the same grill(I think)/headlight setup on my '86 SPG , it looks so cool.

[DeLorean]

yeah I think it's pretty neat. The car also has E-code turn signals, the real ones, not the clear ones. For $7.00 at the SDCC sale in Sweden, I would have been pretty silly not to have bought em! The headlights & grill were junk yard finds so they were cheap too. The E-code signals look almost identical to the US signals, however they function differently. The cornering lights for the US market cars are on all the time the parking lights are on, and the amber parking lights only function as turn signal lights. It really should be pretty interesting / unique when it's done. Check it out at Carlisle if you come. Might be the only notchback there, and I can just about guarantee the only one with a turbo motor.

[Jordan]

Yeah it looks like we will all be there...when are you going to be starting your *ahem* rally car project...