DIY - Replacing the shifter rod on a MKIV 12v VR6

[VgRt6]

REPLACING THE SHIFTER ROD ON A MKIV 12V VR6

The following procedure describes how to replace the shifter rod on a MKIV 12v VR6. The shifter rod, whose real name is the intake manifold rotary change-over valve, is a long, 6-holed cylinder in the upper intake manifold that rotates 90° at certain RPMs to maximize low to mid-range torque. The change-over valve is more commonly known as the 'shifter rod', probably because VW lists the part as the 'shiftrod' in their parts database. A picture of the shifter rod can be seen below.

For a more technical explanation of how the shifter rod works in the variable-geometry manifold of the MKIV VR6, check out these four threads. Focus on Daemon42's posts in the first three and tachycardia's big post in the last.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1592359
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1655320
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1961975
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2944838

The OEM shifter rod has a serious flaw in that the bushings that are used to keep the rod tight inside the manifold wear prematurely and cause the rod to rattle significantly somewhere between 2500 and 4000 RPMs (and even as low as 1400 RPMs if it's REALLY worn). See this YouTube video or this YouTube video for great examples of typical shifter rod rattle. When the rattle is bad enough, you can hear it inside the cabin of the car while driving and is loud enough to drive you nuts! To eliminate the rattle, you need to either (1) install a new OEM shifter rod (which comes with new OEM bushings) or (2) install a set of Paul's redesigned aftermarket bushings on your existing, compatible shifter rod (it must be the newer version of the rod, VW Part# 021 133 653 - if you have the older version of the rod, VW Part# 021 133 697 A, then you need to buy a new OEM rod to use Paul's bushings). This DIY will explain how to perform both of the above solutions.

The procedure below is based on a '99.5 Jetta GLS VR6, but should be applicable to all MKIV VR6s.

To replace the shifter rod, the following items are required:

- Phillips screwdriver
- T30 Torx screwdriver or wrench
- Large and small flat-blade screwdrivers

REMOVING THE SHIFTER ROD:

1. The shifter rod is located in the top, front section of the upper intake manifold, just to the left (passenger's side) of the VW insignia and to the front of the VR6 logo on the engine cover, as indicated by the yellow area in the picture below.

2. Remove the trim piece behind the driver's side headlight (actually part of the stock intake) by removing the two (2) Philips screws (yellow arrows in picture below) and pulling straight up on the trim piece (red arrow).

3. Pop the hood release cable (yellow arrow) out of its groove in the trim piece (also part of the stock intake) marked by the red arrow in the picture below.

4. Carefully pop the spark plug wires (yellow arrows in picture below) out of their grooves in the small engine cover (red arrow), remove the one (1) T30 screw (green arrow) and remove the engine cover piece (some wiggling may be necessary to get it out from under the wires).

5. Remove the trim piece marked by the red arrow in the picture below by removing the two (2) Phillips screws (yellow arrows) and then sliding the trim piece toward the rear of the car and then up and out. The hood release cable may catch on the inside surface of the trim piece while doing this, so some wiggling may be required.

6. Remove the long, thin engine cover piece on the passenger's side of the engine (red arrow in picture below) by removing the two (2) T30 Torx screws (yellow arrows) and carefully pulling up on the trim piece.

7. Remove the passenger's side end cap for the shifter rod (red arrow in picture below) from the side of the upper intake manifold by removing the two (2) T30 screws (yellow arrows) and then pulling the end cap off. The lower screw may be partially blocked by the A/C service port marked by the green arrow. You can carefully hold this port to the side to access the screw (it will be tough to do most likely), but don't be too rough with it. Just move it enough to get the screw out.

8. The picture below shows the inside surface of the end cap that was just removed. Note the green rubber bushing (yellow arrow) in the middle of the cap that supports and cushions the end of the shifter rod. Make sure that this bushing does not get lost.

9. The picture below shows the passenger's side of the manifold with the end cap removed. The red arrow points to the end of the shifter rod still installed in the manifold. If the green bushing shown in the image above is not in the end cap, then check the small shaft on the end of the shifter rod (yellow arrow). If it's still on that shaft, then pull it off and place it in the end cap. If it's not there, then it was lost somewhere and you'll need to buy a new one. You can get one as part of the SHIFTER ROD REPAIR KIT, which is VW Part# 071 198 763 . (FYI, the green bushing mentioned above and the red bushing in the repair kit (also mentioned in Step 16) are the same thing. The color doesn't matter. The green seal in the repair kit is different than the green bushing and is used to seal around the part of the shifter rod that protrudes through the vacuum drive unit (mentioned in Step 10).)

Note: Some people will say that you don't need to remove the passenger's side end cap to replace the shifter rod, which is true. However, by removing this end cap and making sure that the green bushing is not attached to the shifter rod, you ensure that the bushing will not fall down into one of the intake manifold runners when sliding the shifter rod out later in this DIY. You don't want this to happen, unless you like removing the whole manifold to fish the bushing out. Trust me. I've had to do it.

10. The picture below shows the shifter rod's vacuum drive unit (red arrow) on the driver's side of the upper intake manifold. Remove the support bracket (green arrow) for the small engine cover piece (already removed) by removing the two (2) T30 screws marked by the yellow arrows.

11. The picture below shows a better view of the vacuum drive unit (which also serves as the driver's side end cap) and how it operates the shifter rod. When a vacuum is applied to the drive unit (controlled by the ECU and a solenoid valve), the actuator rod (yellow arrow) moves downward, causing the end of the white connecting lever (red arrow) to also move downward and resulting in the clockwise rotation of the shifter rod 90° (there is a tab on the driver's side end of the shifter rod and a corresponding groove in the drive unit that limits the rotation of the shifter rod).

12. The red arrow in the picture below points to the locking tab that secures the white connecting lever to the shifter rod. In order to remove the drive unit from the manifold, the lever needs to be disconnected from the shifter rod. This is accomplished by depressing the locking tab and separating the lever and rod.

13. You can attempt to depress the locking tab and then slide the connecting lever toward the driver's side of the car, but this is easier said than done. Some people have used too much force and reported that the tab has broken when doing this, so be careful if you decide to use this method. The easiest way that I have found to disconnect the lever and rod is to use a large flat-blade screwdriver to simultaneously depress the tab slightly and push the shifter rod slightly INTO the manifold. The two pictures below illustrate how to do this. Basically, you place the tip of the screwdriver on the locking tab (make sure it's not touching the white lever though), hold the screwdriver parallel to the front edge of the car and ~30° relative to the ground and then give the handle end of the screwdriver a light whack with the palm of your hand (this may require more than one attempt, depending on how hard you hit it).

Note: This method works best on shifter rods that are worn, since the loose fit of the rod in manifold allows it to easily slide into the manifold. This method may be more difficult when the rod is new or not worn that much or if Paul's (A2T) replacement bushings are already installed since the tight fit of the rod in the manifold will offer more resistance. This method will still work with a rod that has a tight fit, but make sure not to go too nuts with how hard you hit the screwdriver placed on the locking tab. You don't want to accidentally break the locking tab and be forced to buy a new rod.

14. The picture below shows the rod having been pushed into the manifold by doing the above procedure. FYI, the rod doesn't need to completely move inside the manifold like shown below. It really only needs to move a few millimeters for the lever and rod to disconnect, so don't worry if yours doesn't end up looking exactly like mine. The picture does illustrate well though how worn my shifter rod and intake manifold were at 180k miles when this DIY procedure was performed. If I had hit the screwdriver hard enough, the shifter rod would have shot out of the far end of the manifold!

15. With the connecting lever and shifter rod disconnected, you can now pull the vacuum drive unit off of the intake manifold. Remember that the base of the drive unit is connected to a vacuum hose and this hose limits how much and in what direction you can move the drive unit (you need to move it out of the way slightly so that the shifter rod can slide out of the manifold - I usually tuck it up under the front end). Be careful not to separate the drive unit and vacuum hose, but if you do, it's no big deal. Just reconnect the two and all will be good.

16. The picture below shows the vacuum drive unit disconnected from the intake manifold. Make sure that the red bushing (yellow arrow) that supports and cushions the end of the shifter rod is in the drive unit. If it's still on the shifter rod, then remove it and place it in the drive unit.

17. Finally, slide the shifter rod out of the driver's side of the intake manifold, as shown below. If the bushings on the rod are worn, it will slide out very easily and it will become very clear why the rod rattles so badly in the 2500-4000 RPM range. If your shifter rod still has a tight fit in the manifold (doubtful), then you might need to lightly tug on the rod to get it out. Be careful not to cut your fingers as some of the edges of the rod can be sharp!

REINSTALLING THE SHIFTER ROD:

18. Slide the shifter rod into the driver's side opening in the intake manifold. If you are installing a new OEM rod or your existing rod with Paul's aftermarket bushings, then the rod should be more difficult to install than it was to remove, especially after the point where one of the bushings enters the manifold. Most likely the difference will be great enough that you'll need to push fairly hard to get the new rod in. If using Paul's bushings, the fit will most likely be so tight that you'll need to use a rubber mallet or something similar to carefully pound the rod into the manifold. While this may seem odd or wrong at first, it's actually a good thing since the extra tight fit helps to ensure that the rod remains tight in the manifold and the rattle never returns.

19. Insert the shifter rod so that it is roughly centered in the manifold. The ends of the rod relative to the edges of the manifold should be roughly the same and similar to what's shown in Step 9.

20. Reinstall the passenger's side end cap and tighten the two (2) T30 screws.

21. Rotate the shifter rod so that the locking tab on the driver's side end of the rod is roughly at the 1 o'clock position. Refer to the picture in Step 12 for an idea of the correct position.

Note: It is possible to install the shifter rod with the locking tab at either the 1 o'clock or 7 o'clock position. ONLY THE 1 O'CLOCK POSITION IS CORRECT! If the rod is installed with the tab at the 7 o'clock position, the rod will not be able to rotate and either the white connecting lever or the drive unit actuator rod may break when the drive unit attempts to rotate the rod.

22. Install the vacuum drive unit by sliding it over the driver's side end of the shifter rod and reconnecting the white connecting lever to the rod. You may or may not hear a click when the locking tab catches.

23. Line up the engine cover support bracket with the holes in the drive unit and then install and tighten the two (2) T30 screws.

24. Reinstall the long, thin engine cover piece removed in Step 6 and tighten the two (2) T30 screws.

25. Reinstall the trim piece removed in Step 5, making sure that the hood release cable is between the trim piece and the front of the car and the piece fits into the appropriate slots. Pop the hood release cable back into the groove in the trim piece.

26. Reinstall the engine cover piece removed in Step 4 and pop the spark plug wires back in their grooves.

27. Reinstall the trim piece removed in Step 2, making sure that the hood release cable is to the rear of the trim piece and the driver's side edge of the trim piece fits into the appropriate slot.

28. That's it! <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/vwbb/embeer.gif" BORDER="0">

REPLACING THE OEM SHIFTER ROD BUSHINGS WITH PAUL'S AFTERMARKET BUSHINGS

If you have a newer-style OEM shifter rod that has two, thick bushings (021 133 653 - see picture below) and not an older-style shifter rod with five, thin bushings (021 133 697 A - see picture below), then you can replace the two OEM bushings with a set of Paul's aftermarket bushings (see picture below). The design of the aftermarket bushings is far superior to the OEM design and should prevent the return of shifter rod rattle caused by worn bushings.

29. To remove the OEM bushings from the shifter rod, insert a small screwdriver into the gap between the locking tabs on the edge of the OEM bushing (as shown below) and twist to separate the two halves of the bushing. Spin the bushing 180° and repeat. Remove the bushing from the rod. Repeat the above procedure for the other OEM bushing.

30. Separate one of Paul's bushings into its two halves by pulling them apart, as shown below.

31. The two halves are secured by small pins (red arrows in picture below) and need a light tug to be separated.

32. Install the bushing halves on the OEM rod and press the two halves TIGHTLY together (they may snap together, they may not - just make sure the two halves are touching). You also may want to put a little bit or LocTite or CrazyGlue on the pins so that the two halves can't separate inside the manifold. If they can separate(because the manifold is worn in the area of the bushings), even a little, then it may be difficult to remove the rod if you ever need to.

33. Install the improved shifter rod by following Steps 18 through 28.

As always, do this procedure at your own risk. I am not responsible for any mistakes in the above procedure or those that you make while performing it.


Modified by VgRt6 at 11:30 PM 2-27-2008

[ROCKnRLR]

OLD NEWS!

[billcosbyhatesyou]

i'm going to take some pictures of the inside of my manifold, becaus i guarantee it's worn beyond repair, i've been through 3 rods and a set of the bushings and it still rattles , now i keep getting a bank 2 trim too lean code which i think may have something to do with it

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by billcosbyhatesyou »

i'm going to take some pictures of the inside of my manifold, becaus i guarantee it's worn beyond repair, i've been through 3 rods and a set of the bushings and it still rattles , now i keep getting a bank 2 trim too lean code which i think may have something to do with it

Have you tried a set of Paul's bushings? I'm almost positive that my manifold is worn more than yours, that is unless you have more miles than me. I had Paul make me a custom set of bushings which were oversized. I had to sand them down until they just fit and the rod didn't bind. It took about a dozen iterations, but now the mani is completely silent. It's amazing and well worth the extra cost.

FYI, for those reading this who dont have the ridiculous number of miles that my engine does, Paul's normal bushings will work fine in a manifold that does not have excessive wear. If you're under 125-150k miles, then you probably fall into this category.

Gary

[RavinJetta]

Nice DIY. I have Pauls bushing in mine for alittle while now and they are great. No more rattle.

[ROCKnRLR]

I guess I have to get of my ass and install Paul's bushings which have been in a drawer for too long.

[billcosbyhatesyou]

Quote, originally posted by VgRt6 »

Have you tried a set of Paul's bushings? I'm almost positive that my manifold is worn more than yours, that is unless you have more miles than me. I had Paul make me a custom set of bushings which were oversized. I had to sand them down until they just fit and the rod didn't bind. It took about a dozen iterations, but now the mani is completely silent. It's amazing and well worth the extra cost. FYI, for those reading this who dont have the ridiculous number of miles that my engine does, Paul's normal bushings will work fine in a manifold that does not have excessive wear. If you're under 125-150k miles, then you probably fall into this category. Gary

yes, in fact i think i was one of the first batch, i have the "C" shaped bushings. they worked great for maybe 2k and then the same loss of power and rattling started. i have 85k on mine but i didnt replace the first rod until 72-73k. i have talked to him about making a set of oversized ones, although i've been on a mission to find a new manifold and use his busings in that, except no one besides undergroundvwparts has them used and he wont get back to me

i've replaced plug wires twice, plugs, o2 sensors, maf, repaired coilpack, got the software update, and i still cannot figure out why i get a lean code, it had to be the shifter rod letting too much air in at lower speeds when the engine is cold (which is when, according to plotted data, this occurs)

[vr6ruckus]

for Paul's bushings. Took me about 20 min. to install from start to finish--they work great, too.

[vdub vr6 jetta]

I don't think you need to remove both end cap, when I replace mine all I had to do was remove the driverside end cap, but if there is some logical reason for removing both ends please let me know

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by vdub vr6 jetta »

I don't think you need to remove both end cap, when I replace mine all I had to do was remove the driverside end cap, but if there is some logical reason for removing both ends please let me know

I explained the reason in the DIY. If you only remove the driver's side end cap, then there's a chance that the green bushing can fall into the manifold as the rod is slid out. By removing the passenger's side end cap, you can remove the bushing so you don't have to worry about this happening.

Gary

[LSinLV]

Quote, originally posted by VgRt6 »

Have you tried a set of Paul's bushings? I'm almost positive that my manifold is worn more than yours, that is unless you have more miles than me. I had Paul make me a custom set of bushings which were oversized. I had to sand them down until they just fit and the rod didn't bind. It took about a dozen iterations, but now the mani is completely silent. It's amazing and well worth the extra cost. FYI, for those reading this who dont have the ridiculous number of miles that my engine does, Paul's normal bushings will work fine in a manifold that does not have excessive wear. If you're under 125-150k miles, then you probably fall into this category. Gary

wow! I fogot to check them...Hey Gary, I will take a listen to the intake this weekend and let you and Paul know the status of his V1.0 bushings....

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by billcosbyhatesyou »

yes, in fact i think i was one of the first batch, i have the "C" shaped bushings. they worked great for maybe 2k and then the same loss of power and rattling started.

That's your problem. I had the actual first set of the C-shaped bushings and mine started to rattle again at about 2k miles also. The full-circumference bushings that he makes now are MUCH better. BTW, how many miles do youahve on the engine? His new-style bushings (not oversized) might actually work for you if your mileage isn't that high. At 180k miles, there was no chance of the stock size working for me, so I had to go with the oversized bushings.

Gary

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by ROCKnRLR »

OLD NEWS!

You bastard! Do you realize how many hours I wasted at work yesterday writing this!?

Gary

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by lsinlv »

wow! I fogot to check them...Hey Gary, I will take a listen to the intake this weekend and let you and Paul know the status of his V1.0 bushings....

Screw v1.0 Larry. Just get a set of the latest design and be done with this problem once and for all!

Gary

[LSinLV]

Quote, originally posted by VgRt6 »

Screw v1.0 Larry. Just get a set of the latest design and be done with this problem once and for all! Gary

I just sent Paul a PM...tot get them!

[billcosbyhatesyou]

Quote, originally posted by VgRt6 »

That's your problem. I had the actual first set of the C-shaped bushings and mine started to rattle again at about 2k miles also. The full-circumference bushings that he makes now are MUCH better. BTW, how many miles do youahve on the engine? His new-style bushings (not oversized) might actually work for you if your mileage isn't that high. At 180k miles, there was no chance of the stock size working for me, so I had to go with the oversized bushings. Gary

well since his first batch hs problems is he replacing them on the house?

i have 85k on the motor. i'm gonna rip the rod out and see how worn the mani is, hopefully i can get away with the regular sized ones or whatever

btw, i moved my bitching to this thread to keep yours on topic:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1976571

[ROCKnRLR]

I never installed my 1st batch C-shaped bushings...Can he swap 'em out for the newer ones?

[billcosbyhatesyou]

Quote, originally posted by ROCKnRLR »

I never installed my 1st batch C-shaped bushings...Can he swap 'em out for the newer ones?

i installed mine, can he swap them out for new ones?

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by billcosbyhatesyou »

well since his first batch hs problems is he replacing them on the house?

He did mention a while back when we started working on the revised design that he would credit those who had bought the original design the amount they paid towards the purchase of the newer design (which is more labor intensive and costs a little more to make - the difference should be fairly small though). Please don't take my word for it though. I'm going to alert Paul to this thread and have him answer any questions himself.

Gary

[billcosbyhatesyou]

Quote, originally posted by VgRt6 »

He did mention a while back when we started working on the revised design that he would credit those who had bought the original design the amount they paid towards the purchase of the newer design (which is more labor intensive and costs a little more to make - the difference should be fairly small though). Please don't take my word for it though. I'm going to alert Paul to this thread and have him answer any questions himself. Gary

you know what, that's right, he did tell me that, but that was under a different sreenname of mine, but he does have my real name on record

[RavinJetta]

I have the earlier C channel design for over 5k now and no rattling. I remember Paul saying that C channel design was good because it had a spring effect. I wonder if I should change mine to the new version?

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by RavinJetta »

I have the earlier C channel design for over 5k now and no rattling. I remember Paul saying that C channel design was good because it had a spring effect. I wonder if I should change mine to the new version?

It was originally thought that the springiness of the 'C' design would keep the bushings nice and tight in the mani, but like the OEM bushings, the plastic "sets" and the springiness essentially disappears over time. The new design can not suffer from this problem since it's full circumference.

I would keep using the bushings you already have until they start to rattle (if they ever do) and then buy the new kind.

Gary

[a2t2]

Glad to see this excellent thread by Gary. Shows how some ppl on this forum still want to provide others with valuable info.

Modified by a2t2 at 7:00 PM 5-6-2005


Modified by EPilot at 10:10 PM 5-8-2005

[macksks]

what about 24v?

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by macksks »

what about 24v?

I'm not aware of any cases of a 24v shifter rod rattling. Since the 24v uses the same shifter rod with the same OEM bushings (021 133 653), this must be due to one of two reasons ...

1) No one has enough miles on their 24v yet for the problem to have surfaced
2) VW addressed the problem when they redesigned the manifold for the 24v and designed it in such a way that it doesn't suffer from the problem. Some of us have suspected that the 12v manifold expands too much when warm and/or when there is a high airflow rate through it. This would give the bearings just enough tolerance to start rattling. When the bushings rattle, they wear and at after some point, will always be loose in the manifold.

I could be totally wrong though.

Gary

[ROCKnRLR]

Phaetons, Touaregs, Audi TTs and R32s come with the 3.2L version of the 24V. They might BS lowly 12V owners around with this issue; however, owners of the above mentioned vehicles are less inclined to accept the BSing around.


Modified by ROCKnRLR at 4:31 PM 5-7-2005

[ubergolf98turbo]

We'll see. It looks like a different p/n for some of the stuff on the 24v. So maybe VW figured out how they screwed up (or copied Pauls design, lol).

Its amazing to see how schrick did this right and vw copied it, only making it far less reliable. typical vwl...hopefully they got it right on 24v, but time will tell...

[gehr]

Quote, originally posted by VgRt6 »

None, of the three shifter rods I have, have the thin bushing pictured there

And how can I give Paul some kudos and cash?

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by gehr »

None, of the three shifter rods I have, have the thin bushing pictured there

Well, you don't want your shifter rod to have those thin bushings. The older-style rod has them where the new bushings need to go, so the new bushings won't it. The newer-style rod actually has three slots for the small bushings in addition to the two larger bushings, but there shouldn't be any thin bushings in the three slots. My guess is that when they redesigned the rod, they just used the existing injection molds and machined the spots for the two larger bushings into it. The other three thin slots would still be present then.

What part# rod do you have? As long as it ends in 653, then you can use Paul's bushings.

Quote, originally posted by gehr »

And how can I give Paul some kudos and cash?

Click the link in the second paragraph of the DIY.

Gary

[VgRt6]

Bump.

Gary

[gehr]

Quote, originally posted by VgRt6 »

What part# rod do you have? As long as it ends in 653, then you can use Paul's bushings. Click the link in the second paragraph of the DIY. Gary

As always..........THANKS Gary
It is 653, I'm so looking forward to "quiet" acceleration for a change

[RupertX]

BUMP because alot of people will need this im sure. super easy. save some money.

[2k1 vr6]

i have less than 20k miles on my 2k1 vr6. is it necessary to change mine now before the problem even starts?

[VgRt6]

Quote, originally posted by 2k1 vr6 »

i have less than 20k miles on my 2k1 vr6. is it necessary to change mine now before the problem even starts?

The earlier the better. In addition to the bushings on the rod wearing in time, once the rod starts rattling, it will start to wear the inside of the manifold. If you can prevent the rattling from ever happening by using the aftermarket bushings, then you should never have to worry about it!

Gary

[a2t2]

somebody with a 24v should take the rod out and see if its any different - like measure intake mani bore, see how VW corrected it...or if VW corrected it...