Shifter problems, Yes the bentley hasn't even worked.

[motorbreath1800]

Okay here's the problem I've come across. I replaced my shifter bushings with that nifty germanautoparts rebuild kit. Okay so I adjusted my shifter then to the bentley specs of 13mm and then to the 15mm spec. I'm still not able to hit 1st and 2nd without slamming them in hard. And they both clunk when I slam it in. What could be wrong, is the new linkage a problem? It is worse then before. There is shifter wobble in 1st or 2nd, but 3-5 I can move the stick an inch or so side to side when in gear. Help! Please! I've adjusted it like 20 times already. What am I doing wrong. Please help my 160mi commute isn't fun like this.

[ToddA1]

If you changed everything in the pic, there are only 2 things left.

There's a bushing in a bracket that attaches to the steering rack, and the actual ball/socket shifter base. The shift rod passes through the 1st bushing, mentioned.

I'd check the condition of these, otherwise it's adjustment. If it is adjustment, I'd check the selector rod; it seems to be the most finicky of all the adjustments.

-Todd

[fast84gti]

or, you have an f'd tranny/clutch...

[Muffler Bearing]

sounds like the shifter ball or the orange-bushing-of-death might be bad if you have replaced everything else.

[danthemanohhyea]

I am not at all trying to hi-jack this thread, but how does one go about replacing the "orange bushing of death"? I feel it's relevant because the original poster may have to replace it.

[motorbreath1800]

What is the orange bushing of death?

[Delete!]

Quote, originally posted by motorbreath1800 »

What is the orange bushing of death?

[motorbreath1800]

Well I have some urethane bushings for my truck's sway bar that I never put on, it's roughly the same size, I'm going to see if I can graft together a fordwagen part.

[Delete!]

Quote, originally posted by motorbreath1800 »

Well I have some urethane bushings for my truck's sway bar that I never put on, it's roughly the same size, I'm going to see if I can graft together a fordwagen part.

the orange bushing has a groove in it to fit into the metal bracket pictured above. if you're having shifting issues, replacing a factory bushing with a piece that doesn't fit properly is most likely only gonna make things worse. just get the proper bushing

[MagicBus]

Quote, originally posted by motorbreath1800 »

Okay here's the problem I've come across. I replaced my shifter bushings with that nifty germanautoparts rebuild kit. Okay so I adjusted my shifter then to the bentley specs of 13mm and then to the 15mm spec. I'm still not able to hit 1st and 2nd without slamming them in hard. And they both clunk when I slam it in. What could be wrong, is the new linkage a problem? It is worse then before. There is shifter wobble in 1st or 2nd, but 3-5 I can move the stick an inch or so side to side when in gear. Help! Please! I've adjusted it like 20 times already. What am I doing wrong. Please help my 160mi commute isn't fun like this.

I think the explanation might be a bit more mundane. I tried rebuilding my 5-speed linkage with the kit from GAP back in November/December. Car would not shift with the new parts.

I removed the new selector rods, and they did not match the old ones I took out. Different lengths than original. Put old ones in, and shifting was fine.

I called GAP to ask if there was any possibility they sent me a kit with the 4-speed rods instead of the 5-speed rods. They were ADAMANT that they'd sent the correct parts.

Still... the "correct" parts don't work - at least in my car. I think they have their 4 and 5 speed rods mixed up. I keep meaning to order correct 5-speed rods, just not from GAP.

Don't get me wrong. I really like GAP, and will continue to buy from them. Just not Mk1 shift linkage parts.

So... try the old rods with the new bushings and see what happens.

[VWCaddy]

"Orange bushing" (aka Shift Rod Bearing) replacement:
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel...stall

Actually only the A2/3 parts are orange, the A1 bushing is off-white in color and has a smaller ID than the A2/3 part - (A1 on the left, A2/3 on the right):

And sounds like your selector rod is set too far to the passenger side, making the rear selector rod not push far enough to the driver's side and making 1st gear hard to reach:
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel...blems

Or you may have a little too much play in the relay lever, easy to tighten up with a thin shim:
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel...rShim

Modified by VWCaddy at 9:32 PM 7-14-2009

[motorbreath1800]

So I went out in the cold and switched back to my original linkage rods, and what do you know, it works amazing. Thanks for the idea. I still really like GAP, but I too won't buy anymore linkages, well unless i get a stupid amount of money to blow, then I'll order a USRT kit, or one from 4crawler.

[MagicBus]

Quote, originally posted by motorbreath1800 »

So I went out in the cold and switched back to my original linkage rods, and what do you know, it works amazing. Thanks for the idea. I still really like GAP, but I too won't buy anymore linkages, well unless i get a stupid amount of money to blow, then I'll order a USRT kit, or one from 4crawler.

Awesome. Glad to hear it worked out, and also glad to have confirmation that I'm not crazy, either. GAP has this one wrong. But, I got my bushings changed, which was the worst of it for me.

Once again, I still like GAP, but they have their parts mixed up on this one.

[danthemanohhyea]

Quote, originally posted by Eurodub-Webmaster »

Where does one buy this kit (which includes the orange bushing)?? All I've been able to find is the kit that includes everything but the orange bushing..

[VWCaddy]

Quote, originally posted by danthemanohhyea »

Where does one buy this kit (which includes the orange bushing)?? All I've been able to find is the kit that includes everything but the orange bushing..

Kits with the orange bushing are only for the A2 and A3 vehicles. The A1 shift rod bearing is actually white and has a smaller ID than the A2/3 orange bushing:
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel...aring

[MagicBus]

Quote, originally posted by motorbreath1800 »

So I went out in the cold and switched back to my original linkage rods, and what do you know, it works amazing. Thanks for the idea. I still really like GAP, but I too won't buy anymore linkages, well unless i get a stupid amount of money to blow, then I'll order a USRT kit, or one from 4crawler.

A little more info for everyone. Inspired by this thread, I contacted GAP (and sent them a link) and got this response:

Quote, originally posted by From email: »

Hi MagicBus: Interesting, thanks for getting back tome so soon. So your car definitely has 4 speed link parts. Some of the other, larger shift linkage parts that do not wear were also different between the 4 and 5 speeds, it does not matter at this point but I wonder if your car has a mix of both or something. Also, if you feel adventurous, you may still be able to find the original build sheet for the car showing what transmission code was in the car from the factory, and we can see if it was a 4 or 5 speed code. The sheets were either under the rear seat (visible if you fold the seat up like you were going to load big stuff in, down in the spare tire well, or between the taillights inside the trunk. It would have the VIN and a whole lot of alphanumeric stuff, the codes for the engine and transmission codes should be labeled. If you find it and it indicates a 4 speed (I can decode the trans codes if you find the sheet) then at least we know that we're dealing with a past swap. If it indicates a 5 speed originally then I'm still stumped. Feel free to incorporate some of this into the Vortex thread if you wish, perhaps it will help someone else as well. Mark MagicBus wrote: Hello, Mark Thanks for emailing me back. The selector rods that came out of my car (and subsequently went back in) are a dead-on match for what you show to be the 4-speed selector rods. A few months back, once the new parts were installed, I also thought it might have been an alignment issue. I checked shifter alignment according to specs in the Bentley manual, and still, the car will only shift with what you show to be the 4-speed linkage parts. No amount of adjusting the alignment allowed for the 5-speed linkage parts to work. Furthermore, the original selector rods that came out of my car look to have aged with the car, and appear to have been in there from the factory. Of course, I have no proof these parts weren't replaced in the last few decades, but they really do look 30 years old to me, so I suspect, but can't prove the parts are original to the car.. I certainly am not trying to start any sort of dispute, and actually, my instincts are telling me to incorporate this email discussion into the thread on Vortex. If you guys have sold this kit for a long time, and it works for most people, I don't want my lone discussion on Vortex to cost you any sales. Besides, if that is the case, then logically, myself and the other person on Vortex with the problem may have some sort of oddball shift linkage setup that incorporates incorrect 4-speed parts, but works with the 5-speed transmission. GAP is well-respected for a good reason, and my only motivation is to get clarification on the correct parts for the application. As I said, I certainly plan to keep purchasing parts from you guys. Thanks for getting back to me on this, MagicBus --- On Thu, 4/9/09, Mark <XXXXXXX@germanautoparts.com> wrote: From: Mark <XXXXXXX@germanautoparts.com> Subject: Shift linkage parts To: "XXXXXXXX@yahoo.com" <XXXXXXX@yahoo.com> Date: Thursday, April 9, 2009, 10:22 AM Hi MagicBus: I'm still stumped. I certainly do not want to dispute that the parts are not working, but we feel pretty confident that they are correct. I recall when we spoke several months ago that I went out to check the kits on the shelf just to make sure that we did not have any kits built with the 4 speed parts by accident, and we did not. Again, not to dispute your findings but we have sold hundreds and hundreds of these over the last 15 years and I have installed many myself. The only cases we have heard where they would not work is where the car had 4 speed linkage parts in originally. If the 4 speed parts are used in a 5 speed it is possible to adjust things so it will shift, but then when the 'correct' 5 speed parts are installed it will not shift well as it has been 'mis-adjusted' to make the 4 speed parts work in the past. Maybe this is the problem? I have attached a photo here showing both the 4 and 5 speed parts together. For each of the three components the 4 speed part is on top and the 5 speed part is below it. Please compare these to your original parts that work and also the replacement parts that do not and let me know what you find. I hope we can get to the bottom of this. Regards, Mark XXXXXXXX@yahoo.com wrote: > Hello A few months ago I ordered a 5-speed shifter rebuild kit for my 1980 Rabbit. Upon installation, I was not able to shift. I then compared the new selector rods I received to the old ones I took out of the car, and they were not the same length. I put the old ones back in (old rods, new bushings), and the car shifted fine. I recall calling GAP a day or two later to ask if I'd received the 4-speed selector rods. The person on the phone was polite and helpful, but insisted I got the right parts. I didn't see any reason to pursue it further. I took that person on their word, and just assumed there was some logical reason I didn't know that my 5-speed Rabbit only shifted with the WRONG parts in place. Yesterday, on VWVortex, I spotted and then replied to THIS thread (I'm the user known as magicbus): http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4333208 I replied to the original poster, and he also got his shift linkage to work ONLY with the old selector rods, which did not match the new selector rods supplied with the rebuild kit sold by GAP. I suspect, once again, that you may be inadvertently selling rebuild kits for a 4-speed transmission linkage, and not a 5-speed as advertised. (Note - I also believe the relay lever in the kit is for a 4-speed car, as I also had to re-install my original relay lever to get the car to shift. I compared the old one and the new one, and they appear to be different sizes). As this point, I'm not looking for a refund, or the correct parts, nor am I or was I ever upset to any notable degree. My order was placed almost 6 months ago (October 24, 2008 - order #XXXXXX). I, and at least some of the other Vortex users in that thread still hold a high opinion of GAP and plan to continue buying from you. But, I really do believe that you should check out the kit you're selling for the 5-speed linkage a little more closely, because I don't think it's correct. Sincerely, "MagicBus" > Url 1 /Volkswagen/Rabbit/Transmission/185/1 > Url 2 /Volkswagen/Rabbit/Transmission/185 > Url 3 /Volkswagen/Rabbit/Transmission > Url 4 /Volkswagen/Rabbit/Transmission/186

So, if I get a chance this weekend, I'm going to clean some junk out of the car and look for that build sheet.

[84_rabbitGTI]

I'm going to need to do this soon, but I'm scared...looks like a difficult, tedious job!

[Muffler Bearing]

Quote, originally posted by 84_rabbitGTI »

I'm going to need to do this soon, but I'm scared...looks like a difficult, tedious job!

its easy, just a little time consuming the first time if you don't know exactly what to do. its best if you put the car up on ramps or jack stands to reach the parts under the car and just take your time doing it piece by piece.

[motorbreath1800]

It seriously took me like 15mins to do the whole bushing swap, the alignment was another issue. it's a piece of cake when you have the right linkages.

[vwguy337]

After I rebuilt my shifter assembly, I realized that part #'s 14, 44, 47, 9 (from above pic) are worn out, shifting is better than before, but still have a fair bit of side to side movement. I would recommend using the Autotech short shift kit along with the rebuild kit 171 798 200 A. Pretty much everything you need to get it 100% unless the hard parts are worn out.

But if your alignment is bang on and you are having major problems, i would look at the trans shift forks.

[ColoradoDave]

is there a good step by step on how to do this. my manual isn't any help. ( i have a bentley on the way.)

[vwconejo]

Old rabbits, Pre 79 had building OBOD (orange Ball of Death) just a little FYI

[T3Bunny]

Quote, originally posted by vwconejo »

Old rabbits, Pre 79 had building OBOD (orange Ball of Death) just a little FYI

Um sorry but your wrong. Look closely at the ETKA page you posted... "bearing shell"

They actually have a rebuildable part. Its a multi peice metal bushing deal. If I felt like cleaning mine and dissasembling it I could take pictures... Since I had the newer parts around, I used them and set the old rebuildable deal aside.

As for replacing the newer style one? The easy method is some dishsoap or simple green. Simply push it ot cut it out. The new one can be worked in the same way (just don't cut it lol). Or you could drill out the rivets and rerivit it. but thats a waste of time and parts when dishsoap will get the old one out and new one in.

[T3Bunny]

BTW its called the "bushing of death" because you can replace EVERY OTHER part without futzing up the alignment. But once you replace that your alignment is HOSED.

I am glad somebody posted this up. Wacky Wabbit Racer whee are you? I want to know the secret voodoo trick to this too. Last time I did it I spent 3 hrs or so adjusting it easily.

And my damn cars not hitting first right now.... Fully new setup though so no suprise there.

[kmush17]

some more thread hijacking goin on here...but anyone have the shift linkage rebuild diagram for a 5 speed tranny?

[VWCaddy]

I have some information related to that on the pages below:
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel...ction
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel...FAQ10
- http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel...blems

And of course the Bentley repair manual has a good section on this task.

[T3Bunny]

Quote, originally posted by kmush17 »

some more thread hijacking goin on here...but anyone have the shift linkage rebuild diagram for a 5 speed tranny?

Follow the links posted! Theres TONS AND TONS of infortmation already in this thread if you do. I actually sorted out my shifter issues, or figured them out anyways, because of these links.

GOOD GOOD INFORMATION HERE GUYS! I think this thread might need a sticky status!

So I did a 4 speed to 5 speed swap. Everywhere they tell you to change out the linkages and relay lever. But nobody mentions that the actual shifter boxes are DIFFERANT! One of the links here mentioned this much to my suprise. I threw out my "5 speed" box when I was cleaning up thinking I had what I needed. Shifter in the 4 speed was in better shape.