gear linkage adjustment

[mattkh 0]

At present I have no reverse and acidently parked in a space today to grab something from the shop and had to get help from locals to push me back!

Hi

Next time open the bonnet, push the tower down/up(cannot remember), then slide the lever to get into reverse, jump into the car, press the clutch down, start the car and away you go.

[slammedmk3 0]

hmmm

[fullpint 0]

Now....this is the critical part.....you need to make sure the gear stick travel is the same in both directions (left and right) and then retighten the nut.

In other words, the 'day light' gap between the moving parts should be equal at the limit of the stick's travel - on both sides. It's difficult to explain and I can't take pics (yet) as my car is at Stealth.

You should see what I mean when you start playing with it.

 

On David's picture above, parts 7, 8, 13 and 17 are the fellas I'm on about.

 

5) When you're happy the left and right planes are equal in travel, retighten the 13mm nut on the gearbox.

 

Job done. Take out and road test.

Just what I was looking for..My 5th gear can be a little hard to engage, not all the time but hopefully this little adjustment will sort it..Cheers :clap:

[drewiee99 0]

ok what i want to know is why they changed the shift mechanism on the later cars and added a host of other parts. They put the cables ontop of each other the shift relays and throw lever were changed and a carrier added. My g60 is nice and smooth and shifts better without the weight on. All i want to do is shorten the throw now.

[poll250 0]

Hey,

 

Does this look wrong to anyone?

 

 

The gearstick has a lot of side to side and a bit of front-back movement when in gears. I guess this is down to an actual worn mechanism. Does anyone know of any way to tighten this up/fix it or does it require a complete new mech to sort out?

 

Andy

[fla 9]

check the bolts on the selector tower, plus see if there is any play in the plastic trim to which the upper cable bolts. This has an alignment portion that should fit into the body of th tower. If this is broken, you'll get a LOT of slack. I think the plastic part is still available from VW.

[poll250 0]

Cheers mate, so it does look a bit off then! I'll have a delve about over the weekend I guess!

[billy_whizz 0]

OK, here's the deal people.... and I'm going to stick it.

 

Backward and forward travel

 

This is adjusted on the gearbox selector. There are two cables. An upper and a lower. The lower one is fixed and the upper one is adjustable. 13mm spanner.

 

Left and right travel

 

This is adjusted at the gearstick end under the gaiter.

 

The object of the adjustment is to get the left, right, forward and backward planes all equal in travel.

 

A common issue is when the lever has more travel to the left, which makes engaging 5th difficult, or has more travel to the right, making 1st and reverse difficult to engage. Make sense?

 

9 times out of 10, the backward and forward planes are OK, but to check, just make sure you can select all the gears to start with. If you can, it's the left / right planes that need adjusting.

 

So....

 

1) Pop the shift into neutral and slacken the aforementioned 13mm nut on the top cable on the gearbox.

 

2) Lift up the gaiter and look at the sprung mechanism in front of the OBD port. Flick the stick left to right to see it in action. It has a 13mm nut on it and stiff spring, it's pretty easy to spot tbh.

 

3) Hold the stick firmly and slacken the nut.

 

4) Now....this is the critical part.....you need to make sure the gear stick travel is the same in both directions (left and right) and then retighten the nut.

In other words, the 'day light' gap between the moving parts should be equal at the limit of the stick's travel - on both sides. It's difficult to explain and I can't take pics (yet) as my car is at Stealth.

You should see what I mean when you start playing with it.

 

On David's picture above, parts 7, 8, 13 and 17 are the fellas I'm on about.

 

5) When you're happy the left and right planes are equal in travel, retighten the 13mm nut on the gearbox.

 

Job done. Take out and road test.

 

If it's still bad, check the shift lever isn't missing it's hinge circlip.

 

this just helped me cheers the lever needed moving a touch to the right in ours now its possible to change into second quick and smooth like it should be :clap:

[pilky1234 0]

hey guys not impressed at all as i have just been towed home :( i had the exact same problem as a few of you on here my first second and reverse were a bugger but i got used to having to push down and right accross for first and it didnt bother me before but now i think its properly foobared as i can select all gears just the same but when im putting the revs on nothing its revving and idling fine but no matter what gear im in it wont engage and theres none of the power getting to the wheels also when i put my clutch in it makes a kind of whirring noise any advice?? sorry for the long winded terrible explanation. jus seems like a knew problem every week :confused4: if the gearbox has gone il have spent more on repairs than the actual car itself any help at all wud be much appreciated

[gonzo 0]

i have a lot of play on gear cable on end of gear-stick is this normal?. if not how can i fix it ?

[Ed'Rado 0]

I tried the above and it helped a little. Still had issue's, felt like it was stiff to move. Spoke to a mate at VW and he said possibly the cables were old and worn. So before replacing I decided to disconnect and feel how free they were.

 

All OK, but I did notice that the mechanism on top of the gearbox where the cables connect to was stiff.

 

So I stripped the right hand cable (as you look at the mechanism from the front of the car, remember to mark for rebuilding later) there is a 13mm nut on top to hold the weight, then another 13mm bolt/stud arrangment (beware there is a 14mm square nut underneath that sits in a channel so it can be loosened without use of a spanner, but to remove it I used a 14mm open ender. Once I removed it I cleaned the old grease from inside the the end of the cable and also from the 13mm bolt/stud arrangment where the cable connects.

 

Next I loosened a 10mm lock nut (RHS) and 15mm bolt (LHS) that is located at the back of the mech horizontally fitted, it is part of the first cable linkage, remove this cable by pulling out the split pin. The movement up and down of this part should be free and spring back into a central location, mine did not do this. However, after loosening it and tapping the 10mm nut to the left with a hammer and chisel (because it is hard to get to!) it sprung back into the central position and did this every time I moved it. I think someone may have overtightened this nut and bolt in the past causing it clamp itself?

 

Now the car just glides into gear, I am very pleased with how it works.

 

Hope it helps Ed.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Ed'Rado

[ATXrado 10]

I have no way of selecting 1st, Reverse, or 5th. To top

It all if I don't hold the clutch all the way in with squeals in a rhythmic pattern! This is the last thing I have to fix before I can start doing hot laps and adjusting my mix. So close I can taste it!!!! We actually I'm running really rich so I can already taste it. Help!!!!!! So few Rados in the states and even fewer that have been bored port polished canned valved etc but left naturally aspirated.

[rjhucka 10]

The plastic linkage connector that had a 13 mm blot that connected to some forks has broken. I tried to cold weld the part but no success. After we tried the shift before the cold weld broke. the car appeared to be in first ans surged forward. The cluth was engaed and now there is no clutch. I do not think that the clutch calbe broke it just feels like it may have come unhooked? This has resulted in no R, 1st, and no 2nd. Only 3rd and 4th remains.

 

I think of the two linkages that this is the top. I have located a replacement part at a pick'n'pull. I know this is vague but any diagrams or any installation or adjusment advice? Any help would be very much appreciated.

[Mike Edwards 0]

Other things to check:

What state is the gearbox mount in? If it's worn, it messes up the adjustment of the selector cables and will eventually bend the selector mechanism in the gearbox.

Is your gear lever vertical when in neutral? It should be if everything is present and correct. If the only way to get a working gearshift is by having it leant over, something is out of adjustment.

[JohnnyCorrado 10]

Gentlemen, I found this thread in pure desperation. I'm having issues with my shifter linkage. It ocurred after I pulled out my engine for a rebuild. I'm able to find all gears, but 1st and 2nd gear are on the "wrong side" of the reverse lockout. This means that I have to push the shifter down and left to find 1st and 2nd. 3rd and 4th is where 1st and 2nd is supposed to be. I've spent hours trying to adjust both inside the car and under the hood without luck. I'm concidering to pull out the shifter tower, clean it, inspect the parts and lubricate before I put it back with my fingers crossed. No C-clips are missing, and the linkage wires were replaced some years ago. If I don't have any luck with the shifter tower, the next step will be to get the car on jack stands and pull down the shifter stick assembly and clean/inspect it. Any suggestions or clues?

Edited July 26, 2012 by JohnnyCorrado

[VAG-hag 0]

OK, here's the deal people.... and I'm going to stick it.

 

Backward and forward travel

 

This is adjusted on the gearbox selector. There are two cables. An upper and a lower. The lower one is fixed and the upper one is adjustable. 13mm spanner.

 

Left and right travel

 

This is adjusted at the gearstick end under the gaiter.

 

The object of the adjustment is to get the left, right, forward and backward planes all equal in travel.

 

A common issue is when the lever has more travel to the left, which makes engaging 5th difficult, or has more travel to the right, making 1st and reverse difficult to engage. Make sense?

 

9 times out of 10, the backward and forward planes are OK, but to check, just make sure you can select all the gears to start with. If you can, it's the left / right planes that need adjusting.

 

So....

 

1) Pop the shift into neutral and slacken the aforementioned 13mm nut on the top cable on the gearbox.

 

2) Lift up the gaiter and look at the sprung mechanism in front of the OBD port. Flick the stick left to right to see it in action. It has a 13mm nut on it and stiff spring, it's pretty easy to spot tbh.

 

3) Hold the stick firmly and slacken the nut.

 

4) Now....this is the critical part.....you need to make sure the gear stick travel is the same in both directions (left and right) and then retighten the nut.

In other words, the 'day light' gap between the moving parts should be equal at the limit of the stick's travel - on both sides. It's difficult to explain and I can't take pics (yet) as my car is at Stealth.

You should see what I mean when you start playing with it.

 

On David's picture above, parts 7, 8, 13 and 17 are the fellas I'm on about.

 

5) When you're happy the left and right planes are equal in travel, retighten the 13mm nut on the gearbox.

 

Job done. Take out and road test.

 

If it's still bad, check the shift lever isn't missing it's hinge circlip.

 

Awesome post!!! Thank you kev.

[KARMANN 0]

Done this yesterday. 1st and reverse were reluctant to work. It took a bit of adjustment inside the car and at the gearbox end, but now all the gears are perfect. Thank you.

 

Fraser

[Milar1982 10]

I will be trying this!

[slider 10]

OK, here's the deal people.... and I'm going to stick it.

 

Backward and forward travel

 

This is adjusted on the gearbox selector. There are two cables. An upper and a lower. The lower one is fixed and the upper one is adjustable. 13mm spanner.

 

Left and right travel

 

This is adjusted at the gearstick end under the gaiter.

 

The object of the adjustment is to get the left, right, forward and backward planes all equal in travel.

 

A common issue is when the lever has more travel to the left, which makes engaging 5th difficult, or has more travel to the right, making 1st and reverse difficult to engage. Make sense?

 

9 times out of 10, the backward and forward planes are OK, but to check, just make sure you can select all the gears to start with. If you can, it's the left / right planes that need adjusting.

 

So....

 

1) Pop the shift into neutral and slacken the aforementioned 13mm nut on the top cable on the gearbox.

 

2) Lift up the gaiter and look at the sprung mechanism in front of the OBD port. Flick the stick left to right to see it in action. It has a 13mm nut on it and stiff spring, it's pretty easy to spot tbh.

 

3) Hold the stick firmly and slacken the nut.

 

4) Now....this is the critical part.....you need to make sure the gear stick travel is the same in both directions (left and right) and then retighten the nut.

In other words, the 'day light' gap between the moving parts should be equal at the limit of the stick's travel - on both sides. It's difficult to explain and I can't take pics (yet) as my car is at Stealth.

You should see what I mean when you start playing with it.

 

On David's picture above, parts 7, 8, 13 and 17 are the fellas I'm on about.

 

5) When you're happy the left and right planes are equal in travel, retighten the 13mm nut on the gearbox.

 

Job done. Take out and road test.

 

If it's still bad, check the shift lever isn't missing it's hinge circlip.

 

 

great guide, mines an ass to find 1st and reverse so will be trying this tomorrow if it stops raining

[delfinis38 1]

great guide, mines an ass to find 1st and reverse so will be trying this tomorrow if it stops raining

 

Change the oil in the gearbox as well... it may well of been in there 20 years.

[slider 10]

Change the oil in the gearbox as well... it may well of been in there 20 years.

 

highly likely, might chuck some moly slip in as well

[slider 10]

another happy customer here

 

cheers guys,

 

 

only issue now is it crunches going into 5th if i go too far to the right

 

weird this car

[carrots 1]

hi been reading this do I still need to undo the bolt on the gearbox to adjust the side to side on gear lever.cheers

[fla 9]

I'm struggling with getting first and reverse, plus 5th is also a bit crunchy. At present, reverse is 1st and first goes into third. I've adjusted the top cable and its almost all the way back towards the bulkhead, could go back a few mm more.  What does the lower cable adjust? This has the sliding captive nut and can move a good 10mm.

Thanks

[1xshaunx1 27]

20 hours ago, fla said:

I'm struggling with getting first and reverse, plus 5th is also a bit crunchy. At present, reverse is 1st and first goes into third. I've adjusted the top cable and its almost all the way back towards the bulkhead, could go back a few mm more.  What does the lower cable adjust? This has the sliding captive nut and can move a good 10mm.

Thanks

One does side to side the other forward and back. Sounds like your side to side one needs setting. It’s just a case of experimenting with a massive adjustment to find which is which then altering till it’s ok. There is also adjustment on the gear stick end but I haven’t had to play with that yet thankfully so can’t point thou in any direction there, sorry.