MK4/Polo Shifter

[dan 0]

Well I've been trying to get myself a 5speed mk4 selector tower for the past few weeks and it is proving to be the most difficult part of the job so far. Some breakers don't keep cars of that age and those that do have the part don't want to separate the selector from the box!

 

There's none on eBay so today I thought I'd bite the bullet and call the VW Dealer. I explained to the guy in 'parts' what I'm trying to do but, he can't help me unless I have either an actual part number or the VIN of a car that has the O2J gearbox.

 

So I was wondering if anyone on here can help? Cheers

Edited October 6, 2017 by dan

[Dox 23]

There's loads of MK4 / Seat / Skoda bits being sold on Facebook in various groups

[VEEDUBBED 0]

I've seen complete 02j gearbox's on ebay go for £50..

Just make sure the shifter is indeed the version you need, VW back in '00/'01 bolloxed around with both types of tower, both fitted to the 02j boxes.

And remember also that you will need the bottom piece that bolts to the bottom of the 'box, the aluminum end bit with 'VW' stamped on it. The two bits are totally different between shafts.

[dan 0]

Okay thanks for the replies, so there are just two types of tower that were fitted to the O2J boxes and only one of these will fit our O2A box?

 

Can anyone give me a part number or some characteristic that can help me get the right one?

 

If anyone has this modification done to their Corrado could they check the part number please!

 

When I get this sorted I'm going to do a detailed write-up for dummies. Lol

[stuarttaylor37 13]

Does this help?

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3344454-02J-Shift-Box-Cables-and-Shift-Tower-retrofit-into-onto-an-02A-lots-of-pics

[dan 0]

Yeah that was the post that made my mind up to go for it! He refers to the housing as a shifter tower... I think that is where I got mixed up a bit.

 

From his pictures of the O2J selector in the Corrado O2A box I can only see the part number of the shift weight.

 

He also says that the selector shaft receiver on the VR6 should be the correct size to hold the O2J selector shaft. So I'll have to wait and see. Though I'll be trying to get the matching one when I get the O2J one.

Edited October 8, 2017 by dan

[dan 0]

Well I eventually got myself a selector tower. Spent a good few hours today taking out the old stuff and fitting the new mk4 and polo stuff. Put back all the heat shields and exhaust etc. Feeling a bit excited at this stage!

 

Followed the dieselgeek procedure to set the cables and took the car out for a test drive. F*&?ing won't go into the 1st, 3rd and 5th gears properly! F✓®(%r!

 

I did read somewhere that this could be a problem but others said that theirs worked fine but, guess what? Mine is a problem. It will just about go into gears 1, 3 and 5 but doesn't sink into gear properly.

 

So looks like I'm going to have to take off the exhaust, heatshields to get to the polo tower box again. Iirc the box can be modified to rectify this issue.

 

So my question is... Can anyone elaborate on what modifications I need to do to get this sorted?

 

Thanks guys in advance!

[swiftkid 1]

You shouldn't need to do any modifications, you should just be able to adjust the cables from the gearbox end as ends are adjustable. Mine certainly needed adjustment.

 

Question though, when you installed your shifter did the cables rest against the top of the tunnel where they exited the shifter?

[Simeon 0]

Question though, when you installed your shifter did the cables rest against the top of the tunnel where they exited the shifter?

 

I've put the Polo housing in my 1991 Corrado G60 and my cables do touch the tunnel. Based on where the cables come out of the Polo housing I don't see how this cannot happen. I took a hammer to my tunnel to ease it away from the cables, but they are still touching.

 

I imagine the only way to fix this is to space the housing downwards slightly.

[travylaflame 10]

The parts are only from the diesel model, not all 6N Polos, so be sure it is the right one.

 

As far as I know any mk4 shifter should work in this housing. The Polo tunnel is the same as the mk2 / Corrado, so thats why it fits, as opposed to the mk4 tunnel which is very different.

 

Basically you need a mk4 shifter setup and these three parts and you can build one that fits the 'rado. I'm pretty sure this setup fits the 02M as well - afaik that has the same shift tower as the 02J, but I'm not 100%.

 

@poll250 - yes the parts are still available new. They used to be on back order in the UK, but I have shipped so many sets to the USA that now they keep them in stock at Milton Keynes and at my local TPS :D

 

Here's the original thread on Vortex that started me supplying these parts to the guys in the US: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4668026-Euro-Shifter-parts-options-for-retrieving-and-slight-rant

 

And a pic from that thread:

 

 

The Polo housing is at the bottom.

 

_

Are they sill available?

[fla 9]

Would a gear selector housing and linkage to the 02M gearbox fit?

Or one from a mk5? Been offered both

Edited January 7, 2019 by fla

[fla 9]

any idea on the mk5 shifter?

[fla 9]

Hmm, cant seem to find any mk4 shifters. I think someone mentioned earlier that a Seat leon selector would just drop in?

Would the Mk4 shifter fit the Corrado housing?

 

Any part numbers for the Mk 4 shifter, or anything else compatible?

[Dox 23]

Hmm, cant seem to find any mk4 shifters. I think someone mentioned earlier that a Seat leon selector would just drop in?

Would the Mk4 shifter fit the Corrado housing?

 

Any part numbers for the Mk 4 shifter, or anything else compatible?

 

 

I have a couple of towers and mk4 shifter assays somewhere, I even have a section of tunnel to weld in lol

[fla 9]

any part numbers you could share? Or any for sale?

[Dox 23]

I’m going to have to find them first lol

 

As far as I’m aware any 5 speed 02j tower and lever will fit using a polo Ibiza housing

Edited February 26, 2019 by Dox

[swiftkid 1]

What are you searching for Hasan? I've just been on ebay and found 100's of shifters with cables for dirt cheap. There isn't many selectors but your best bet is go searching on ebay for 'mk4 golf breaking' and email them, same with the shifter housing from a polo/lupo.

 

To be honest I thought it was any tower from any mk4, it's just the shift weight that is different but you can buy the TT shift weight for a shorter throw anyway. I might even have a spare tower as I changed from ball joint type to pin type. Also, people say you need a lupo/polo housing with mk4 internals, I just used a full lupo/polo setup as they look exactly the same.

[fla 9]

Thanks Dave. Searched for golf mk4 shifter but most were for the mk5. I guess they must be similar? Would you mind sending me a link of the shifters that arw ok? By the tower do you mean the bit that fits on the gearbox? I thought it was just the gearstick bit and the cables that were changed. Sorry for the inane questions - i can just see myself buying a load of incorrect items!

[Dox 23]

Ibiza 1.8t should bolt up straight to the tunnel

[swiftkid 1]

I don't know about MK5 stuff, I just stuck with MK4 as it was cheaper and does the job. You need to change everything from the gearstick to the gearbox.

 

This guy is selling the pin type and balljoint type, maybe ask if he's got tower to go with:

Pin Type

Ball joint Type

Just make sure whichever one you go for you get the matching tower.

 

Shift tower but don't buy that, it's beyond extortionate, you could buy a gearbox for that.

 

Like I said, best bet is search for someone breaking a mk4 golf and ask if he's got shifter and tower.

 

Thanks Dave. Searched for golf mk4 shifter but most were for the mk5. I guess they must be similar? Would you mind sending me a link of the shifters that arw ok? By the tower do you mean the bit that fits on the gearbox? I thought it was just the gearstick bit and the cables that were changed. Sorry for the inane questions - i can just see myself buying a load of incorrect items!

[fla 9]

you're a superstar! Many thanks. I'll look into the tower, in fact if a Mk4 come up in my local scrappy i'll pick one up from there.

[mondy 0]

Hi,

 

I've bought the Polo parts for this and already had what I thought was a mk4 shifter setup but it's nothing like the mk4 stuff on those ebay links and the shifter won't fit in the polo housing so not sure what it's off now! However I was wondering if anyone could confirm the shift tower I have is correct, as that was off the same car so I don't want to buy a 2nd hand shifter without tower if it turns out I need a tower as well! The tower I have is definitely off an 02J gearbox so I'm hoping the tower is correct at least.

 

Gearshifter:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/onzej597n014q30/2019-03-03%2013.16.38.jpg?dl=0

 

Tower:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/032sqzh0bnf67bw/2019-03-03%2013.14.53.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y70pxu49hzcffyu/2019-03-03%2013.28.10.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ymyakukel0br8go/2019-03-03%2013.28.44.jpg?dl=0

[swiftkid 1]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that looks like an early polo shifter which is exactly the same as the corrado one. You want the aluminium cast shifter (see pages 1 & 2), page 2 has good comparison photo's.

 

The tower looks to be the wrong type as well, was it from a very early mk4? VW stuck the aluminium shifter housing in the lupo/caddy/polo halfway through the 6n2 (I think) build which shared the same tunnel fixings as the corrado, the mk4 mounting was different. So what you need is a late tdi/sdi in whatever model it was, think 6n2 (they are not all the correct type so be careful). I don't think they fitted any to the petrol's.

[mondy 0]

Damn, I thought that was probably going to be the answer. I spent ages yesterday afternoon reading various links and came to the same conclusion, early mk4's had the wrong type of shift setup. It all came out of a mk4 golf gti but can't remember what year, must have been an early one it seems.

 

I've found this on ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/02J301107C-5-speed-manual-GEARBOX-VW-SKODA-SEAT-AUDI-PETROL-DIESEL/183645300858

 

Does that look like the correct shift tower?

[swiftkid 1]

Yes that looks like the right one but as I said to Hasan, why not email a guy breaking a car instead of buying the full gearbox which you will then need to sell on afterwards? I bet if you find someone local to you, you could get everything (apart from the polo housing) for half that.

 

Also, just make sure you get the matching shifter, I think the physical shifter and cables are the same but the ends are different. Early has ball joint type, late has pin as per your ebay link