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Fri Jul 08, 2005 8:55 am

hi guys. i am wondering if my shifter coupling was worn. wat would be the symtoms? in my case i was problems shifting into 1st gear after reversing. i have replaced the coupling bushings... prior to that it would reverse whenever i wanted to shift into 2nd to take off. now it seems to have recured! do you think i should change the shifter coupler? how much is it? how hard it it to fit? do u think i should tack weld the old one? would that do the trick? regards and thanks, dev

Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:58 am

Haridev wrote: hi guys. i am wondering if my shifter coupling was worn. wat would be the symtoms? in my case i was problems shifting into 1st gear after reversing. i have replaced the coupling bushings... prior to that it would reverse whenever i wanted to shift into 2nd to take off. now it seems to have recured! do you think i should change the shifter coupler? how much is it? how hard it it to fit? do u think i should tack weld the old one? would that do the trick? regards and thanks, dev

I think your terminology may be a bit confusing...

the shifter bushing is under the shifter in the tunnel in the "shift rod bushing hangar" and the coupler is on the rear of the shift rod and connects to the gear selector shaft (aka "hockey stick") on the transaxle under the cover on the tunnel under the rear seat.

The trouble you were having with catching reverse when shifting to second sounds like you either do not have the reverse lockout plate installed or you have it intalled incorrectly..it has to go in just one way to 'lockout' reverse.... when it is in correct you have to push down on the shifer to get it to go in reverse and you should not catch reverse at all when shifting from first to second gear.

Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:26 pm

the lock out place is fine and the problem earlier on was that i couldnt engage into 1st and when i wanted to take of in second on an emergency it would reverse instead...i checked it out and it was the coupler bushing....i replaced it and now it if fine. anyway, now that is not the problem. it seems that at times i have to fiddle a lil left and right to get it into 1st. at other times it falls smoothly. i feel that the coupler is the problem looking at the past postings. regards, dev

Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:16 am

You did not state if you replaced the shift rod bushing inside the tunnel, under the shifter. That is a nylon piece, which greatly controls the side to side movement of the shift rod. I have found that when that bushing is broken or most of the time---missing---due to age causing it to crack and break---the shifter will go into reverse, when you try to shift into second. This is more noticeable when downshifting, as you pull the shifter over from third to second. The plate can be correct , under the shifter, but the trans, will still engage reverse, due to the excessive play , caused by the missing shifter bushing. So, if you have not, replace the shift rod bushing.

With a new bushing and new coupler and the shifter base plate installed correctly, and the shifter located correctly on the floor, with no carpet under it, everything should work good.

---George4888

Sat Jul 09, 2005 3:29 am

The problem could be at the back with the coupler. I had a similar problem shifting where I couldn't find the gate for 1-2 after stopping for a traffic light. It took a lot of side to side wiggling to get it to line up.

The shift coupler at the rear is a sheet metal cage with a machined bushing pressed into the cage. This pressfit comes loose over time and affects the rotation of the shift coupler. If this bushing is loose in your cage, it will cause exactly what you are experiencing. Take the coupler out, orient the set screw hole perfectly square to the cage and weld it.

You should be able to easily determine if this is the problem by watching the bushing at the rear of the cage while you wiggle the shifter from side to side.

Sat Jul 09, 2005 9:42 am

yes the shift rod bushing has been replaced. the coupler bushings have been replaced. all those done about a month back. but the coupler itself has not! i tried to look at the coupler to see if it has any form of play but i couldnt see it. i hv been told that sometimes the play isnt visable enough for me to notice it. anyway how much is it.... my fren has a new coupler going for $12.00. i think it is rather fair. how is it fitted? should i weld it? thanks bruce and guys, regards, dev

Sat Jul 09, 2005 10:13 am

No no, no welding. There are screws and bolts that hold the coupler on. The bolt should come with the new coupler and you reuse the screw that holds the coupler to the trans.

Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:04 pm

Cobey, you need to re-read my post. Every coupler should be welded before it goes in. If you intend to drive the car tens or hundreds of thousands of miles and don't want this to happen, weld it.

Sun Jul 10, 2005 2:27 am

Simply stated, the reason for welding may be that many of the new couplers are crimped together, on the part which fits over the hockey stick end, which sticks out of the transmission. They will work fine, as is, but the better idea, is to remove all the rubber or urethane parts, then weld around that part of the coupler, where it was only crimped on, at the manufacturer. I had an experience with a bus, not shifting right, and found the coupler parts had moved or loosened so much that one could not find any of the gears. So, we pulled it out, welded the end, which goes on the hockey stick, and that fixed everything. Since, we have a mig welder, it cost almost nothing to fix. So, weliding a new one is a good idea.
The cage, which holds the rubber in place, is usually spot welded and I have not seen any of those areas go bad. ----George4888

Sun Jul 10, 2005 6:06 am

"weld around that part of the coupler, where it was only crimped on, at the manufacturer."

i agree with you on this fact. thing is that i have replaced all the urethane bushings. the only thing is that the coupler is old. do you think that there is a need to replace the coupler or should i just MIG the old coupler and seetle things for good? thanks for the infomation. regards, dev

Mon Jul 11, 2005 2:39 am

The old ones usually fit better than the new ones. That is my thought. I would just put in the new urethane parts, and mig weld the area mentioned, if you think it needs it. In applications where the trans. and engine are all stock, it may not be needed, that is, the welding. But, for racing or modified transmissions and engines, with more power then the welding is a good idea. ----George4888

Most of the time, I buy a new coupler and only use the rubber parts, not the entire coupler, as I perfer the old original gage. Sometimes, they drill and tap the drilled hole for the set screw, in the wrong place. Then, you cannot get it to line up correctly or the inside diameter of that area, where it goes over the shift rod, sticking out of the trans. is too small and will not fit. Leave it up to the aftermarket and they can mess up anything. They usually get the set screw correct. On new ones, do a trial fit and try to push the part onto the shift rod, before you attach it to the long shift rod tube. They should fit, without using a hammar. Seriouly, they should. The original ones slide on pretty easy.

Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:15 am

IMO, modified or stock trans or engine, it makes no difference. They will all come loose eventually. You might shift harder with a big hp engine, but you will shift way more often if you have a stock engine and daily drive it.

When the coupler is in your hand, it is a 2 min job to weld it. If you don't have a welder, a 6 pack to your buddy will be plenty.

Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:50 am

thanx guys. well my trans and engine is stock. my trans is the 72 model transmission, with the squarish mountings. well, as bruce sez, i have to shift far more often on the original banger. so bruce, do u think i should get a new coupler or should i just work on the old coupler and weld it in? another thing bruce, i cant actually see the coupler move out of alignment when i shift. besides, its not all the time that i cant shift propelly. someone else has told me that it sometimes, it can seem to move in proper order but once it has been replaced all the problems would go away. do u think that it is possible not not see the coupler actually move out of alignment and yet it could be faulty? regards, dev

Mon Jul 11, 2005 2:25 pm

The movement is very slight. It is fairly difficult to see since you have to judge how much the bushing is moving relative to the cage while the cage is moving. Even if this is not your problem, take it out and weld it. Then that source is out of the question.
A new coupler could be made in China or Tiawan. Weld your original German one.

Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:13 am

ok i think i get the picture now bruce...thanks a lot.. one more, where exactly do i have to weld it? do i have to use MIG or can i use OXY welding? to u mean that i have to went the coupler it self the the small both that goes through the bushing too? i have to weld the coupler to the shift rod shaft right? would it cause harm to the bushing? i find that when i move the shifter the bolt that goes through the bushing in the coupler moves a lil front and back...no the rubber is still new and it is not broken. regards and thanks, dev

Tue Jul 12, 2005 12:40 pm

Haridev wrote: to u mean that i have to went the coupler it self the the small both that goes through the bushing too?
??????

Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:12 pm

Bruce wrote: Haridev wrote: to u mean that i have to went the coupler it self the the small both that goes through the bushing too?
??????

went = weld

both = bolt

He's asking if the bolt needs to be welded... I think it doesn't need to be. And he's misunderstanding that a crimped fit connection in a spot that is frequently moved with a certain amount of force is a bad idea.

Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:26 am

yeah....sorry for the typing errors...thanks for correcting it. anyway, i am new to the beetle world...i am as newbie as it comes. thanks a lot.