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Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:16 am

Question....

I was looking at the photos just outside of the upper tang is that a crack and it also looks like a crack also on the outside of the lower tang. Or am I seeing things or is that the way it was made?

Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:40 pm

I looked at the ball on the end of my shifter and the pin is in there SOLID.

Its a 1979 fed bus and it has some annoying slop and noise in the shifter. Any recommendations on freeing up the spring in there?

I tried a couple of things but, fear of breaking the thing always made me retreat a bit. Looking at it, it sure doesn't look like it wants to move.

Mon Aug 24, 2009 1:40 pm

Place some soft jaws in your bench vice, open the jaws enough to clear the head of the pin.

Spray the pin with penetrating oil.

Hold the shifter ball over the vice jaws with the pin head between the jaws and tap the pin end until the pin pops out of the sifter down between the vice jaws.

Be careful not to round over the pin end or it will not pass through the shifter hole. Clean and grease all the bits and reinstall.

Craig

Mon Aug 24, 2009 6:48 pm

Shifter is lubed and reassembled. Gears 1 to 4 feel good but when I press down into reverse it wants to pop back out. Which way do I adjust it? Sorry - my Bentley manual has not yet arrived.

EDIT - After messing around with several methods of adjusting the shifter the one that worked for me is the "Another Method' from this link.

http://www.vw-resource.com/plateadj.html

Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:44 pm

Should the top of the spring be coming out of the ball like in this picture? I have looked at several other images and can't tell. There does not seem like there is enough tension and this is causing my shift lever to spin.

Thanks

Sun Mar 21, 2010 2:43 pm

Looks normal for when it's out, the head of that pin has to be pushed into the ball so it'll go down into the cup, the other end of the pin sticks out the slot in the cup.
If it's spinning it's not going down far enough and getting into the slot.

Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:26 pm

So the shifter got put back in, the spring and pin are happy as they can be in their little slot. The plate is adjusted and tightened down. I head down the road and shift a few times and then the shifter is able to spin from 6 O'clock to 2 O'clock so the pin must of popped out again.

I do not understand what could happen to make it pop out, I can't create anymore tension from the top, the shift lever. That big spring can't wear out can it?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:38 pm

mandodave wrote: So the shifter got put back in, the spring and pin are happy as they can be in their little slot. The plate is adjusted and tightened down. I head down the road and shift a few times and then the shifter is able to spin from 6 O'clock to 2 O'clock so the pin must of popped out again.

I do not understand what could happen to make it pop out, I can't create anymore tension from the top, the shift lever. That big spring can't wear out can it?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

what does the inside of the front shift rod look like - the cup where the shifter ball sits? reamed out? how about the slot for the pin, straight or worn out? how about the front bushing the shift rod slides on to, is it all there? or worn out and saggy?

Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:50 pm

[quote="rustbus"

what does the inside of the front shift rod look like - the cup where the shifter ball sits? reamed out? how about the slot for the pin, straight or worn out? how about the front bushing the shift rod slides on to, is it all there? or worn out and saggy?[/quote]

The bushing is new.
The slot for the pin is straight.
When you have nothing to compare it to it is hard to determine if the cup is reamed out.

Here is a video of it shifting from under it

See anything?

Thanks again
-David

Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:22 pm

It ended up being by rear coupler was broken, replaced it and all is well. If shifts great and I can't get it the shifter to spin no matter how hard I try. Here is a video of the old coupler

Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:00 am

Where did you get your coupler? I hear most aftermarket ones are bad, having the same problem as the video above in short order. I saw Wolfsburg West has a German coupler - anyone tried it? Cost about double.

Thu Mar 25, 2010 7:15 am

I got it from a local place. It was $19, made in brazil, brand name Premium Quality. Hard to tell the quality of it - it seemed solild and much better then the broken one I had that lasted over 35 years -- if this one is bad and lasts just a third of that -- I think I am ok :)

Here is the new one in action, I still need to run a wire through the set screw.

Mon Feb 28, 2011 8:02 pm

my research has shown the correct way to place the shift plate, much needed, and also gave me apic of the shift spring...I suspect mine is way shorter than the one in the above pic #3... does anyopne know the length this spring should be?
I looked for a vendor that sold the spring alone, and have not found it..I have seen an entire shifter kit for $55 plus... not what I wanted to do

I really think somewhere in life my shift spring has broke off..has avery sharp edge

Tue Aug 02, 2011 3:04 pm

Is there any difference between the 69 and the 71 gear shifter?

Tue Aug 02, 2011 3:15 pm

foxtail1 wrote: Is there any difference between the 69 and the 71 gear shifter?

other than 2 years, no

Tue Aug 02, 2011 3:55 pm

Thanks.....

another question? I need to replace the nylon bushing that the end of the Shifter fits into. How hard it is to replace it.?

Tue Aug 02, 2011 3:56 pm

Thanks.....

another question? I need to replace the nylon bushing that the end of the Shifter fits into. How hard it is to replace it.?

Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:03 pm

foxtail1 wrote: Thanks.....

another question? I need to replace the nylon bushing that the end of the Shifter fits into. How hard it is to replace it.?

remove the shifter, crawl under the bus and remove the front part of the shift rod. real world time, 45 mins anal retentive time 1:10 (not that i would know :oops: )

Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:01 pm

foxtail1 wrote: Is there any difference between the 69 and the 71 gear shifter? As a matter of fact there is, but only in length, the floor end is the same.
As for the bushing in the front end? 2 hours+ if the front section of the shift rod is permanently siezed into the rear tube and the grub screw breaks off too, don't ask how I know but it would be easier to change while the rear coupling is out in some cases :wink:

Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:34 am

I have decided to have a shop to do it. The price is right to do both ends for 200.00.

Thank all for your help.