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KTPhil 
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Joined: April 06, 2006
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Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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 Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 10:47 pm Post subject: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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Shifting got sloppy, sometimes even grinding reverse when shifting to second. Then the rattle started and I recognized it as a broken plastic shift rod bushing. It has been 10 years or more since I replaced it last, so no biggie. PITA and really messy, but not a bad 2 hour job if you've done it before.
I replaced it, and shifting was a joy again.
Alas, a week later it got sloppy again, and I had to replace it again, after checking the plate, shifter adjustment, and wondering what the heck else could cause this. I took it out and found the bushing in three pieces.
I believe the cause was the anti-rattle ring being too tight. This time I fitted the bushing and ring on the rod while it was still outside the car, just to see how it fit. It was VERY tight.
Perhaps the replacement bushing is a little too thick, causing it to be pinched too hard by the ring.
So this time I opened up the ring a bit (maybe 3/16 circumference), until it fit with no play, but did not bind. Then I pulled it apart, greased it up, installed it in the hanger, and assembled the works.
Hopefully this one will last longer!
So do as I did the second time, you should test fit the bushing and ring BEFORE assembly, and adjust until you are happy with the tension.
Last edited by KTPhil on Mon Sep 05, 2016 12:08 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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raygreenwood
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Location: Oklahoma City
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 7:18 am Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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Also...did you save the cracked bushing?.....if memory serves.....the material should UHMW polyethylene.
Even if they are a bit tight at the pinch point......they should not crack easily. Take a picture if you can. Ray |
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KTPhil
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Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 12:12 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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I'll retrieve the pieces and post a picture later today.
But it wasn't a crack, really; it was that since it had a death grip on the rod, it worked against the hanger and broke through the groove, I think. Then it got torn up by shifting action.
Loosening up the ring made it still grip, not not so tightly that it stressed against the hanger hole.
I will say that being able to remove the hanger plate made it easy to test fit the bushing in the hanger, and make sure it was properly seated. Good choice by VW! I imagine they didn't make the change for this purpose, but to allow the same frame to work for sticks and autos; with just a plate swap. I wonder... did this feature start in '69(?) with the auto models? |
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KTPhil
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Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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| Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 4:27 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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Here you see where it likely started, in the lower groove that snaps into the hanger. Since the ring gripped it onto the rod so tightly, it tore its way out of the hanger. The gap seen at the left is the normal split in the bushing so it can expand.
Once loose, the rest tore apart. Here you can see the extent of the destruction:
Note the "ring" in these photos is not the ring that was installed onto it; I reused that one after loosening it up a bit. This is just a short piece of wire to hold it together for the photos. |
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Nate M.
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 10:45 am Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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| KTPhil wrote: |
Here you see where it likely started, in the lower groove that snaps into the hanger. Since the ring gripped it onto the rod so tightly, it tore its way out of the hanger. The gap seen at the left is the normal split in the bushing so it can expand.
Once loose, the rest tore apart. Here you can see the extent of the destruction:
Note the "ring" in these photos is not the ring that was installed onto it; I reused that one after loosening it up a bit. This is just a short piece of wire to hold it together for the photos. |
It looks to me as if part of the bushing moved out of the hanger. It appears on the upper photo that it was in the groove on the right half but the rod appears to have dis-lodged it on the left side (kind of like when you button a shirt one button off). You can see the witness marks left by the hanger above the groove. . .
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Last edited by Nate M. on Tue Sep 06, 2016 10:24 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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raygreenwood
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Location: Oklahoma City
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 10:53 am Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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Looks to me like defective plastic.
The bushing should not have just "torn apart" when you pulled it out. Its brittle. Yes....the ring started the problem or fissure....but that plastic sshould be far tougher than that.
Since my 412 uses the same bushing...but its even harder to get to....its just one more part I will be making myself of known materials....  Ray |
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Tram
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 11:31 am Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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| raygreenwood wrote: |
Looks to me like defective plastic.
The bushing should not have just "torn apart" when you pulled it out. Its brittle. Yes....the ring started the problem or fissure....but that plastic sshould be far tougher than that.
Since my 412 uses the same bushing...but its even harder to get to....its just one more part I will be making myself of known materials.... Ray |
I'm with you on this one Ray- that plastic is just too damn soft. It should have broken, not torn.
Good grief, I hope we haven't got yet another simple yet essential part that the aftermarket manufacturers have gone all stupid on again.  I've never seen a bushing do that in 40 years of this gig.
Phil, keep us posted on how Replacement #2 holds up... just shaking my head here.
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raygreenwood
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:18 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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| Tram wrote: |
| raygreenwood wrote: |
Looks to me like defective plastic.
The bushing should not have just "torn apart" when you pulled it out. Its brittle. Yes....the ring started the problem or fissure....but that plastic sshould be far tougher than that.
Since my 412 uses the same bushing...but its even harder to get to....its just one more part I will be making myself of known materials.... Ray |
I'm with you on this one Ray- that plastic is just too damn soft. It should have broken, not torn.
Good grief, I hope we haven't got yet another simple yet essential part that the aftermarket manufacturers have gone all stupid on again. I've never seen a bushing do that in 40 years of this gig.
Phil, keep us posted on how Replacement #2 holds up... just shaking my head here. |
Yes...some of the really old bushings....were a nylon. You know....with age they got brittle....turned yellowish partly from grease and partly because nylon 6 yellows with age... and some just crumbled apart.....but usually after a long period.
From the 80s onward....most of the bushings I have bought were bright white plastic that is nearly translucent on the thinner edges. Obviously either polyethylene or polypropylene.....and in most cases they were probably UHMW (ultra high molecular weight) polyethylene....which is tough as nails and made specifically for anti-friction wear properties.
Back in the 90s I remember removing one that had fallen halfway forward in the hole....and pulled on it with needle nosed vise grips until I pulled it from the hole. On thin edges it stretched or strung the plastic out a bit....but nothing broke away.
This means it was probably HDPE or similar (high density PE).....there are actually about 12 different variations and classifications of PE. UHMW.....would have eventually snapped or broken of sharply because it can do that.....but I would not have had the strength or grip with the vise grips to make it do that. Its that tough.
If that bushing were made out of LDPE (low density PE).....think milk jug material, or poorly formulated or poorly molded......it could break like that.
I could probably just get a rod of UHMW PE.....you can buy it cored......sand the ID to fit, sand a bevel onto it and grind a notch in it ...install a hose spring instead of that crimp ring....and make a bushing that lasts forever. Ray |
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Erik G
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raygreenwood
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| Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 11:08 am Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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Fantastic idea...the right sentiment and engineering...but in my opinion...the wrong material. Oil-lite bronze "can" actually wear fairly fast. It it treallly were a lifetime bushing...I would pay the $39.95....but there is no way it can be and there is no way they tested it to be listed as such.
Bearing in mind...in order to lubricate, bronze needs to wear to expose the oil that has been impregnated into it when cast. Thats where the black oily dust comes from on old bronze bushings.
Alternately....without actual surface wear...it will require heat to expand and outgas oils....something you don't get in a shift rod bushing.
Lastly, the location on these bushings is neither bone dry or squeaky clean on most cars. I know in mine there is a drain right underneath the shift bushing in the tunnel.
The bronze bushing will have to be lubed just like a plastic bushing...will attract dust and moisture just like a plastic bushing.
The fact of the matter is that advanced nylons and UHMW...were actually DESIGNED to replace oil-lite bronze and other classic bushing materials in low low Pv/ low speed, low load, tight tolerance applications just like this...and are vastly superior in that work.
The friction and drag on a polypropylene or UHMW bushing ...with the same tolerances as bronze....are about 50% less.
If I were going to use something mildly exotic.....to swear something was "lifetime"I would use "Synsteel" UHMW polyethylene. It is steel impregnated, cast UHMW polyethylene. It is magnetic and has coefficient of friction very close to UHMW...but is 2X as dense .
https://www.redwoodplastics.com/products/uhmw-polyethylene/redco-synsteel/
Some quick reading on UHMW plastics. These are what the bushing should be made of. Made of teh right material you should get 15-20 years from one. Usually the only thing that really kills it is degradation from ingredients in the grease over time.
https://www.redwoodplastics.com/products/uhmw-polyethylene/
Ray |
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Tram
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| Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 12:00 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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Ray- what about PVC? I was suspicious of the oil impregnated brass being "permanent" also because I have seen it wear quite fast.
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raygreenwood
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| Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 12:16 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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| Tram wrote: |
| Ray- what about PVC? I was suspicious of the oil impregnated brass being "permanent" also because I have seen it wear quite fast. |
No....PVC is VERY bad for this. It shrinks with age, is very brittle, does not tolerate oils and greases and is not a low friction high density plastic.
PVC is awesome plastic for what its uses are. It injection molds with very high accuracy. It is very hard and rigid. You can get higher temperature versions of it like PVDC and more flexible versions of it like ABS.....but ts just the wrong family of plastic for use in friction reduction bushings snd surfaces.
I was looking around yesterday. ....I can buy 1 foot of UHMW thick wall tube from Mcmaster carr for about $8.
I cannot remember what the diameter of the shiftrod snout is......but for instance they have 3/4" ID tube with a 1.25" OD. The bushing shape is not that complicated.
You can get it in many sizes.....but just a for instance.....if the shift rid is 3/4" or 19mm and the hole the bushing snaps in is 1"
I can mount the tube in a drill press and reduce the OD....on say...the section that snaps through the hole....to about 1"1/8". Easiest way to do this with UHMW.....is with a crosscut roughing file at about 900 rpm. Bevel it nicely.
Then where the metal bulkhead or pannel is....use the edge of a thin flat bastard file snd neddle files to make the slot the exact thickness to fit the metal.
I would leave the outer flange facing the shift rod.....the full 1.25" diameter and about 3/16"- 1/4" thick. Then simply cut the slots or split....only on the beveled end that needs to be on the back side of the metal panel.
Then sand or rheam the ID ro exact tight tolerance of the shift rod snout.
So the the support or bushing is the outside face that faces the shift rod. The rest is jsut install and keeping it tight in the body. Ray |
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KTPhil
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Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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| Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 10:35 am Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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So far so good. Knock on wood (or as my French co-worker says they say there, "touch wood."  ).
I've driven it about half a dozen runs and it's still smooth as silk. What a pleasure to be able to downshift into second without cringing for the crunch! Makes the car so much more drivable.
Fingers crossed! (I don't want to know the French phrase for that one). |
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KTPhil
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| Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:25 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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Update for those asking if the fix lasted this time.
All working well after another week or two. Easy shifting, no slop, no dragging.
So I guess the tight ring was the issue. Again, check the fit of your new bushing on the rod before installing them in the car, loosening the ring accordingly. Good luck! |
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KTPhil
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| Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 2:27 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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Update:
Three months and it's still shifting beautifully. Temps have gone from 100 to low 40s in the morning, and it's all good!
So test fit that ring when you replace yours!
One year update:
Working fine, same as new.
Last edited by KTPhil on Wed Aug 30, 2017 8:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Multi69s
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glutenfree
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 10:51 am Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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| Multi69s wrote: |
| I love UHMW. Back when I used to restore old dirt bikes, I used it for chain rollers and guides, as well as swing arm wear pads. It wears great, is easy to work with and turns great on the lathe. |
Turns like butter!
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DougB
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 7:12 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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I designed and 3D printed one from PLA for the front bushing on my bus (in a glue-able 2-part design so it can be installed without removing the shift rod). Does anyone know the outer diameter of the T3 shift rod where it passes through the bushing?
- Doug
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raygreenwood
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 7:47 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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| DougB wrote: |
I designed and 3D printed one from PLA for the front bushing on my bus (in a glue-able 2-part design so it can be installed without removing the shift rod). Does anyone know the outer diameter of the T3 shift rod where it passes through the bushing?
- Doug |
PLA plastic....polylactone.....is a totally unacceptable plastic for this type of parts. Brittle, very low tensile strength, has moisture absorbancy issues....very intolerant of oil and grease exposure. Very poor friction coefficent. Low impact.
While its an interesting excercise......its far from useful for this part. Bare minimum would be a high density polyethylene...HDPE....with nylon in the middle best and UHMW polyethylene the best.
Ideal would be polyamide-imide (Torlon or PEEK)....but that would be an $80 part. Ray |
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DougB
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| Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 7:57 pm Post subject: Re: Replaced my shift rod bushing for the second time in two weeks |
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And yet it's working quite well. I designed it thicker than necessary for extra rigidity. And even with the shortcomings it's hand-over-fist stronger than the near-rubber bushing that came in my bushing kit and wore out after a year.
- Doug
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