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Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:16 pm

So as the post says I've got a gear stick shifter (stock) that likes to rattle a bit whilst driving ,not real bad but enough to become annoying sometimes. Now I've run across somewhere that this might be indicative of more problems in the tranny nose cone , but if so I'm not going to be pulling it anytime soon, at least not till i have a leak somewhere.

Here's the question, i ran across one video on youtube where a guy recommended filling bottom of gear shift assembly with wheel bearing grease to stop the sometimes annoying rattling from happening .The caveat is that this advise was for the earlier 50's / 60's type 1 bug.
Would you do this to your 72 super? That is add grease to bottom of gearshift housing?

Thanks
Kampf

Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:22 pm

Have you checked your shifter bushing in the tunnel and coupler under the back seat?

Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:24 pm

Pull your gear shift lever and check your shift rod bushing, I'll bet it is either broken or missing (in the bottom of the tunnel). This will cause the rattle you describe.
Mike

Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:27 pm

rgr will check this out , do you guys mark the gear shifter first before removing it to keep it shifting the same or dose it not matter?

Kampf

Sun Dec 21, 2014 1:12 pm

Is there any reason the it would rattle more in third instead of fourth? If I drive at two thousand rpms in third, it doesn't sound good. But in fourth at the same rpm it's not bad at all. Would the bushing still be the culprit?

Sun Dec 21, 2014 1:21 pm

When I was a dealer boy back in the '70's we had this same dilemma on new cars also. I cant recall what one item fixed this concern but one thing I recall doing was to try and put some "pre-load" onto the shift rod by attaching a strong rubber band around the rear shift coupling and securing its end. Obviously make sure your front and rear hardware are ok and no excess slop there.
Bill

Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:22 pm

The plastic bushing that supports the shifter rod is surely gone!!
Time to replace it, and I am sorry but it is an unpleasant job.

Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:29 pm

kampf66 wrote: rgr will check this out , do you guys mark the gear shifter first before removing it to keep it shifting the same or dose it not matter?

Kampf

Yes mark the location for reference.

Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:29 pm

Modok is right. Replace the white plastic bushing found at the base of the shifter. Mine made quite a racket until I changed it out because it's now metal against metal. Requires that you pull the shift rod out of the front of the car. Not all that bad a job as long as you read the posts re the process.

Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:35 pm

I agree, I did it a year ago and it wasn't as bad a task as I had thought. And what a huge difference it made! My bushing was completely gone.

Sun Dec 21, 2014 5:18 pm

Like others have mentioned, it's probably the shift-rod bushing--and possibly the coupler bushings, too.

In my 1974 Super Beetle, it was not necessary to pull the rod out the front of the car. My Super had plenty of nose room to withdraw the rod from the bushing in order to replace it. I don't know about a 1972.

If you replace the coupler bushings, make sure you don't put the urethane bushings in the coupler cage. Those bushings are so hard that they transfer transmission vibrations, despite having good tranny mounts. Get the softer OEM type bushings. I learned my lesson the hard--rattling--way. No sense replacing things when you have a rattle--with things that make the shifter, rattle--even when new.

By the way, you can fill your shift-rod cup and shift housing with grease, but after a few times of pressing down on the shifter, the grease is going to squeege up from the shift-rod cup, anyway. However, you need to re-grease these items when you're in the vicinity, so give the extra grease a try. I grease up everything that touches anything that's below my shifter boot.

Tim

Sun Dec 21, 2014 7:16 pm

If the car has been driven for long enough with the bushing missing/broken/split the hole in the hanger can start to wallow out from metal on metal movement.

When this happens a new bushing can be a loose fit and the shifter rattle will still be there, especially in 3rd gear driving up hills.

In that case the only fix is welding in a new hanger.

Tue Dec 03, 2019 8:01 pm

I used to have trouble shifting down into second. I also had a lot of noisy vibration coming from the stick shift.
I had a new shift rod bushing, coupler, tranny mounts, played with the shift plate, etc.

Turns out the shifting rod was sloppy on the bolt that came with EMPI Heavy Duty Urethane Shift Coupler. I swapped out for the original bolt assembly that expands as a lag screw is threaded in. No more slop no more sound and shifts great!

Tue Dec 03, 2019 8:33 pm

I found the last time I replaced the coupler under the rear seat that the new metal cage was a terrible fit. It was flimsy and flexed.
I pulled the nylon/urethane inserts from the new coupler and used the old cage and screw. I'd keep the OE VW cage and just replace the wear items.

I'd even go as far as the use blue Loctite on the screw so it doesn't work itself loose. Or safety wire it if you have the means.

Wed Dec 04, 2019 5:36 pm

ashman40 wrote: I found the last time I replaced the coupler under the rear seat that the new metal cage was a terrible fit. It was flimsy and flexed.
I pulled the nylon/urethane inserts from the new coupler and used the old cage and screw. I'd keep the OE VW cage and just replace the wear items.

I'd even go as far as the use blue Loctite on the screw so it doesn't work itself loose. Or safety wire it if you have the means.

Yep, X2! The new hardware is generally junk. Save old parts, re-use as much as you can!

Thu Dec 05, 2019 7:45 am

ashman40 wrote: I found the last time I replaced the coupler under the rear seat that the new metal cage was a terrible fit. It was flimsy and flexed.
I pulled the nylon/urethane inserts from the new coupler and used the old cage and screw. I'd keep the OE VW cage and just replace the wear items.

I'd even go as far as the use blue Loctite on the screw so it doesn't work itself loose. Or safety wire it if you have the means.

I did the same, but actually went to the hardware store and bought a long bolt that was pretty close to the same size as the original hardware. Nice tight fit, and no rattle. Put some loctite on it if you go this route though...the nut will work off the bolt if not.

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:19 am

Didn't see anyone link the long-running thread on shift rod bushing replacement

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=157519

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:40 am

Helirich wrote: Is there any reason the it would rattle more in third instead of fourth? If I drive at two thousand rpms in third, it doesn't sound good. But in fourth at the same rpm it's not bad at all. Would the bushing still be the culprit?

Engine torque at different RPM does weird things

Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:44 am

modok wrote: The plastic bushing that supports the shifter rod is surely gone!!
Time to replace it, and I am sorry but it is an unpleasant job.

that is why most don't get replaced when needed,