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rondes55 Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2008 Posts: 13 Location: Gardner, MA
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 8:04 am Post subject: Sloppy gear shift |
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I have a 78 Super Beetle Convertible. The shift lever is very sloppy. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to fix my problem?
Thank You ! |
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Michael Ambrozik Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2020 Posts: 631 Location: San Jose, CA
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 8:21 am Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Change the shift rod bushing and the coupler rubbers. |
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Paul Windisch Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2009 Posts: 2546 Location: Clinton Township, Michigan
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 2:27 pm Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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I second both of those suggestions. I will also add, spend a few extra dollars for a quality shift coupler. I had a really chintzy stamped piece of garbage at one time, when I didn't know better, and the cage ended up opening and the whole mess got very loose in a short period of time. _________________ *ASE Recertified Master Automotive Tech*
1984 Mexican Beetle
-1914cc
-L3 Heads 35x32 valves 52cc chambers
-0.040" deck for about 9.1:1 Compression
-Engle W110 cam
-CB Super Stock 1.1:1 Rockers
-Stock Heat Exchangers w/ Tri-Mil Muffler
-Dual Weber IDF 40s w/ 26mm venturis
-034 SVDA Distributor
2013 Chevrolet Volt DD
2005 Pontiac Montana SV6
MAHLE Service Solutions
Applications Engineer |
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Pruneman99 Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012 Posts: 5013 Location: Oceanside
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 3:27 pm Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Paul Windisch wrote: |
I second both of those suggestions. I will also add, spend a few extra dollars for a quality shift coupler. I had a really chintzy stamped piece of garbage at one time, when I didn't know better, and the cage ended up opening and the whole mess got very loose in a short period of time. |
What I do is take the rubber pieces out of the kit and install them in the OG cage. Everything else in the kit is garbage.
If you don't have a OG cage, they have heavy duty ones listed here in the classified section that look much better than that cheap ass stamped one you get as a kit. |
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OTTO 1303 Samba Member
Joined: March 17, 2020 Posts: 625 Location: Louisiana
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 7:38 pm Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Shift bushing directly behind shift lever inside tunnel and rear coupler, under access panel under rear seat.
Remove the shift rod completely, clean completely, and apply a light coat of grease, it lubricates and prevents further corrosion.
Very inexpensive fix, but can be time consuming.
Same as others have suggested, if any of the original VW parts can be reused, do so.
In many cases, used OG is of better quality than NEW Aftermarket.
Good Luck _________________ 74 Super Sun Bug - OTTO
74 Super - DANZIG
74 Super - HERZOG |
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Cusser Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006 Posts: 31268 Location: Hot Arizona
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:25 pm Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Pruneman99 wrote: |
What I do is take the rubber pieces out of the kit and install them in the OG cage. |
And see this; new ones can't even get the $%&$#@$%&^%$$^&&%$# dimensions right !!!!
_________________ 1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297 |
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Tim Donahoe Samba Member
Joined: December 08, 2012 Posts: 11739 Location: Redding, CA
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 10:53 pm Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Cusser, the one on the right looks like a crap Empi one that I bought a few years back.
Tim _________________ Let's do the Time Warp again!
Richard O'Brien |
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lboos Samba Member
Joined: November 20, 2015 Posts: 408 Location: Marietta GA.
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 3:55 am Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Great example Cusser, pic's tell it all. |
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rondes55 Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2008 Posts: 13 Location: Gardner, MA
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 5:43 am Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Thanks to all responders. Very helpful to an old (7 newbie. |
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Cusser Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006 Posts: 31268 Location: Hot Arizona
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 8:15 am Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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lboos wrote: |
Great example Cusser, pic's tell it all. |
Like others, I used the inserts from the new one in the old housing on mine. Here were the old ones
_________________ 1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297 |
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RWK Samba Member
Joined: June 24, 2009 Posts: 1337 Location: S.W. MI
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 4:44 pm Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Some of the bushing kits are junk also, just tried to do a bus kit, main shift rod bushings were way off, too small dia. and the notches were off. only could use one part in kit. _________________ 73 Type 181
63 Type 113
63 Type 261- 428 071
62 Type 241-378 025 178 530 |
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creative native Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2007 Posts: 1227 Location: WNC
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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I'm just chiming in to agree with everyone else here. All good advice and valid points. There's nothing like driving a VW with a new shift rod bushing and coupler rubber. You'll only wish you did it sooner. |
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Rome Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004 Posts: 9602 Location: Pearl River, NY
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 4:39 pm Post subject: Re: Sloppy gear shift |
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Before you remove the shifter- lift up the carpet that surrounds the base of the shifter. Then do this. Make sure the paint mark extends from the shifter base down to the top of the tunnel. Make another paint mark at either the front or the rear of the diamond-shaped base so that you also have alignment against twisting. When you go to assemble after all the tedious work of replacing the shifter rod bushing, install the two bolts down hand-tight. Line up the shifter base with the mark on the tunnel until the lines are touching, but not overlapping. Then run those 2 bolts down tighter with the 13 mm socket.
The photo shows a pre-'65 shifter due to the heater knob in background, but the idea applies to your car also.
When you do lift the shifter out, you'll see this "squared off diamond" shaped plate. Top of photo is towards front of car.
This plate can be easily mispositioned; this one shows the correct way. The two "ramps" on each longitudinal side of the opening are pointing UP. The left ramp is the shorter one.
That gooey little "cup" in the middle of the opening is the front of the shift rod into which the small metal ball on the bottom of the shifter fits. The shifter bushing mentioned already is "inside" the tunnel, about 3" to the rear of that cup. It is the guide for the metal shift rod. When you take that rod out towards the FRONT of the car, clean off the old grease in and outside of that metal cup. Put new grease into the cup; not "saturated' but coat the surfaces inside. You can use either universal grease, or with graphite. |
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