1960 Beetle 6v - Gearshift Housing Bushing / Shifting issues

[RCJH77]

I’ve been having trouble shifting into first gear, as well as downshifting. It’s both difficult to get it into gear, and it grinds. I’ve been reading through the forum and have some things to check into (ex: stop plate), but while I was looking at the coupler tonight (appears to be okay), I noticed these laying below it.

It looks like a gearshift housing bushing to me (https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=111301207). I’m guessing it was discarded by the PO, but how do I check to see if there’sa good one installed? Is it even possible that it could break and end up under the coupler? Could this be part of my shifting problem?

Here’s the coupler. Looks okay, right? Is there a way to tell if it’s bad?

[glutamodo]

Hmm, yeah it does kind of look like that. And... what other bearing shards would be in there? Cam bearing shells are the only other things that look like that to me and those only came along later and I can't imagine how they would ever get in the tunnel. However, you are talking about a Brass bushing. Have you thought to use give them a good rub with red or green Scotch Brite to see the true color of the metal?

Also, have you grabbed the coupler and and given it a good up and down tug to check for play in hockey stick bushings? Usually the coupler is drenched in oil when the hockey stick bushings are leaking. Yours is dirty, but not a slime-bag.

Does the gear selection feel wonky to you? (just parked, no engine running)

Is this still a 36PHP split case transaxle? If so, you can't easily downshift into first gear while in-motion, because 1st does not have synchomesh on it. But 2nd-3rd-4th should be smooth shifting.

Usually gear change issues are from the clutch not wanting to disengage. This can be a clutch issue... or an engine input shaft issue where the pilot bearing in the "gland nut" won't let go of the input shaft.
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Andy T.


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[RCJH77]

[RCJH77]

Here's the state of the clutch cable. I'm no mechanic, but shouldn't this be somewhat snug? It's really loose.

[EVfun]

You have the original split case transaxle. It will not shift into 1st while moving without grinding. It will also whine in 1st gear much like in reverse. They share some strait cut gears and no syncromesh.

Because 1st lacks a syncro it is common for the 2nd gear syncro to be quite worn after outliving a few engines. It may grind, especially when cold.

If the shifter is loose that can cause similar problems. Grinding into second could be bumping into reverse instead. It could be hard even at a stop to find a gear because the shifter stop points are not the four corners 1-2-3-4 (reverse is actually left of second and should require the push-down of the shifter to reach.)
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[RCJH77]

Coming back to this issue after tackling some lower-hanging fruit. I took the bug to a local VW meetup recently and the shifting was brutal. First, second, and reverse were all hard to get into and made a loud grinding sound with every shift. First gear is the worst, followed by reverse, then second.

Yesterday, I tightened the clutch cable again and the result was very strange. The clutch pedal feels great. The strange part is that on the test drive, the gear changes all felt mushy, for lack of a better description. When I would let out on the clutch, it was definitely in the next gear, but there wasn't that noticeable gear change that you would expect to feel. It also felt behind in terms of power after letting out on the clutch, which is a completely new thing. That said, the loud grinding noise was much better in first and second. Reverse still gave out a loud grind.

When the car is off, shifting is pretty smooth and easy. No significant hang-up going into any gear. Regardless, I went ahead and adjusted the stop plate again, this time making sure it was dead center on the bolts. Tried it again with motor off and it shifted into each gear smoothly with no issues. I haven't been able to take it out again since making this adjustment, but I'll do that later today.

Anyway, am I staring down the barrel of a transmission rebuild, a clutch replacement, or is there something else I'm missing?

[Eric&Barb]

That brass bushing remains might be from the front transaxle nose cone.

Check that the shift coupler bolts are tight. The safety wires thru those bolts should be set in such a way as to KEEP the bolts tight. As they are now the bolts could loosen slightly and that can cause the hole in the shift rod to wear bigger.

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In Stereo, Where Available!

[EVfun]

[RCJH77]

I'll rewire those bolts and loosen the clutch cable next. Thanks for that advice!

Regarding the bushing: I went back out to look at the coupler and record this video. It looks to me like that bushing is completely missing, which would explain the broken bushing laying under the coupler. It doesn't seem like that alone would be causing the shifting issues, but maybe it is?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzHN-zjAm8

[EVfun]

[Eric&Barb]

[tcoop1100]

That missing nose cone bushing is probably your main problem- there's WAY too much play there. The good news is they're cheap. The bad news is you have to drop the motor and trans and take off the nose cone to replace them. If you decide to do it I'd check the trans mounts as well- and you'll need a replacement gasket for the nose cone-trans joint. A new coupler would be a good idea, too.
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Aloha,
Tim
January '57 Sedan, April '64 40hp big bore

[Eric&Barb]

Not to be contentious, but I think the bushing can be installed with the transaxle in situ. The big question is if the bore the bushing goes into is good enough to hold it.....
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[EVfun]

[tcoop1100]

In watching the video that first bushing is definitely missing and it's probably the pieces he found in the bottom of the tunnel. If the front one could be replaced with the trans in place that's great but the split case has two nose cone bushings- if the front was that bad the rear probably isn't much better. My point is shifting problems can be an accumulation of wear in several different places- nose cone bushings, coupler, trans mounts, shifter adjustments, clutch. If a clutch adjustment alone takes care of it, great, but there was a LOT of play in the hockey stick in the video.
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Aloha,
Tim
January '57 Sedan, April '64 40hp big bore

[RCJH77]

Thank you all so much for your feedback! You've given me some great direction here. I went ahead and ordered new bushings, so we'll see how that goes. I'll try to install it/them with the transmission in place, first. Parts should be here Friday. Until then, I'll go ahead and remove the coupler and do some inspection there.

[tcoop1100]

Getting that front bushing replaced should help a lot. If you can get it done in the car even better. Let us know how it goes- with pictures!
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Aloha,
Tim
January '57 Sedan, April '64 40hp big bore

[RCJH77]

I inspected the shift lever/hockey stick for wear at the shift coupler connection and it seems to be okay (see pic). Same with the shift rod.

I also installed a new nose cone bushing as best I could with the transmission in place. I think it's good, but without seeing it in another bug, I can't be sure. It does stick out a little, but there is no longer any up and down movement in the shift lever, which is great. Anyone know if this looks correct?

[EDIT: After finding a video on YouTube of a guy installing new bushings in a nose cone, it seems I need to get the bushing to sit flush with the nose cone, so I'll need to work at it some more. To be continued...]

I still need to secure the bolts on the shift coupler with safety wire and replace the transmission oil before I can see if the shifting issues are resolved, but just wanted to give a quick update.

[RCJH77]

Got it!

[Eric&Barb]