69 Squareback automatic transmission cable adjustment help.

[speedracer89]

Hello,

I need help adjusting my transmission cable on my 69 squareback. When I am in drive the transmission won’t engage unless I wiggle it between neutral and drive.

I have a Bentley and it talks about loosening a jam nut. I do not see a jam nut on my setup so I am wondering if something on my setup was cobbed together.

I am posting here to see if anyone has pictures of their cable setup on a automatic T3 so I can see if I am missing anything. Also if maybe somebody tell me how they adjust their cable if they have a better way than the Bentley describes.

Thanks for any help in advance.

[posidude]

I hope this helps

[Multi69s]

I'm away from home, so I'm going off of memory. If I remember right, the Bentley says to put the shifter in park, then loosen this nut.

Then push the lever on the transmission forward and spin the rear wheels until the transmission parking paul engages and locks up the rear wheels, then tighten the nut. However, in reality, it is a two person job. Because of differential action, when you spin one wheel, the other will spin in the opposite direction. Thus the parking paul will not engage. To get the parking paul to engage, both wheels need to spin in the same direction. So grab a buddy, do as the Bentley says, spin the wheels in the same direction. When they lock up tighten the nut.
_________________
69 road Bug 2110
73 Squareback - 2L, T4, Automatic W/ AC
Gone, but many fond memories 69 Baja Bug 2010 - 5 Rib Bus Transaxle
Gone but not forgotten 72 Baja Bug 2010
My builds
T4 into Squareback http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=458944&highlight=
Auto Trans Rebuild http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516066&highlight=
AC in Squareback https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=

[speedracer89]

[Mike Fisher]

Take it apart & figure it out yourself or take it to a Mechanic!
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[blues90]

The jam nut is on the lever. I has a hole for the metal end of the shift cable to fit through and the nut with a washer that when tightened down pinches the metal part of the cable. You should have a nut and washer on the outside of the shift lever on the trans ,on the trans side of the shift lever is a rod with a hole the metal end of the shift cable fits through the other end of the rod is threaded this makes up the pinch bolt . If it's missing at some point the nut and washer were removed and the pinch bolt fell out the trans side.

You need to post a photo of what you have, if it's missing then perhaps someone has one or you would need to make one. I know the pinch bolt head is larger than the hole in the shift lever and has a washer as it needs to pivot or it would bend the shift cable metal rod end and not hold adjustment , the way to remove it is to remove the nut and washer pull out the shift cable metal end then the pinch bolt comes out the trans side of the shift lever.

[notchboy]

Dont worry about the wheel spinning part. Put it in park. Loosen the nut then push the lever to the back of the car as far as it will go. Tighten the nut and see if that dose it.
_________________

[speedracer89]

[Mike Fisher]

I don't remember what the bushing looks like but I'd wager it's not anything special that you couldn't buy at Ace Hardware or NAPA?
_________________
https://imgur.com/user/FisherSquareback/posts
69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[Multi69s]

[highwheelerboy22]

So in the manual is says move the lever towards the rear but earlier in this conversation someone said to push it forward…..so which is it?

[Bobnotch]

[notchboy]

[Multi69s]

You push the shift lever forward into Park. Then you move the lever on the transmission to the rear.

As you look at the construction of the gear selector inside of the car. When you push the gear selector lever forwards towards park, it pushes more of that cable rearward out of the bowden tube by the transmission.

If you pull the gear selection lever back towards the seats in the car, under the car it pulls the cable forward back into the tube.

Hope this helps, or at least not as clear as mud
_________________
69 road Bug 2110
73 Squareback - 2L, T4, Automatic W/ AC
Gone, but many fond memories 69 Baja Bug 2010 - 5 Rib Bus Transaxle
Gone but not forgotten 72 Baja Bug 2010
My builds
T4 into Squareback http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=458944&highlight=
Auto Trans Rebuild http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516066&highlight=
AC in Squareback https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=

[highwheelerboy22]

Helps very much. Thanks folks. My car seems to be slipping while in 1st gear. If this adjustment doesn’t work I’ll be checking the modulator next. Once on flat ground 1st, 2nd, and 3 work just fine. I hoping it’s not a deeper trans issue, just going through the steps to sort it out.

[highwheelerboy22]

Just for my peace of mind, while I’m pushing on the lever do I need to be holding any tension on the cable? So I will place car into park, loosen nut, spin both rear wheels at same time until they lock, move arm towards rear of car and hold in place while I tighten nut? The reason I ask is I did this earlier and was able to turn both rear wheels forward at the same time while under the car but only one locked.

[Bobnotch]