transmission shift difficulty 091

[skylarkman2]

I have a 1978 bay window bus.
It has a subaru conversion which is running fine.
It has developed shifting difficulties.
At times hard to get into gear.
I had installed new bushings in the front shifter linkage and seems solid.
I figured that the plastic ball in the selector link had failed.
I removed the transmission and the nose cone. The plastic ball is good.
I am a many year DIY guy, and have rebuilt a lot of manual and automatics, but this is my first VW. I have been studying the Bentley, and searching a lot of the forums. In the interest of time, I have decided not to try to build or acquire the tools to rebuild.
My first question is - am I missing something?
Next would be where to send it for reliable and reasonable service.
I would also like a little taller 4th gear. It has the .89, but I would like the .82, or possibly the .77.
Suggestions appreciated.
dave in TX

[Wildthings]

What did you do for a pilot bearing?

There is a plate at the bottom of the shifter that needs to be aligned for the shifter to work well.

Did you have to angle the engine to get it to fit? If so, maybe the angle is effecting the shifting. Among other things excessive angle could cause the shift rod to rub inside its tube.

[SGKent]

^^^^ what Mike said

Many things can be wrong. The first test is to determine if it shifts normal with the engine off. If it doesn't shift when off, it is a coupler issue, stop plate issue (they break), internal transmission issue, or loose grub screw etc.. If it works fine when off then it is likely a pilot bearing, clutch, clutch adjustment, or cable issue.
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[skylarkman2]

[skylarkman2]

[SGKent]

could be. Did you check the coupler to be sure it isn't rotating on the crimp?

The way the selector works is there are three rods with a notch in the end. The selector simply rotates the lever to a different selector then pulling or pushing chooses the gears that engage. Pretty simple mechanism. Each selector has a detent that locks the others out except when the selector is in neutral. The notches in the selector shafts line up so if you can't rotate it then something has really gone wrong inside the trans if that is the case. Sometimes the bracket that holds the ball breaks too. If it is the coupler then it can be welded.

_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[Wildthings]

The insulators in the shift couple might not seat tightly in the fore/aft position. It is possible to buy replacement insulators, but they do not always fit all that well in both dimensions.

[skylarkman2]

Thank you SGkent. You do beautiful work, and nice pictures.
I think I understand how the selector link works with the interlock pins.
I am considering removing the selector link, then trying each of the selector pins individually to see if there greater resistance in one or the other.
I understand that if one selector is moved from its neutral position, then it must be returned there before attempting to move one of the other selector shafts.
How much force can I safely apply?
I have not closely inspected the selector linkage and coupler, just the ball.
I will try to verify that condition.
dave

[Wildthings]

[skylarkman2]

Thanks Wildthings.
I have tried to follow the sequence and check each area.
I feel like all the linkage is good back to the trans.
Clutch linkage as well, since no gear grinding.
I know that there is a lot of force on the tailcone shaft (hockey stick), but it also goes into that plastic ball in the selector, so not too great a force.
Also I have already pulled the trans and have it on the bench.
I am trying to diagnose as much as possible at this point.
dave

[SGKent]

I was able to shift with a coupler on the L shaft that goes into the nose. You won't be able to remove the gear cluster which contains the selector shafts, without disassembling the whole transmission - and that will require specialty tools.

Put the shift coupler onto the shaft and tighten the grub screw. Try pushing or pulling the shaft to see if you can get back to neutral. In Neutral you should be able to rotate the shaft. If you pull the nose cone back off, look at the selectors so see if one is pushed in or pulled out. All three notches should line up in neutral. Also look at the selector bracket. They are known to break at either of the bends.
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[skylarkman2]

SGkent and Wildthings thanks to you both for comments.
Update on my transmission.
On the bench with the nose cone removed - I verified that the selector linkage and selector shafts were all working smoothly.
Without disassembly and inspection, the transmission seems to be in very good condition. Ring gear looks good. Minor fuzz on the drain plug.
I must admit that I jumped to the conclusion of what the problem was, instead of starting at the front. I had assumed that the plastic ball in the selector linkage had failed. It was in good shape.
Apparently when I installed a new front shift rod bushing, I did not tighten the lockplate correctly and it slipped.
All new bushings down the shift linkage, and correct alignment of the lockplate and now all shifts as it should.
CONCLUSION - for those who may follow this thread in the future - start at the front and insure your linkage is correct before assuming it is in the transmission.

I had considered rebuilding the transmission, but the cost of the special tools for a one time job did not make sense.
I had also wanted to change the 4th gear from 0.89 to 0.82.
I changed the tires from 195/70r14 to 215/75r14 which reduced engine speed by about 8%. It also increased the ground clearance for the radiator.
dave-TX

[obieoberstar]

I found this thread while working on sorting out my shifting issues. Thanks to all who contributed.

Started at the front and have found the shifter linkage to be in really good shape and only needed a front support bushing. The cage for the coupling is fine also.

But, I have found there to be some in/out play in the selector lever on the transmission in neutral. I think it should be a bit tighter.

This would be an indication that the selector link needs to be inspected, correct?

[Wildthings]

[aeromech]

It's a pretty big step to access the nose cone

Not really if you have the tranny out. Here's some pics

_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Wildthings]

[aeromech]

I totally agree that all the easy and cheap things should be tried first
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[SGKent]

define shifting issues. Grinding? Hard to find the gear? pops out of 4th? etc
_________________
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[aeromech]

Hot damn and holy shit. It’s Steve
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Wildthings]