What trans parts do I need??

[vwpilotbob]

Hope you guys can help!

1973 VW Baja, jumps out of first and reverse unless shifter is held in place. Other gears are perfect, and trans is quiet. No grinding in any gears, so synchros should be good.

What internal parts would be needed to fix first gear?

What internal parts would be needed to fix reverse gear?

Please help so I can see about parts availability and costs so I can figure out how to proceed here.

Thanks!!
Vwpilotbob

[Paul Windisch]

I would inspect external things, first.

1: Shift coupler under the rear seat. Check for a loose fastener, deformed cage, or worn rubber. Fix as necessary.

2: Shift rod bushing. You will have to remove the shifter to inspect it. If you have never done it, it is probably shot. It's a little tricky to replace, but not impossible.

3: Shifter adjustment. After inspecting or replacing the shift rod bushing, make sure the shifter is adjusted and centered properly to ensure full engagement of all gears.

4: Transmission mounts. Inspect the front and rear transmission mounts. If they are broken, it could cause excessive drivetrain movement, which could be enough to pull the shift rod and disengage the gears.

If it still does it after this, then you might start thinking about internal transmission problems, which likely would need gears and maybe selectors.
_________________
*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

[vwpilotbob]

Yep, those are the usual suspects alright. This car has been abused, so I suspect internal trans problems here too though. I've been told a worn/damaged 1st/2nd operating sleeve can be the problem as well.

Then the problem is once the suckers learn how to jump out of gear, if they are continued to be driven, it's hard to convince them to forget. Been there/done that with other transmissions...

Thanks for the response!

Vwpilotbob

[vwpilotbob]

Just noticed your "rap sheet" at the bottom. How were you able to get the Mexican bug titled/licensed here?

Vwpilotbob

[Paul Windisch]

Somehow (I don’t know how) it has been titled in Michigan since 1985. I purchased it in 1995 from Recycled Bugs (now Parts Place For All Volkswagens). When I tried to register and insure it, there were issues because the VIN isn’t long enough for a 1984 US vehicle, so the insurance company made me have a police officer (don’t know why they chose the police) come and inspect the vehicle for seat belts, safety glass, and proper bumper height. Once he signed off, they insured it and I was able to register it. Then, a short time later I completely tore the car apart to fix rust and go through all the mechanicals, so for many years I didn’t need to worry about it because it was non-operative. In general, I wish I knew how this little bug made it here with a title, but it is likely to remain a mystery.

As of now, it’s over 25 years old and I insure it through Hagerty, so there are no issues. Hagerty never questioned the VIN because it’s insured as a classic. The state doesn’t care about the VIN because it’s insured, so they register it.
_________________
*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

[Dougy Dee]

You'll probably need a first gear although you may be able to remove (snap off) the rounded dog teeth to re-use the gear.

A 1-2 engagement slider.

You'll need to determine whether your trans has a coarse or fine spline reverse gear engagement shaft as well as locating a reverse gear to match with the correct number of teeth to operate correctly.

Piece of cake...

[VW_Jimbo]

[vwpilotbob]

@Paul Windisch

Hmmm, that's interesting. As far as I knew, (with no direct experience tho), it was all but impossible to license a foreign manufactured vehicle here by a private party, due to so many smog and safety rules. I've passed on interesting vehicles I came across in Mexico for this very reason.

It certainly does vary by state though. I've had things that were virtually impossible to accomplish in Arizona, for any amount of money, get done in minutes in California with no hassle. Now there's a surprise...

Ok, thanks for the answers guys!! Who do you guys like for tranny parts? I used to be involved in all mechanical things; been out of it for many years with back problems...

Vwpilotbob

[vwpilotbob]

Off topic, but since it's my thread, I'll forgive myself. Has anyone here tried replacing the rubber in the shift coupler with metal?? I once rebuilt the carbs on a buggy for a customer, and that bug had the coolest shifting feel of any bug I've ever driven. In that respect, it didn't feel like a bug at all; the shifts felt so incredibly solid and secure.

I wasn't able to check at the time, but I've always thought that someone had done that to the shift coupler on that car. Anyone tried this, or know anything about it?? (I realize that if done, the shifter would most likely "sing" to you--> would be ok in a buggy or such though...)

Thanks!
Vwpilotbob

[Starbucket]

HUMMM, That seems like a new ground path. Just think you are racing another buggy and as you grab 2nd the motor gets struck by lightning, you would be toast. I would just put in a Berg shifter.

[VW_Jimbo]

I like MCMScot . He has a treasure chest full of parts. New parts will most likely come from Weddle or NOS.

Do not use a solid coupler. The vibrations will drive you crazy and the noise is unbearable! But it is your Bug, so it is up to you!
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[vwpilotbob]

Ok, thanks. Regards the solid shift coupler, I would only try that in an open header off road buggy, so noise wouldn't be a concern. Just wondered if there might be other reasons not to do it that I hadn't considered...

Ha! Many years ago, before I built auto transmissions myself, a customer brought in an old Ford Fairlane in to get the trans rebuilt/replaced. Her young son had been hot rodding it, and it wore out. He had also installed one of those B&M cable operated floor shifters.

I had a shop that I used for auto tranny rebuilds at the time, and we just did the R & R in my shop. So we get it all together, and there's a nasty whine in the trans. Sounds like a front pump whine. I call the rebuild shop, and they say to bring it in to them. I do so, and they agree it's a problem, and they pull the trans and rebuild it again while I wait. Same problem. Maybe not quite as loud, but it's there for sure. So they pull it apart, and re-build it AGAIN!!

This time, the noise is about the same, and the shop is quite confused, as am I. About this time, I called my shop to check in. Come to find out, they had just gotten off the phone with the customer. They told her the problem we were dealing with, and she said "Oh, that's no problem!" "It's made that noise ever since my son installed that dam racing shifter."

Oh man....

Vettepilot

[ashman40]

[ashman40]

[vwpilotbob]

Well that's interesting, and painful. I passed up two old Porsches, and two "Things", thinking it would be anywhere from a nightmare to impossible to bring them into the states! Guess I should have dug into it...

I've been out of the car biz for a while. Are 25 year old American cars exempt from emissions??

(And that shift coupler is really nice!)

Thanks,
Vwpilotbob

[vwpilotbob]

Forget the smog question. I looked it up, and in either the Tucson or Phoenix areas of Arizona, if the car is newer than 1967, it's gotta be smogged. Arizona has always been a royal pain regarding licensing...

Vwpilotbob

[ashman40]