Shifter Issues. Can't get in some gears.

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Sluggo
Wishin' I was Fishin'
Wishin' I was Fishin'
Location: Portland, Or.
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Shifter Issues. Can't get in some gears.

Post by Sluggo » Thu Sep 15, 2011 1:16 pm

Big shifting issues.

Installed the stock shifter from my Bus and removed the fancy schmancy 80's Scat shifter which has always worked flawlessly (in 2 Busses) but was too short for my comfort. All was well and then on the way to High Rock it was having trouble getting in third & fourth. I could still get in those gears, it was just kinda tight. Went to Dallas last night (Wife's Grandmother won't last the through the weekend most likely) and half way there I couldn't get in 4th at all and 3rd took several tries with lot's of force. Pulled over and tried to adjust it but just couldn't get it right. Drove to Dallas in 3rd pissing people off all the way. Got there and re-installed my Scat shifter. Seemed fine but then 5 minutes after driving I had no 3rd or 4th at all. Re-installed the stock shifter and I can get 1st-4th but not reverse. It just slides into 2nd instead of reverse. Got home and started again this morning. Crawled under the Bus and the coupler is golden. It should be. It's only a year and a half old. After hours of adjustment with no progress I tried installing the stock shifter without the stop plate and could get into all gears. Put it in reverse and then pulled stock shifter and re-installed it with the stop plate while still set in reverse. Started her up and she still backed up. Tried the other gears and all were good. Tried to get back into reverse and no go. Just keeps going into 2nd instead. Tried installing the Scat shifter and still no 3rd or 4th but reverse is easy as pie. :banghead:


What the hell is going on here?!?!?!? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is the only vehicle we have and we're gonna need to go to Dallas again soon for a funeral.
:vwgauge420:

1977 Bus with Sunroof - "Lucky '77"
2000cc Type IV w/Dual Weber 36s,
Aircooled.net SVDA w/Compufire,
Redline Weber Fuel Pump,
Holley Regulator,
Half Ass Brush & Roller Rustoleum Paint Job,
Incomplete Custom Interior,
Dual Batteries,
Crunched Slider Door.
------------------------------------------------------

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Amskeptic
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Re: Shifter Issues. Can't get in some gears.

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Sep 15, 2011 2:22 pm

Sluggo wrote:Big shifting issues.
Nah, just a little slop. If you have the late model bus transaxle with the PIA neutral preload spring, any wear in the system is going to rob you of desperately needed motion at the gearshifter to select your gear.
To see if you have the PIA neutral preload spring:
Place in neutral. Pull lightly due left. Does gear shift want to sort of pull back right?
If so, you need to remove as much wasted motion in gearshift linkage as possible.

A) If coupler is "golden", recheck for ANY slop between the rectangular rubber blocks and the metal cage as assistant moves gearshift side to side in neutral. If side to side slop occurs here, you may crush down on the sides of the cage gently with big pliers or visegrips just enough to make cage snug but not stupid on the plastic perimeter of the rubber blocks. You want no side to side clicka clicka here.

B) Scrooch up to the front/rear shift rod coupler. Have very good lighting here! There is a grub screw here, early has a 10mm square with a wire, later ones have a 13mm hex bolt grub screw with blue loctite because it is important never to loosen up here or the divot in the rear shift rod gets wallowed out ... bad. Again in neutral only, have assistant move gearshift from side to side and you look as carefully as you can at the smaller rear/larger front shift rod interface for ANY movement between the two. Sometimes people crank down on that grub screw when it is not properly centered in the divot of the rear (inner) shift rod. This allows the grub screw to maul the divot. Your one and only solution here is to remove the grub screw and grind down the tit on the end of it, then align the hole of the collar with the divot, and send that sucker down pretty seriously, hoping that the sides of the grub screw are going to find the sides of the divot hole. NO movement between the rods here, they must move as a solid unit!

C) Check the front shift rod bushing, the semi-translucent white/orangish plastic bushing just ahead of the shifter under the bus. It must be intact, and the hole it goes in cannot be banged out, like what happened with James Dwan's bus in Dallas last week. Even with a brand new bushing, the shift rod + bushing just wiggled from side to side up there and made finding gears devilishly difficult until we slopped up the stop plate adjustment. It needs a new washer of the correct diameter welded onto that damaged area.

C) Put transmission in 2nd. Verify by letting out the clutch at idle (if it is 4th, the engine will just drag right down, 2nd will pull at the car a bit).
Change your Bentley stop plate adjustment instructions in the following way:
Instead of pushing stop plate shoulder against gearshift with your screwdriver blade and tightening bolts at this position, do the above and then push the gearshift to the right until you see actual slide movement of the stop plate in the "wrong" direction. Keep it parallel or you will possibly lose a single gear. Now tighten the bolts.
This "sloppy" adjustment will only prevent reverse from getting engaged on a downshift from 3rd, but it will not give you that nice "rail" between 1st and 2nd. Test all gears at rest, and be sure to place in third, bring down to second, and hope that it doesn't go backwards when you let out the clutch to test.

A REBUKE ... :angryfire: ... NEVER get tough on the gearshift because you are having trouble finding a gear. I know traffic considerations can rattle you, but you very well may cause expensive damage real quick, can you say busted interlock assembly inside the gearbox? If the above procedure does not help you find all gears, and if the linkages all check out ... you might have a damaged hockey stick ball/interlock/fork issue already.

Let me know if this helps.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Sluggo
Wishin' I was Fishin'
Wishin' I was Fishin'
Location: Portland, Or.
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Re: Shifter Issues. Can't get in some gears.

Post by Sluggo » Thu Sep 15, 2011 4:37 pm

It was the coupler. The weld that holds the round part with the lock bolt to the square cage gave out. The tabs held it in place so it looks good but it does not rotate.
:vwgauge420:

1977 Bus with Sunroof - "Lucky '77"
2000cc Type IV w/Dual Weber 36s,
Aircooled.net SVDA w/Compufire,
Redline Weber Fuel Pump,
Holley Regulator,
Half Ass Brush & Roller Rustoleum Paint Job,
Incomplete Custom Interior,
Dual Batteries,
Crunched Slider Door.
------------------------------------------------------

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Shifter Issues. Can't get in some gears.

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:35 pm

Sluggo wrote:It was the coupler. The weld that holds the round part with the lock bolt to the square cage gave out. The tabs held it in place so it looks good but it does not rotate.
"Crawled under the Bus and the coupler is golden. It should be. It's only a year and a half old" did you say?
Who did you buy it from? Any brand markings? Are you going to call your supplier and give feedback? Please do.
It irritates me to no end to realize how many people have come to grief and caused potential harm to themselves in demanding traffic or caused damage to a poor transaxle trying its best.
"It should be" ... yes, once upon a time, it should have been.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
Sluggo
Wishin' I was Fishin'
Wishin' I was Fishin'
Location: Portland, Or.
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: Shifter Issues. Can't get in some gears.

Post by Sluggo » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:59 am

Can't remeber exactly where I got it. It was probably AutohausAZ but it could have been Bob Costa or even Bus Depot. It was the standard silver cage with white & black bushings that everyone sells. Comes in a clear bag with blue lettering. I believe they are made in China.

The replacement I got from Discount Import Auto Parts in Milwaukie, OR on the other hand ROCKS! It's an original vw part with logo & part # stamped on the components. The bushings even say "Germany" on em'! The metal is much thicker and the area between the cage and round adapter thingy are pressed and welded instead of just a few spot welds. Only $11. I'll post pics and where I got it in the "Parts: Known to be good" section.
:vwgauge420:

1977 Bus with Sunroof - "Lucky '77"
2000cc Type IV w/Dual Weber 36s,
Aircooled.net SVDA w/Compufire,
Redline Weber Fuel Pump,
Holley Regulator,
Half Ass Brush & Roller Rustoleum Paint Job,
Incomplete Custom Interior,
Dual Batteries,
Crunched Slider Door.
------------------------------------------------------

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