Gearchange mechanism - removal, refitting and adjustment

Manual transmission / Gearchange mechanism - removal, refitting and adjustment

Removal
1 Jack up the front of the car and support on axle stands (see “Jacking and vehicle support”). Apply the handbrake.

2 With neutral selected, mark the shift rod and coupling in relation to each other, then unscrew the coupling clamp and pull out the shift rod.

3 Working inside the car unscrew the gear knob and remove the gaiter.

4 Unscrew the nuts from the ball housing stop plate, and withdraw the complete gearchange mechanism upwards into the car (see illustration). Recover the spacers.

4.4 View of the gearchange mechanism housing

5 Dismantle the mechanism as necessary and examine the components for wear and damage. Renew those showing signs of wear or deterioration. Note that the selector rod bush is in two parts, and both parts are destroyed when removing the mechanism.

When fitting the new bush, ensure that the two plastic cups are not pushed apart.

Refitting
6 Lubricate the joints and bearing surfaces with high-melting-point grease then refit using a reversal of the removal procedure. If a new coupling has been fitted it will be necessary to adjust the coupling position - this is best carried out by a VW dealer, as a specially shaped template is required, but if necessary the method described in the following sub- Section can be used in an emergency.

Adjustment
7 With the car raised and supported on axle stands (see “Jacking and vehicle support”), loosen the shift rod clamp bolt.

8 Have an assistant position the gear lever as shown (see illustration). Use a twist drill for dimension (a), and align the lever so that the reverse gear catch is exactly opposite the recess in the housing.

4.8 Gear level adjustment dimensions

a 11.0 mm
b 43.0 mm

9 With the transmission still in neutral, tighten the clamp bolt.

10 Check that all gears can be selected easily.