Gearbox Selector tower bearing replacement & oil change

Mophim

Member
Hello.
I've lurked here for a number of years. I think I have posted in the past but it was a while ago.
I just thought I'd share my experience to hopefully help others.

I have a 54 plate 90bhp A2. I need turbo advice but that's to be another thread.

So, since we've had this car, it's had clunky gear changes. It was almost impossible to get it into reverse when we bought it (we got a bargain on the price of the car because of this ; )
After a quick search I discovered that the reverse light switch can get stuck, causing the difficulty engaging reverse. I removed the switch &, lo and behold, it was gunked up & sticking.
I cleaned & greased it, making reverse fine(ish)
All gears were still really notchy.
So, whilst looking into the reverse switch problem, I came across a post (I think from a VW forum) that mentioned this & a problem with Audi A2s and the selector unit on top of the gearbox.
Basically, on the underside of the bonnet are two rainwater drains from the air vent on top of the bonnet.
The one on the right (or UK drivers side) drains near the front of the engine compartment (to the right of the OS headlamp if looking from the front)
The other one however drains into a cupped receiver right above the gear selector linkage on top of the gearbox.

If this drain system doesn't work properly (for whatever reason - receiving cup not lined up or rubber on underside of bonnet distorted) water drips onto the gear linkage below.
This is what happened to me and this is what:
a. Caused the reverse light switch to stick - water ingress caused corrosion.
b. caused the gears to be awful to engage - the water had caused the bearing inside the selector or shift tower to break down.

It also caused this (see photo) when I emptied the gearbox oil >>

IMG_1862 (Small).JPG

When I opened the drain plug, clear water came out first. The oil capacity of the gearbox is approx 1.5 ltr. These bottles are both 2ltr. So, that's about 3.5ltrs of fluid, over half water. Shocking!!

I refilled with fresh oil, changed the bearing in the shift tower (only just over £4 from Audi which I didn't think was too bad) and now all gears engage fine.
Just need to check or modify the bonnet drain to make sure it doesn't do it again.

Just as a note, to change the bearing in the selector tower I placed the whole shift tower casing into the oven at 240 degs for half an hour then gently tapped it out. nb - Remove the small bearings & plastic holder inside the casing first. Mine was pretty mashed anyway with few ball bearings left.
The old bearing casing has to be tapped down to remove it. There is a seal in the top of the casing. Remove this prior to the oven. Under this there is a lip to the casing that the bearing pushes up to. I gently tapped the bottom lip of the bearing case through this top hole. Took a few taps around the base but came out quite easily once it started to move. I had placed the new bearing in the freezer whilst I heated the rest in the oven so it contracted a little & pretty much pushed straight in, once the old one was out.

I hope this info helps someone else.

If anyone needs any further info on what I actually did to change the bearing or oil, please let me know.

Cheers

Gary

ps. I actually broke my shift tower whilst doing this but did an ingenious bit of repair to get it working again. A new one was going to cost £104 .. but that's another story too : )
 
Hi,
Mine had a same problem because it was flooded in 07.
Lasted until last sept!! but was like a bag of spanners with 3rd gear esp hard to engage.
Had selector tower replaced (saw old one !!!!) and oil was 50-50 with water and had emulsified.
Replaced DM clutch at same time also. Total cost £980.
Never thought of cupped receiver causing this too. will check tomorrow don't want that bill again!!
 
No problem. I'm just happy it's been of use / interest to someone. Checking that the rubber drain & the receptor cup are actually lined up & working is quite tricky. I've positioned the cup leaning forward slightly, so it's not upright. I then place paper around it, replaced the bonnet & poured water in the vent. This crudely tested it wasn't leaking.
I actually also put my iphone on video mode with the flash on, under the bonnet, then put the bonnet on / off to see. Looked ok. I can post the video if anyone wants to see it.
Another thing to check is that the drain hose from the cup is running downhill.
Mine was running more or less level so I pushed the far end further down to get a full downhill drop.

Hopefully it will be ok now.
Cheers
Gary
 
No problem. I'm just happy it's been of use / interest to someone. Checking that the rubber drain & the receptor cup are actually lined up & working is quite tricky. I've positioned the cup leaning forward slightly, so it's not upright. I then place paper around it, replaced the bonnet & poured water in the vent. This crudely tested it wasn't leaking.
I actually also put my iphone on video mode with the flash on, under the bonnet, then put the bonnet on / off to see. Looked ok. I can post the video if anyone wants to see it.
Another thing to check is that the drain hose from the cup is running downhill.
Mine was running more or less level so I pushed the far end further down to get a full downhill drop.

Hopefully it will be ok now.
Cheers
Gary

could you post a picture of this cup etc would like to check mine sometime to be safe.
 
I actually also put my iphone on video mode with the flash on, under the bonnet, then put the bonnet on / off to see. Looked ok.

Ingenious :D

It's also beneficial to get the cup as close as possible to the drain to prevent any 'spillage' when parked on a hill.

Thanks for sharing this, most useful.

Steve
 
This is a very interesting read. Our A2 suffered from water in the gearbox and was rebuilt before we bought it. I wonder if this drain/cup were out of alignment. Causing water to get in.

Chris
 
Hello again. Sorry for delay in getting back to this.
Here are the videos I shot. This one doesn't feature the water being poured in but does show a few drips.

[video=youtube_share;Tss4yhPswdM]http://youtu.be/Tss4yhPswdM[/video]

Can only embed one video so other is here >> This one is a little blurry but shows me pouring water into the vent

http://youtu.be/2MNC0E2slJs

With regard to the location of the drains on the underside of the bonnet, there are two, one on the left & one on the right. The one I'm talking about is more or less in the middle and to the passenger side. I'll try to add a photo soon.

Cheers

Gary
 
Hello,

Recently I found myself unable to select 3rd, 4th and 5th gear because of this problem. Anybody reading should check their under bonnet drains! The collection cup had been broken before I owned the car (over 6 years ago) and over time the water has done the same damage to my shift tower bearing. After a lot of reading up and speaking to stealth for part numbers and advice, I replaced the parts listed below. I also ran the car for a few weeks and repeated the gearbox oil change to ensure it was clean in there - it wasn't as bad as the OP's but it was not good!

Some pointers:
- You can replace the collection cup if your bracket has snapped like mine (suspect ham fisted mechanic with previous owners)
- The VAG grease for the gear selector parts is hideously expensive; after research I ended up using high temperature brake grease that looks very similar.
- You may not need all linkage parts
- Total cost for parts and oil was around £340 including liquid sealant from VW
- I posted in 2009 when I bought the car about 3rd gear being difficult, and it slowly deteriorated, only giving up when my partner began driving it - clearly I was nursing it!
- Some of the gear change issue and sloppiness seems to down to wear and tear and would be good to change even if there is not issue elsewhere in the linkages / shift tower column (see photos)

Vince at Stealth told me that it is common and when they do it they replace all of these parts (except the drain cup which I needed on top), and given that time was of the essence for me I did the same. Interestingly, my local dealer couldn't get just the bearing, and with nothing left of the original I bit the bullet and bought the entire column. I'm not gutted to have read the Passat 6 speed mod, as I will no doubt need a new clutch in the coming year or two (obeying sods law).

Parts list (2004 TDI 75):

- VG 060726 A2 Gearbox oil (75w 90 - 1.5-2l per oil change)
- V8Z0 819 975 G Drain water collection cup
- V1J0 711 202 F Lever
- V1J0 711 067 L Bushing x2
- VN 908 159 03 Washer
- V02J 301 231 B Housing
- V02A 301 320 B Ring
- V02J 301 256 Cover
- V02J 301 233 AG
- VD 176 501 A1 Sealant

These are specific to my chassis and similar. I'd check the ELSAWIN diagrams before ordering.

Finally, some pics - links as I had trouble doing this:
http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af271/Swalsey/IMG_2506_zpsapgauwtk.jpg



 
Great stuff, Anthony. Many thanks for posting.

I'm not gutted to have read the Passat 6 speed mod, as I will no doubt need a new clutch in the coming year or two

There is always a market for EWQ (TDI75) and GRJ (TDI90) gearboxes, so if you do decide to fit the Passat 'box instead, I've no doubt you'll manage to sell your existing 'box, especially with the work it's just had done.

Cheers,

Tom
 
Good point, I'll keep that in mind if a clutch is needed at any point. As a follow up, the gearchange is sublime now it's had a few drives.
 
happy to come across this thread as it seems to relate to my current problem with 3rd/4th/5th gear problems!

it looks like i have all the symptoms of this problem and it looks like its a costly one for me :(

is it worthwhile getting the new parts as suggested in this thread and get someone to fix it or buy a 2nd hand gearbox and replace mine? or burn it and claim the insurance? lol

cheers

cammy
 
Be carefful though Cammy,

It is a bit like reading a medical book, when you do, you suddenly diagnose yourself as having all sorts of exotic problems.

This MAY be relevant to your problem but checking the cables is free and easy to do and if that is all it is you could save a lot of time and money.

Steve B
 
Hi Cammy,

I had a similar issue with my car a few months ago, where I think the selector tower (gearbox top) was sticking in it's up and down movement. The net result of the sticking is that I ended up putting the car into first instead of first at around 25 MPH. I managed to catch the mistake before the revs had risen above the limiter, but it was scary nonetheless.

Anyway, I looked into changing the selector tower bearing, but I couldn't remove it's top casting. In the end, I found that simply exercising the selector tower up and down vigorously fixed the issue. I put a small amount of gearbox oil on top of the selector tower around the shaft for the oil to seep into the bearing and lubricate it. Ten thousand miles later, and it's been perfect since. :)

A no cost option, that may be worth trying? :p

Regards,

Matt.
 
excellent matt,

i sprayed wd40 on it yesterday but i will do the oil as im sure wd40 wouldnt penetrate as good as oil. there does look as if theres alot of debris around the casing where you move it up and down so will give it a good clean and like you say....some good hard up and down movements will help release it.

should i drain the gearbox oil first and replace with new oil before i do this? and what type of oil should i buy thats local and not online?

cheers

cammy
 
Hi Cammy,

A good dose of WD40 should do the trick. After all, it is a lighter oil and should seep through easier - just be sure to apply it directly around the shaft. I don't see a need to replace the gearbox oil as the amount of WD40 you're effectively adding is minimal and very unlikely to overfill the 'box. I used the recommended VAG gearbox oil as I had some left after changing the gearbox oil previously, but I wouldn't bother getting a whole container of it just to use a few small drops on the selector. :p

It was mentioned over at TDIClub that the root cause is that whilst the gearbox oil splashes about, it doesn't splash about enough to lubricate the selector mechanism at the top.

Regards,

Matt.
 
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what if the gear box is full of water though? i have a funny feeling that it will have water mixed in with the oil due to this problem. can the oil be changed by having the car on 2 front ramps? or will it have to be on level ground?

where do i get the vag oil? im looking on google and its £17+ for 1 ltr stuff that lol is there similar stuff of equivalent spec?

cheers

cammy
 
Hi Cammy,

If it's never been changed, then it may be worth considering doing. There's plenty of info for the TDI here. :)

I got the oil from Audi, though I can't remember the price. Total capacity is 1.9 Litres, and it comes in 1 Litre containers.

Regards,

Matt.
 
Another lurker here ... Whatever you do- don't go to Reconditionedgearboxes Ltd at Dartford/Erith !!
Long and expensive story
 
update:

ok so i did what matt said i vigorously shook the selector tower until my car was shaking like a guy suffering from DT's, anyways i managed to free up 3rd and 4th, which is a start. what i have noticed between this gearbox and mine as it doesnt spring into a neutral position when you push down or up. looks like a gearbox oil change is definitely needed. however, could the spring inside the gearbox tower be knackered or corroded and thats why it doesnt spring into life.

5th gear seems to be a lost cause :( im hoping that it will free up with some more oil & wd40 and some shaking! i will stoll change the oil this week though :)

i will drive the car this week and see how it goes but i will be phoning audi tomorrow for gearbox oil and will be changed asap. can someone point me in the right direction of correct tool bit to buy. i might even have it in the garage in my various socket/bits case.

cheers and thanks for the tips guys!

i suggest when removing your bonnet, make sure that the little funnel for the drainage is pointing straight down and is not popped in at an angle as mines was :/ i guess this is one of the first points of contact to ground when laying it down! this will save you alot of time, money and headaches :)

cammy
 
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