Hello all, this seems like quite a busy/helpful forum so I'm hoping you can help this newbie!
Bought a '51 (Jan 2002) A4 TDI 75 last week as a little commuter. Had a few issues, but it was cheap. One annoying issue was teh gear shift. It clearly needed adjustment as you had to aim a bit right when selecting 3rd, and going back into second after could be a a bit fun too.
Following the guide on here, I pinned both and adjusted. Then, I had pretty much no gears at all. WTH? So I adjusted it again, 5 or 6 times, using the method from youtube in variuous orders. Now, I have gears back, however:
Reverse is a pain, and sometimes when I shift back into first it stays in reverse.
3rd is gone pretty much. It feels like it isnt fully engaging, where as before you just couldnt quite find it. You get a horrible grind like you've missed the gear when you release the clutch. If I have high revs in 2nd, it will go into 3rd but for obvious reasons I'm just ignoring that gear altogether now.
Details on my shift tower, which no doubt will be asked :
Is your water catcher cup in? - Yes, and appears to line up.
Did you lock both the gearstick and the tower - Yes, however the Tower was a nightmare to lock. Required a lot of force and wiggling, and kept trying to "Ping" out. Also, whilst the up and down motion (so, side to side on the gearstick) locked solid, the rotational motion (So forward and back on the stick) had some movement.
Does the tower have play in it? - Yes, that bearing is DEFINATELY shot.
How did you adjust the bowden cables? - The cable for side to side on the gearstick was as per the video, it locked back, I pulled the slack out and then let it go. The other one, up and down movement of the gear stick, would only pull back about half way. Now, after several adjustments, the thing wont move at all. Its COMPLETELY SIEZED in its locked position.
My thoughts are, other than I need to rebuild (or replace) the shifter tower is:
- Either I overadjusted the troublesome side, meaning its at its max and got stuck, hence the gears on the top of the gate (Rev, 1st, and 3rd) being a particluar cause of pain.
- The bearing is so far gone that I'd removed it from its "just about working" phase to "Now you're screwed" and theres no way back.
Anyway, less than a week into A2 ownership and I'm about ready to throw in the towel! I dont have a bearing press to rebuild the tower, so would have to get someone else to do that, plus im now worried 3rd gear is going to be done in.
Any help on this much appreciated! A lot of the forum searches ive done have been very helpful so far... just a little confused as to where to go next.
Bought a '51 (Jan 2002) A4 TDI 75 last week as a little commuter. Had a few issues, but it was cheap. One annoying issue was teh gear shift. It clearly needed adjustment as you had to aim a bit right when selecting 3rd, and going back into second after could be a a bit fun too.
Following the guide on here, I pinned both and adjusted. Then, I had pretty much no gears at all. WTH? So I adjusted it again, 5 or 6 times, using the method from youtube in variuous orders. Now, I have gears back, however:
Reverse is a pain, and sometimes when I shift back into first it stays in reverse.
3rd is gone pretty much. It feels like it isnt fully engaging, where as before you just couldnt quite find it. You get a horrible grind like you've missed the gear when you release the clutch. If I have high revs in 2nd, it will go into 3rd but for obvious reasons I'm just ignoring that gear altogether now.
Details on my shift tower, which no doubt will be asked :
Is your water catcher cup in? - Yes, and appears to line up.
Did you lock both the gearstick and the tower - Yes, however the Tower was a nightmare to lock. Required a lot of force and wiggling, and kept trying to "Ping" out. Also, whilst the up and down motion (so, side to side on the gearstick) locked solid, the rotational motion (So forward and back on the stick) had some movement.
Does the tower have play in it? - Yes, that bearing is DEFINATELY shot.
How did you adjust the bowden cables? - The cable for side to side on the gearstick was as per the video, it locked back, I pulled the slack out and then let it go. The other one, up and down movement of the gear stick, would only pull back about half way. Now, after several adjustments, the thing wont move at all. Its COMPLETELY SIEZED in its locked position.
My thoughts are, other than I need to rebuild (or replace) the shifter tower is:
- Either I overadjusted the troublesome side, meaning its at its max and got stuck, hence the gears on the top of the gate (Rev, 1st, and 3rd) being a particluar cause of pain.
- The bearing is so far gone that I'd removed it from its "just about working" phase to "Now you're screwed" and theres no way back.
Anyway, less than a week into A2 ownership and I'm about ready to throw in the towel! I dont have a bearing press to rebuild the tower, so would have to get someone else to do that, plus im now worried 3rd gear is going to be done in.
Any help on this much appreciated! A lot of the forum searches ive done have been very helpful so far... just a little confused as to where to go next.
Sorry to hear you're in a situation of woes so soon, but that's a comprehensive write-up of the issue which should resonate well with other people who have resolved shift tower issues. Hopefully someone with sound advice should be along soon .
