Mk1 Golf Gti Gearbox

Hi all,

Looking for some advice….

My Mk1 GTi has developed a knocking sound, which appears to be coming from the gearbox.

Looking at getting a recon gearbox if that's possible - any suggestions on where this could be sourced from would be much appreciated.

The alternative is to remove the current gearbox and have it refurbished but my concern is the availability of parts - is this an issue? Are parts for the gearbox readily available?

Any info would be much appreciated.

Thanks and regards,

Scott 

Knocking can be anything and everything…..Running these guys low on oil causes all kinds of grief from burning up 5th gear to the SMS (Self Machining Syndrome) that the differentials became famous for.

While it could be a worn diff, CV-joints that are bad and knocking under load or change of gears, as well as a bad Pressure plate/clutch.

So I ask when does it knock, as in Shifting gears under speed, left or right turns,

Then does it knock if the car is off and you are manually shifting gears, as work engine/tranny mounts cause more knocks than I care to mention.

Does it knock when you depress the clutch and change gears… Slow speed take off's .

So it may be no more than worn or broken mounts, (cheap fix).

Or it could be a more dastardly condition, it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion from a Dubber…

I had a 81 Diesel Rabbit over here, Golf over there, and it went for over 330K on the engine/tranny prior to me selling it…and the engine and tranny were still strong (yes it was a 5spd).

So these guys can take it, if it is maintained….and in 330K I only had one clutch change.



Here's some good wishes and luck in your quest for truth, justice and the Dubbing way to continue.
 

Many thanks for your reply, in response to the questions:

Knocking is constant, not noticeable until 30 mph then it is constant, in all gears, whether clutch is depressed or not.

Knocking increases with speed.

Steering to left or right makes no difference to the sound.

All wheels taken off, checked for play but nothing, all seems ok.

I appreciate any input, as you say a dubbers opinion is much appreciated!!

Regards,

Scott

Have you checked that one of the  handbrake cables has not come out of it's clip and is catching on a balance weights on the rear wheel.

I had a similar problem with a front wheel bearing.

There was a constant knock, knock knock while driving in a straight line rather than the usual turning left or right syndrome. The speed of the knocking increased with speed, I could not diagnose what side it was coming from so changed both to fix the problem.

Might be an option to look at.

Andy

If it is the box it sounds like it might be a diff rivet come adrift.
Regards rebuilding one and availbility of parts then wouldn't a remanufacturer be suffering the same issues as rebuilding your original. I mean if parts are not avaialble theyre usually not available to all. I wouldn't imagine there are many rebuilt 020's on the shelf ready to go. You may have to give your box up as an exchange unit and they  may reject it if the rivet comes out the side of the case so try not to completely destroy it whilst locating the problem.  
Also there are loads of ratio options so you might be better to get your own rebuilt if its possible. As above it could be something daft if your lucky.