Stiff to get it into the first slot.

Its quite stiff getting into 1st and 2nd, 3 & 4 are fine. I adjusted the clutch cable and shortened it a little by moving the 2 bolts higher up, this means i no longer have to push the pedal thru the floor, but its still intermittantly tough to get into first. The clutch was changed a couple of years ago - Any ideas?

It's just the line up of the gears, happens in all cars. I find that if 1st is hard to get in then 3rd will slot in so to cure it quickly I'll stick it 3rd, find the bite then just switch back to first and slots back in.

There's no problem with the gearbox to my knowledge unless the circumstances are different.

If you can get it in first, but it is just stiff I would renew the linkage bushes. The adjustment is critical though, one spline out and you will not get first of fifth.

Cheers
Rajan

Thanks for the replies guys ! Linkeage bushes eh? will my trusty Haynes manual tell me how i can do this?

it seems GSF do the part for all models except the 1.1 for ?4.50
and ECP do the part "650440490 BUSH-GEAR LINKAGE TRANS.T4 -Gear linkage bush" for ?1.26.

In the meantime i'll use your tip John, cheers. 1st seems harder to get into when the car is hot, but even on occasion when cold its stiff. Its weird, sometimes its super silky.

Like your new avatar dubboy!

oh yeah, one other thing, if in 4th, if i lift off the throttle, the stick will effortlessly slide into neutral without any need for the clutch! any idea what that is ?

Hi Greg,

I am having the exact same problem with the gears sticking in first and second. Replaced the clutch cable, worse when the car is hot. Did you find that the suggestions solved the problem??

cheers, chris

Greg said

oh yeah, one other thing, if in 4th, if i lift off the throttle, the stick will effortlessly slide into neutral without any need for the clutch! any idea what that is ?

If you are moving the gearstick, then this is normal, as you can change gear without the clutch, if the engine speed is correct when entering/leaving the gear in question, and there is no load on the drivetrain (the clutch is there to make driving possible for the other 99.999% of the population who wouldn't be able to get it right!)

If the car is falling into neutral by itself, then you probably have worn detent-spring assemblies in the gearbox*. Sign of a generally worn unit, but won't stop it working in itself, although it's a sign that it's not getting any younger. It's a common fault on the 1.1/1.3 4-speed gearboxes - mine used to fly into neutral when I went over certain speed humps at certain speeds :roll:

*Could also be other, more serious faults, but less likely to be…

Type17 said

Greg said

oh yeah, one other thing, if in 4th, if i lift off the throttle, the stick will effortlessly slide into neutral without any need for the clutch! any idea what that is ?

you can change gear without the clutch, if the engine speed is correct when entering/leaving the gear in question, and there is no load on the drivetrain …

Too True.

I once got into my car (parked on a steep hill, pointing up!) and put my foot on the clutch to check it was in neutral and there was a loud "SNAP" noise and the pedal hit the floor… Cable snaped, great!

Turned the key with the car in 1st and it caught and fired up, even on the steep hill! drove it about 8 miles to my mates garage with no clutch. You just have to judge traffic lights and roundabout well as if you stop, you have to shut off, select first and start it in gear again, which gets you some strange looks!

As for your problem, sounds like linkage bushes to me too… :wink:

AL.

Thanks for the replies guys, the stick has never popped out of gear, but it can be slid out of 3rd or 4th if off the throttle - i'm sure the box is pretty tired.

Something i noticed today after not driving the car for a few days - getting into 1st and second is smooth and easy until the engine warms up, then it gets very notchy and after 30 mins of driving its very hard to get it into 1st. I wondered if i'm low on gearbox oil ?? Does that sound plausible?

Al, i had to do a few engine starts in 1st (with clutch down) in traffic on the m25 this week as my left knee was giving up from being constantly down for so long!! not good fun…

Hi - i have an update on my problem.... When cold the gearbox is smooth as it should be, it only starts getting notchy after the engine warms up, so for my 7 mile journey to work, if i take it very very easy its fine. But i do need to sort it. Could it be the gearbox fluid ?

Definitely sounds like your gearbox oil is low - check it soon, to avoid further damage/death of 'box…

It should be filled with EP80 (or better) grade until it comes outof the fill hole (see Haynes for location)

Nice one Steve
I'll try and sort that tonight… As my Haynes manual is at home, could you tell me if i need a special tool? Is a large Allen Key needed? - i could grab one on the way home with the oil . . .

Greg,

It's a 17mm hex - you can get the tool or I use an old wheel bolt, which is 17mm, with a couple of nuts on  

Cheers

Rich

What he said…

If you don't have the wheel bolt and nuts to hand, buy a 17mm "sump drain plug tool", as used on lots of newer cars  - I actually bought a real 17mm Allen key - it's HUGE!

As always, very many thanks gents. I'll let you know how i get on.
     

How you getting on with resolving this greg?

I'm having the exact same probs.  My journey every morining is 7 miles. After 5 miles it doesn't want 1st at all!!

Seems bizarre??

VagSol, i topped mine up last night with about 1/4 of a litre of ep80/90 gearbox oil. Its improved it, but its still notchy after it warms up. What i'm gonna try next is to drain the whole lot and refill it with fresh oil. I imagine there's metal filings and krud in there that could do with coming out. Hopefully the drain plug is magnetized.

But the top up is very easy to do, i bought a '17mm sump drain plug' for ?2 and a litre of oil for ?2.88.

Good luck…

I changed the gearbox oil today for EP80/90 (needed 2.5 litres) and tweaked the clutch cable nuts a bit tighter. The result is that i now have a silky smooth gearchange and a big smile on my face!! thanks for the help guys !

"I love it when a plan comes together!"

Greg said

I changed the gearbox oil today for EP80/90 (needed 2.5 litres) and tweaked the clutch cable nuts a bit tighter. The result is that i now have a silky smooth gearchange and a big smile on my face!! thanks for the help guys !

I have a similar problem too. I did exactly the same today! It already feels better, but then I've only driven it around 10 yards forwards and backwards (in total). VW dealers do the little side-side gearchange linkages, I will purchase and fit some of these (I'd already fitted the regular 'bush' kit for the gearchange). Then it makes sense to adjust the splined fitting that the main rod is in, to get a smooth first gear, if needs be.

I'll let you all know how it feels once all the above is done and I've had a chance to drive it properly!