have to depress shifter to get 1st and 2nd

[79rabbit4dr]

The guy I bought my car from said he just got used to 1st and 2nd being hard to find but i'd like to fix it.
When I bought my 81 1.6 na rabbit a couple months ago, I immediately jacked her up and took a look underneath. I had to change out the passenger side axle because it was clunking really bad and I noticed I only had one nut holding the rear motor mount, and it was loose. Replaced that but it seems that 1st and 2nd might even be harder to find now. I have to actually push the shifter down, like i'm going to hit reverse, and shove it into gear. With some luck i'll hit it in a couple tries.

Any suggestions?

[blkboostedtruck]

yep you need a shifter bushing kit!
Duane

[Quantum TD]

Is your car a 4-speed or a 5-speed? The reason I ask, is that someone may have converted your car from a 4 to a 5 speed, and may not have changed the shifter box. The lateral movement on the box is less on a 4-speed than a 5. In which case, you may have to push down on the shifter to hit 1+2 or 5th gears.

If you have a 4-speed, then you just need to adjust the linkage. But, when you do, it's always a good idea to replace all the bushings as Duane noted.

This scenario may hold true for a stock 5-speed too.

[Smokey Eddy]

uhhh sorta, kinda, not related....
sometimes it's extremely hard to shift OUT of fith after driving for say ...30 minutes on the freeway. Related? bushings?

[blkboostedtruck]

uhhh sorta, kinda, not related....
sometimes it's extremely hard to shift OUT of fith after driving for say ...30 minutes on the freeway. Related? bushings?

you smoke prolly use new linkage and check gear oil in trans!
if you get low in a 5speed it will burn up your 5th gear and the trannys done!
also check your blinker fluid just to be on the safe side! :shock:
Duane

[jtanguay]

uhhh sorta, kinda, not related....
sometimes it's extremely hard to shift OUT of fith after driving for say ...30 minutes on the freeway. Related? bushings?

you smoke prolly use new linkage and check gear oil in trans!
if you get low in a 5speed it will burn up your 5th gear and the trannys done!
also check your blinker fluid just to be on the safe side! :shock:
Duane

x2 after getting my car oil sprayed at rust check (expensive, but worth it) my shifter became very 'loose' and after changing the oil in my tranny, the shifting is amazing! before it was like glue, and the stuff that came out of the tranny was pretty disgusting... you don't need to get your car undercoated though.. just buy some of that stuff and spray into the linkage. i had my car sprayed once back in 2005 and its still pretty loose, but i can tell its getting a little bit worse (very slightly)

btw, change your gear oil after going on a 30 min drive on the highway.  that way it'll be nice and thin and most of it will drain out.  otherwise it will be pretty thick and not all of it will come out... (it'll stick to certain parts)

two good 'mods'!!! FTW!@#!@  :lol:

[zukgod1]

also check your blinker fluid just to be on the safe side! :shock:
Duane

I'll second this one, that stuff can get Nasty!

 :?

[rabbitman]

Yeah bushing kits are cheap on ebay. Also, there is in adjustment under the car I think at the front of the rod that comes forward off the shifter. It's a clamp that you loosen and you then adjust side to side and front to back shifter movement. If you have a bentley it shows how to do it.
Definitely change your tranny oil!! :!:
My rabbit is converted to a 5 speed and it is hard to adjust it but it's doable. Unless it's coverted right you can tell what tranny the car had new, in the new bushing kit there's a short rod w/ a rubber ball at the end, original 4 speeds had a small ball about 7/8" and 5 speeds were a big ball a little over an inch. Good luck!

[Ltsmash]

Yep, tranny oil for sure.  My car would barely go into 1st and 2nd, had a hard time grabbing 5th as well.  Swapped out the tranny fluid for some nice 75-90 synth. nice and smooth. Good way to get all the crap flushed out is just to push a little fresh fluid through the fill, with the drain open until clean fluid comes out. Should only take about 1/4L or so.  

If the shifter is sloppy as hell, moves a inch or more while in gear, might not be a bad idea to swap out those bushings

[79rabbit4dr]

thanks everyone!

i'm pretty sure it's the bushings, had my neighbor mechanic take a look at it and he showed me where all the slop was coming from. little rubber bushing when the long straight piece under the car connects and takes a turn upwards - just behind the bell housing.

[Jolly1977]

Yup, my 80 Rabbit 1.5 NA w/ 4 spd and 99k miles has a similar issue.  Its impossible to shift directly into 1st gear when the car has warmed up.  I have to shift from 2nd up to 1st everytime to get it into gear.  At first I was thinking it was worn synchro's on 1st gear???  But, maybe a tranny oil change will do it some good...