Transmission questions

[hillbillybuddha]

Ah, I was under the impression that fluid come back would be darker and/or reddish as it cleaned. And after watching a few youtube videos that made it sound like the fluid was so hot, that they were worried that it might melt the plastic bottle they used, I thought "mines just kinda warm" So I mentioned it.

I'm pretty mechanical  (I've rebuilt a few engines and a couple transmissions) but I'm mostly good at following directions. So I'm hoping I can figure out this transmission shifter situation.

[air-cooled or diesel]

anything it flushed out of the pump to the injectors gets burnt, some gets recycled back thru the return.
the bottle or can feeding is before pump thru a fuel or fi line, shouldnt get hot, the injector lines get warm but thats not near the inlet line to the pump.

[vanbcguy]

The pump itself generates some heat so yes you will notice the diesel purge getting hot. The purpose of the large amount of fuel flowing out of the pump back to the tank is cooling for the injection pump.

[TylerDurden]

Yep the lines & jar can get warm. I do this a couple times a year.

If the Dieselpurge doesn't get darker, probably no crud in the IP to dissolve... not a bad thing.

[hillbillybuddha]

Ok. I checked all of the bushings and they all looked good except the shift lever relay ball. The big rubber ball was broken in half. And the one that came with the kit was the wrong one. It was a little longer and had a smaller rubber ball. I was able to get the right one pretty quickly though. And I got it changed.

I'm having another issue now. I can find all the gears really easy now and there's no more mistaking 1st and reverse. BUT it's really tough to get it into 1st and 2nd, meaning, it takes a lot of strength to get into gear, like my girlfriend can't do it. It doesn't feel like a synchro issue,  more like something isn't lining up correctly and I'm not sure what it is. We loosened the bolts on the lever (from inside the car) and moved it over a mm or so and that helped but it's still not right. I'm wondering if it might be the motor mounts? There are a couple that look like they had been drenched in oil and have started to deteriorate.

Anything else I should check?

[vanbcguy]

Google "4 crawler VW shifter adjustment" and you should find an excellent site with a ton of info and shifter linkage parts. The 020 linkage shifter is pretty Rube Goldberg but it can be made better. Yes, severely deteriorated motor mounts will have a negative effect but if you have a lot of oil back there then there are some shifter bushings in addition to the one you mentioned worth checking out.

[ORCoaster]

Hillbilly....    Sounds like you need to adjust the position of the shaft.  There is a clamping bolt on the front of the shaft that is up near the front of the firewall.  Do you have a Bentley?  The gap between the edge of the shift lever and the hanging down part of the shift box needs to be 17MM.  You put a pair of vice grip pliers on the shaft and hold it as you loosen the clamp.  It only takes a bit and you then can hold that ball part steady with one hand and move the pliers one way or the other a very little bit and get that distance you need.  I know that if you go to far it likes to slip into reverse and if it isn't far enough it is trying to find third instead of first.  Or fourth instead of second.  I think that is what you have going on there.

[hillbillybuddha]

I think you are right. I do have the Bentley Manual. Is the procedure outlined in there? I just got the car and the PO threw in the manual. I haven't had an opportunity to check it out yet.
Should the shifter be in a specific gear while I adjust it or neutral?

Today is my long day at work so I won't get a chance until tomorrow.

Thanks

[ORCoaster]

I think you adjust in neutral.  I have been fighting this problem for a while and I think I need to rebuild the shifter base itself and stop trying to solve the problem with adjustment.  Also the procedure for adjusting the transmission linkage and 5 spd detent is in there too. 

[hillbillybuddha]

Ok. I adjusted the shaft end. I put a cassette tape cover in between the shifter box and the shaft. In neutral  (but honestly neutral seems like a weird position to set it in because it's so lose there, but that's how I did it.) No change at all. Shifts exactly the same as it did before. Real hard to get into first and second, like there's not enough room to the left. Like where it stops and up is 3rd gear and if it goes into 1st, it gets hung up or stuck on something.
I can grab the shaft that goes into the trans and move it freely into each of the gears without any problems so I know the issue is not in the transmission but in the maze of shafts.

[burn_your_money]

You are one spline off. Loosen the 13mm nut and slide the linkage off the shaft and move it one spline over. I would think you need to move the shaft clockwise looking back to front of the car.

[ORCoaster]

Let me go check the Bentley.  It may be that you don't do this in Neutral but push the shift lever over towards third or get it between third and fourth.    Yep it says The gearshift will be away fro the driver's seat aligned with the gate for 3rd and 4th gears.  Distance between the edge of the shift finger and the box hanging down should be 20 mm for the 4 spd and 15 mm for the 5 spd transmission.

Maybe I was trying to go to wide on my adjustment and that is what is wrong with mine.  Thanks for asking and making me look this up.

[ORCoaster]

Ever since I re-positioned the engine in it's mounts my transmission has been hard to get into 1st.  I have driven it up on ramps at least 8 times trying to readjust it and today I finally got smarter about it.  Jack stands.  Yep, make a little adjustment and try it with the engine running.  Reverse OK, first?  Nope but third instead.  Another adjustment and trial.  Finally got it and I don't think it is even close to the # of MM I was thinking.  But then after 33 years are specs even anything more than a guide? 

I really recommend this method as the way to prove out the adjustments.  I did also note that the shaft can be slipped front to back some as well so pay attention there.  To far back might not allow you to get first or third. 

Finally I can pull up to a stop light, slip it into first and not fear I actually have reverse and the fella behind me is looking real nervous.  Or trying to pull away from said light only to be lugging it in third.