On 4 Nov 2003 at 9:20, David Brodbeck wrote:

> On Mon, 3 Nov 2003, Bravo Sierra wrote:
>
> > first, it has become very difficult to shift into first or second gear.
> > it often takes signifigant force and several attempts to get into gear.
> > there doesn't seem to be any temperature dependence (ambient or tranny)
> > in how much effort is required.  i'm pretty confident that the clutch is
> > disengaging all the way, so it seems that the syncros are bad for those
> > gears, except that the tranny was supposedly rebuilt last year before i
> > bought the van.
>
> If it's hard while you're stationary, it's not the syncros.  Bad syncros
> cause grinding when you shift while moving.
>
> Before you blame the tranny, check your shift linkage for worn parts and
> try adjusting it.

I had similar problems during our last trip, except that I was fairly sure it was poor
lube in the shift linkage, since I had the tranny out, and rushed it back in without
lubing the linkage bushings. Here's a good quick fix that I used, and should help
pinpoint the problem:

Buy a can of aerosol lithium grease with a thin tube for spraying in tight places (like
wd-40 uses). Insert tube into each side of bushing boot near trans and spray until
grease oozes out. Repeat for boot accessible from rear of gas tank, above tank. If
this makes a difference, then it means you should probably remove the linkage at
some point and replace/lube the bushings...

--
Shawn Wright
http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright
'88 Westy 375k
'85 Jetta D 263k
'85 Jetta TD 482k (retired)
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