You have it correct..The splines on the lever will allow it to go on only
one way (unless you force it)...straight down is the "N"  and back is 2nd
and fwd is 4th. In neutral, you can push it in toward the trans and get the
other 3 gears
Daryl of AA Transaxle
(425) 788-4070
aatransaxle.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ben Cichowski" <aquasheck@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 7:29 AM
Subject: Shift Lever to Transmission Attachement Question

Hi All,

Just checking to see if I did this correctly:

I recently pulled the Manual Transmission out of my 1988 Wolfsburg Vanagon
ej22 to change out some shift boots, replace a stud, transmission
mount...etc. In doing so, I of course needed to remove the shift lever (Ball
and socket that attaches to the side of the transmission). I now have
everything back in and am waiting for one more part before getting back on
the road.

Here's  the start of my question: To re-attach the shift lever ball and
socket, Bentley shows that it needs to be put on at 90 degrees pointing to
the ground in neutral (there are splines to orient it). I "found" neutral on
it by loosely putting the lever on by hand and rotating it all the way
forward on the transmission two clicks (what I assume must be 2nd and 4
gears)....then coming back all the way on the tranny to find 1st and
3rd....and finding the center of those clicks where it seemed to have a
touch of loose play. I didn't see any instructions in Bentley for this -
that tends to mean that it is something I should already know before
attempting the job ;)

So, is this the way to "find neutral" on the manual transmission so I can
attach and orient the shift lever assembly? - You'll all have to forgive me
if this is a dumb question, it is the first transmission I've reinstalled.
Luckily, it is only 1 nut to take off and re-do if I did it wrong - but I
thought I'd ask before moving to the next step, adjusting the shifter,
(which I gained a lot of practice at a few months ago, it's a fast and easy
process now!)

Thanks,
Ben

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