Hi guys! Getting frustrated here Since last year when i was done with my golf mk2 abf conversion I've had problems with shifting. The problem is that it's very dense when i want to shift into any gear, like something's in the way before i get into gear. My 02A shifting tower was worn out (VERY sloppy), that was one of the reasons i changed to 02J tower and shifter box. I tried to double clutch to see if it was sync problem but i didn't feel any difference! I bleed the clutch to make sure it wasn't the problem and its no difference. I also corrected the shifter box with the dieselgeek tutorial to make sure the shifting is correct. Also, the oil in the gearbox is Redline MT90. Does anyone have any experience about this? am i the only one in the whole world with this problem? i can't find any smart solution to this on the internetz.
Hmm, That's a tricky one. If you disconnect the shifter and move the tower with your hand in the engine bay does it feel bad at all? I'm trying to narrow it down slightly. If that feel fine and you can get the gears easy then it must be clutch relatedlol
id say maybe pull the tower...does it work in all directions freely by hand ? work the shifter ..does it all feel free and easy ? does it change same engine off and engine on?
mat-mk3, pigbladder: I went out and removed the cables from the tower and it didn't feel smooth when i tried to shift in my opinion. Since i don't know anyone who has mk4 that i can compare with i can't be 100% sure if its supposed to be that way or not, but it doesn't feel smooth at all. When i shift in the car without cables attached there's no problem. Its not the same thing with engine on or off, this happens when the engine is on! Another thing i find difficult is to move from gear to neutral, specially from 5th gear. I was at the junkyard few days ago and tested shifting on a vw sharan vr6, it was smooth and nice! I felt like this at 0.30 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoDSdBUOTHc
mine disconected feels super light and easy at the gearstick..sounds like thats your problem maybe a kinked or rusty cable ?
pigbladder, not sure if i wrote wrong but it feels light and easy at the gearstick for me too (without the cables connected to the shifter tower), so its not the gearstick/cable problem.
If the cables etc are all fine then it sounds like your gearbox tower. Do you know how many miles are on it? I would take it out for inspection. Only 2 bolts, just don't drop anything down the hole!
Yea, its easy to remove. I'm not really sure how many miles are on the tower (from the junkyard) i think its around 22.000 miles (swedish) 220.000 kilometers. How do i know if the tower is faulty?
22000 Miles is quite different from 220,000 kilometerslol The main thing to look at is if the spring is in good condition & also the main bearing. When you take it out does it come sloppy?
Yea haha, i meant swedish miles, 1mile = 10kilometers, fuzzy typing I think the spring was allright, but im not sure about the bearing. I can remove it tomorrow and take some pics! is it possible that the tower isn't the issue? maybe something in the gearbox? i'm amazed that i'm the only one with this problem! I usually drive passat 1.8t and the shifting on it is fantastic compared to mine. It buggers me every time i drive!
When I 1st put the 02j shifter an tower in it was very stiff. I did have to change the bearing though. Once some miles went on it loosened up nicely. Have you aligned the shifter and tower correctly. That could give you problems.
tshirt2k, you know the oem number for that bearing? If i understand you correctly, i went throught this guide to align the shifter and tower http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sheTKD03hmo
Thats correct Romka. Does your shifter move anything like what is in the video? Thats what mine works like and is that smooth.
The pn is in this thread. Although its not a very good bearing. http://www.clubgti.com/showthread.php?229024-02j-shift-tower-rebuild&highlight=02j+tower+bearing The reason I rebuilt my tower was because it was wobbly and worn. The tower has bushes and a bearing that wears. So I replaced all parts to tighten it up. If yours has done alot of miles it will need a refurb to get the best shift possible. I noticed this same issue with some 02a towers that I had. The one I had on my car was loose in comparison to a spare I had.
If your's has 220,000km on it i would say it needs a rebuild. Im not saying it's the cause of your problem but it would be my first port of call.
I looks smooth when he's shifting! it doesnt feel as smooth for me i would say, i have to force it all the way and sometimes i have to force it the other way too. I can make a video if it helps! tshirt2k: I was at the junkyard today and took the tower from an audi tt -99 that went 240,000km and the bearing looked better on it than mine! The donator ABF i took the the engine and gearbox from went over 240,500km before i mounted them on my mk2. The original tower in the 02A gearbox was totally worn out, the bearing fell apart and the "the metal ball" that makes "the click" when you switch the gears didnt work at all, i could move from gear to gear barely feeling it (very sloppy), but it was easier to put in gear if you know what i mean since there wasnt any encounter in the tower. However, the ball in the 02J tower works and you hear "the click" and you can feel it when you remove the tower from the gearbox. ALSO..... when i went to the car this morning and tried to shift before i started the engine it was VERY dense. I had problems to get into 3rd and 4th and 5th, i had to force them. But couldn't shift into 1st and 2nd, there was no way!! not until i stamped on the clutch, then i could shift into them. Another thing, the easiest gear i can shift to is the reverse! it feels very smooth compared to the others! Here are some pics: Mine Audi TT No difference with the Audi TT tower..
Rebuild the whole tower as per the thread I posted. You probably need the bushes around the relay lever too. Also sounds like its not aligned very well. Is the shifter definitely a 5 speed and do you have the correct cable bracket too. Just making sure nothing is missed as you shouldn't have to force gears at all. Mine was stiff after the rebuild but as I said, it loosened up nicely once driven.
You said that yours was "wobbly and worn", mine doesnt feel like that. If i compare it to my old tower from 02A it looks and feels like new (outside the gearbox)! The shifter and and cable bracket are taken from same car, golf mk4 gti -00. Here are some pics of my 02A tower before 02J
You are comparing a really bad 02a with a worn 02j. The 02j is better anyway but they can still wear. Maybe take some pics of it installed or vids of the movement. It may help people help you.
Yea, there was absolutely no resistance in the 02a tower, i think that's the reason i though it was easier to shift before i used the car as a donator. I'm uploading videos right now.
