More problems - Popping out of 4th gear

slowshoes posted:

 We went out for a drive this evening and the car was popping out of 4th gear - especially with bumps in the road or getting on the gas a bit.

  I noticed this the first couple of times driving the car, but I wasn't sure if my leg was hitting the shifter. Now I'm sure - it's not my leg. There's is also something rattling around what sounds like right underneath us when in the lower range in 4th - I don't notice the rattle during acceleration.

 The car is a VS with a freeway flyer transmission and a 1915cc engine - it has all of 80 miles on it. I put a couple of cheapie seat belts in today (still haven't received them from Vintage) and we thought we might give the highway a go - but now the car just doesn't feel safe until we get this issue straightened out.

 Thanks for any help,

 Bill

This is the SAME NEW VS that came delivered WITHOUT SEAT BELTS?

Very sorry to hear of these difficulties with a new car.......I would need a SEDATIVE!

 y

Banzai Pipeline posted:

 

 

This is the SAME NEW VS that came delivered WITHOUT SEAT BELTS?

Very sorry to hear of these difficulties with a new car.......I would need a SEDATIVE!

 Yes, the same one. Now I'm worried sick that I have a bad transmission.

slowshoes posted:

 y

Banzai Pipeline posted:

 

 

This is the SAME NEW VS that came delivered WITHOUT SEAT BELTS?

Very sorry to hear of these difficulties with a new car.......I would need a SEDATIVE!

 Yes, the same one. Now I'm worried sick that I have a bad transmission.

I am as concerned as you are....NOT to be an alarmist but how does a vehicle get delivered WITHOUT SEAT BELTS when it is mandatory in 50 states? I'd be concerned that they have not paid appropriate attention to your vehicle...but it is WARANTY covered so give them a chance to RECTIFY any issues and NOT jump to conclusions. They will have to FIX/REPLACE whatever might be an issue.......

More likely something is just a bit out of alignment. Someone with more knowledge in this area will be by shortly to assist you. 

Maybe 4th isn't engaging all the way. Try loosening the shifter hold down bolts and pushing the stop plate forward a smidge.

Here's good article on adjusting the shifter stop plate.

http://www.vw-resource.com/plateadj.html

I would check your front transmission mount which would be the rattle or noise underneath you. I've had a fairly new one come apart which allows the nose of the tranny to move up and down during acceleration an deceleration. It may appear to be good so check carefully.

If this checks out follow Wolfie's lead to the linkage adjustment.

and on the upside the smiles for miles will outweigh the troubles your having at the moment once you get past these setbacks.

I agree with Ed - Mine used to pop out of second going down my steep driveway.  Loosened the shift lever plate a little and tapped the lever base forward maybe 1/8" or so and that cured it.  

As mentioned above there are a handful of things that can cause this.

Not enough throw into the gear would be the easiest fix obviously.  However, it has been my experience that unless you have some physical obstruction blocking only 4th gear, you are more likely to not engage reverse at all or pop out of 2nd on down shifts before popping out of 4th...

Broken/loose/separated nosecone mount.  The aftermarket "stock" VW nosecone mounts are pretty much junk these days.  Ive seen he separate the rubber/metal in short order.  We actually use CB's Rhino mount exclusively for this reason. They can also be hard to see if they are separated because it takes a load to make them move.  You can put a slight amount of pressure on the mid section of the gearbox with a jack and see if you see the mount move completely (loose mount) or the rubber move away from the metal (separated mount).

Also could be a a bad 4th gear slider inside the box, just not holding under load.  Not sure how mechanical you are and you are able to get help, but when we have a box pull itself out of gear we disconnect the shift rod form the gearbox and I have a passenger shift the hockey stick on the nosecone through the access hole.  With nothing attached to the transaxle at all, if it pops out of gear while doing this, you know it is internal.

I can't say I've seen huge issue with 4th gear, but 2nd gear pop is not uncommon these days...

 Thanks for the replies - I think I'm going to need help sorting this out. Would it be necessary to try to find an air cooled VW specialty shop to try and fix this, or could a regular transmission shop tackle this.

Can anyone give an explanation on what I need to do to move the stop plate up a bit as Ed and Gordon suggest? Does the fact that I even have to ask this suggest I should probably leave it to someone who knows how to do it? ( I.e. can I make things much worse).

 Bill

 

Wolfgang posted a great walkthrough for adjusting the stop plate, button short you are simply loosening the 2 8mm bolts (13mm wrench) enough for the plate to slide, tapping it forward slightly, and retightening.  That said, I would contact VS first so you don't get a "well you messed with it" type of reply.

Where are you located BTW? I have Beck warranty shops all over the US and may be able to make a recommendation to help you with your VS based on location.

chines1 posted:

Wolfgang posted a great walkthrough for adjusting the stop plate, button short you are simply loosening the 2 8mm bolts (13mm wrench) enough for the plate to slide, tapping it forward slightly, and retightening.  That said, I would contact VS first so you don't get a "well you messed with it" type of reply.

Where are you located BTW? I have Beck warranty shops all over the US and may be able to make a recommendation to help you with your VS based on location.

 I'm in Michigan, just south of Detroit - a recommendation would be great, if you have one. I'm going to call Kirk in a bit to see what his suggestions are too.

Monk's Motors  (talk to Chris)

3080 W Huron St, Waterford Twp, MI 48328 

@slowshoes Hey it's not that big of deal really. Lift the boot up and you'll see a couple of bolts holding the shifter on. Put the car into 4th, loosen those bolts up just a little and pull the shifter back as far as it will go and snug the bolts up a little.

Now make sure 1st is good by moving the shifter to 1st, then 2nd, and 3rd. If you feel like you are hitting the range then tighten up the bolts and test.

Hopefully it's as simple as that.

I'm in Dearborn. Send me a PM & I'll hook you up with someone.

>
>

Was it new VS that had the issue of carpet under the stop plate causing issues? If there is carpet there, cut it away so the stop plate fits flush with metal tunnel.

If there was ever a case for getting a Tardis for DRClock - this is it.  The WhoDr doesn't need it any more - have you heard the next DrWho is a women! #13 and they make the Dr a women.

I had a 914 that would pop out of first.    It was a bushing in the tunnel.

In Waterford, it is Munk's, not Monk's.

 

chines1 posted:

Monk's Motors  (talk to Chris)

3080 W Huron St, Waterford Twp, MI 48328 

(248) 681-8081

They are not one of my warranty shops but I have used them in the past and have several clients who use them currently...

  Thanks for that - I did bring them up on a search, so it's good to hear that others have used them and been happy.

 I hate to start messing with things - then all of a sudden, the trans issues could become my fault in VS eyes because I tried fixing it myself. If it was off warranty, that's one thing, but a brand new car that I've had for a week and a half with 80 miles on it is another.

 That said, I do appreciate the information from everyone - I'll be passing it along to whoever I take it to. 

   Bill

my last new VS was 1/2 full of tranny oil upon delivery, thank goodness I checked it.

 Talked with Kirk and he said there's a linkage that needs to be adjusted. He said to go ahead and try moving the shifter plate forward and see if that helps. I moved the plate forward a little and took the car out for a drive. I took the allen wrench with me and when it popped out again, I pulled over and moved it forward a bit more. I kept doing that until it was as far forward as it was going to go, and it still popped out of gear.

  Just for the heck of it I tried moving it back quite a bit and it popped out even worse. Kirk said just take the car in and have the linkage adjusted and he'll pick up the tab, so that's what I'm going to do.

 Thanks everyone.

 Bill

Not sure how VS shortens the shift rod 10.5" .  He may weld in and use a threaded coupler (lower in photo) in the rear (a removeable plate under carpet jut forward of rear seat).  If so perhaps the locking nut wasn't tighten and is moved?  Also worth checking the coupler (upper in photo) there for looseness/damage.

 

I took delivery of my VS Outlaw in March and even though I test drove out in CA and had no issues, when I got it here it would pop out of 2nd and 4th frequently, not always.  Had the linkage adjusted at a Vintage VW Shop that works on a number of local VS speedsters - couldn't rectify it.  I contacted Kirk and he shipped a new tranny, paid for installation, and return shipping no muss no fuss - car shifts like a DREAM now.  You have to have the linkage checked though by someone that knows what they are doing.

Verbieten posted:

I took delivery of my VS Outlaw in March and even though I test drove out in CA and had no issues, when I got it here it would pop out of 2nd and 4th frequently, not always.  Had the linkage adjusted at a Vintage VW Shop that works on a number of local VS speedsters - couldn't rectify it.  I contacted Kirk and he shipped a new tranny, paid for installation, and return shipping no muss no fuss - car shifts like a DREAM now.  You have to have the linkage checked though by someone that knows what they are doing.

  It's nice that Kirk is standing behind his cars, but a bad transmission is what I'm worried about.

slowshoes posted:

Verbieten posted:

I took delivery of my VS Outlaw in March and even though I test drove out in CA and had no issues, when I got it here it would pop out of 2nd and 4th frequently, not always.  Had the linkage adjusted at a Vintage VW Shop that works on a number of local VS speedsters - couldn't rectify it.  I contacted Kirk and he shipped a new tranny, paid for installation, and return shipping no muss no fuss - car shifts like a DREAM now.  You have to have the linkage checked though by someone that knows what they are doing.

  It's nice that Kirk is standing behind his cars, but a bad transmission is what I'm worried about.

Even the finest METICULOMANIAC can have a rough day as a fluke defect, rarely in play, can ruin a fine machine. The GOOD THING is that it WILL be remedied and fixed by an honorable builder.

Even the finest METICULOMANIAC can have a rough day as a fluke defect, rarely in play, can ruin a fine machine. The GOOD THING is that it WILL be remedied and fixed by an honorable builder.

 I agree - I'm definitely not trying to throw Kirk under the bus for this. He gets the parts and expects them to be right - not his fault that they may not be. In the mean time, I'm hopefully just an adjustment away from having a perfectly working trans.

But he is responsible for sorting the car (before shipping it out) and double checking the work of his minions.

Bill should not have to deal with this the day he received a new car...

crhemi (Bill) poboiinhawaii posted:

But he is responsible for sorting the car (before shipping it out) and double checking the work of his minions.

Bill should not have to deal with this the day he received a new car...

YES INDEED...but it did take a few miles before the tranny scenario came into play AND it is possible that there was NO WAY for him to know that OR manage it in advance? The missing seat belts are a NO EXCUSE SNAFU....

crhemi (Bill) poboiinhawaii posted:

But he is responsible for sorting the car (before shipping it out) and double checking the work of his minions.

Bill should not have to deal with this the day he received a new car...

If I were building these cars there'd be about 100 miles on the ODO before I sent it out.

 

Robert M posted:

 

 

If I were building these cars there'd be about 100 miles on the ODO before I sent it out.

 This started happening on our first drive off the delivery truck, so even 20 miles would have spotted the problem. In way of looking for an explanation, we thought maybe my leg was hitting the shifter. I know that shouldn't knock a car out of gear, but we we're hoping for some sort of simple explanation.

 Hopefully, a simple linkage adjustment will do the trick. I'll update after we take our car in.

How did this turn out?

Hi Impala,

A blast from my past, to be sure. The trans was bad - Kirk sent a new one in a timely fashion, and I had Munk's do the install. Kirk only paid for half the install, which was disappointing - I think folks who lived close to the shop probably got much better resolution for any problems that popped up on their cars, as opposed to those of us who live across the country.

The new trans has been trouble free, which certainly helped me get over the sour start I had with the car. At that point in time, Lynn and I had just gotten home from pretty much living at St Louis Children's Hospital for a year and a half, helping our young grandson get through his brutal cancer treatment regimen - the last thing we wanted to deal with was major problems with a new car. A stressful time - but everything worked out in the end, both for our grandson and the car.

  Bill

Happy endings for sure! I am so glad and thankful for your grandson’s situation! Thanks for the update!!

@MikelB posted:

I would check your front transmission mount which would be the rattle or noise underneath you. I've had a fairly new one come apart which allows the nose of the tranny to move up and down during acceleration an deceleration. It may appear to be good so check carefully.

If this checks out follow Wolfie's lead to the linkage adjustment.

+1

Different kettle of fish but last year I was noticing some difficult shifting in my Spyder. Underneath the car on an unrelated matter I noticed I’d lost one trans mount bolt and was 2-3 threads from losing the other. Tightened it all back up and shifting was fine.