Hi, Tim I did this a couple months ago. The lever got a real long travel, until I couldnt get it out of 2nd gear. I drove slowly homewards in 2nd, had only a few kms to go. When I got home, I crawled under the van, assuming that the coupling was loose. A friend of mine pulled the lever, and suddenly, it was loose, broken. I checked with the VW dealer the next day, a new lever was about $80 here. I didnt bother fixing or finding a used replacement at that price. Replacement was easy, took about an hour. If you decide to find a used lever, 4-speeds and Syncros use the same lever, 5-speed is different. p/n for 4-speed/Syncro is: 251 711 121 E PerL 88 Syncro Tim Smith wrote: > Hi, > > Anyone else had the gearshift break off in their hand? > > Trying for reverse yesterday and it came loose. Shifter travel had been > getting larger and vaguer for a week prior. Had cracked at the little > dimple that a setscrew locks into, hidden under the rubber boot. Shifter is > a hollow tube, crack just worked it's way across fast. May want to check > yours sometime. > > Quick fix was not quick, had to run a tap down the remaining stub and up > into the broken bit, then thread in a bit of 3/8" coarse thread rod and > screw parts together. This was just enough to get low and second gears, > reverse was a fight. Once home I took it all out and welded the rod in > place solidly. PITA if this had happened in the boonies. > > Why do I still drive this vehicle? > > bye, Tim > > '87 Syncro Westy, shiftless in suburbia > '85 CrewCab auto > '85 7 seater parts van (also auto!) |
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