gearbox bushkit hell

[17gti]

hi i just changed all the bushes on the gearlink and i think i done the wrong thing i took the whole thing out and dident change it one bye one as i think i should of now i put it all back together and its a nightmare when i put it in first it dont go it just goes into revers without pushing it done and the gear stick is really bad it feels like its rwaly heavy and dont go into gear what can it be

[moonsta]

  did you lubicate all the bits when you put it back together as that would account for the stiffness?? as for it going into reverse instead of first you need a special tool, to align the selector rod up otherwise you will be there all day trying to set it up (especially if you are doing alone) these tools were being sold on ebay for about £10 and comprise of a plate that fits at the gear lever end and sets up the gear linkage in neutral before you do up the pinch bolt underneath.i did my gti the other day with this tool and it was the best tenner i have spent. where abouts are you?? joe

[Veedub1989]

the clamp that clamps over the shift rod should be between 12-15mm from the end, also the white piece of plastic as you are looking down at the gearstick with the boot off should be 10mm from the left hand side. I got this from a Group A VW motorsport 16v setup and although it seemed a little too simple at first I arranged my gear linkage like this and it was perfect straight away. Ill try find the printout and put up the pic....

[Dannyd]

just done this myself and what a t!"£t of a job. it will feel stiff for a bit you should have done the linkage bit by bit but hey were here to learn!!!
as for the gear change get somebody to sit in the car and position the gear lever between third and forth gear in neutral and tighten the shift up under the car this will work but you be very lucky to get it right first time!
good luck matey and may the force be with you!

[17gti]

thanks for you texts i managed to set the gearstick up to go into 1 2 3 4 5 and reverse but it seems a bit rought its not smooth it feels like its  bodge kinda think