Few 16v questions

[Gambit]

the alignment tool wont work unless all bushes are new/or near enough new!!

[rubjonny]

Yeah definitely get all the gear linkage bushes replaced before you mess with the alignment!

I have to do the linkage on my GTI at the weekend, I'm going to take lots of photos and do a full FAQ post on it

[Justins145bhpMK1]

Thanks for the advice guys. Ill wait till you post how you got on doing the linkage and then Ill go from there, off to pick the car up now, woo Hoo!!!!

[Justins145bhpMK1]

Hey guys, well ive driven the valver about a bit and had a look at the prob wqith slipping into reverse. Would appear that its a case of the ball at the bottom of the gearstick becoming worn causing the gearstick to drop a litle hence being easy to engage reverse when looking for 1st.

Ive got the repair kit from VW and am going to have a crack at fiting it. Has anyone tried this? Looks easy enough providing you can get the retaining pin out.

Any advice would be most welocme.. im smittem with the 16v. Think its actually a better car than my mk1 1.9 TSR Campaign GTI and thats saying something!!!!!

[rubjonny]

Its pretty straightforward to do but a bit fiddly:

1. Remove the gearstick gaitor & centre console to give you more room to work
2. Undo the 2 10mm nuts either side of the gearstick.

Now get under the car
3. Remove the exhaust centre heat shield by removing the 6 nuts/clips holding it on, then rotate it round the exhaust an off the car
4. Shove the housing up into the car, it is only held in by gravity & grease at this point 
5. Remove 4 13mm nuts holding the plate
6. Now get back in the car, pull up on the stick and push down on the plate you have just undone
7. Next Jiggle the housing about untill you can get it out
8. If the ball looks like it is worn you can remove it, I didn't bother as it looked OK. Its tricky, you need to press the ball upwards while someone holds the gearlever down, then you need to remove the split pin. Not an easy task!
9. Refitting is the reverse of removal

[monzablue16v]

Yeah definitely get all the gear linkage bushes replaced before you mess with the alignment!

I have to do the linkage on my GTI at the weekend, I'm going to take lots of photos and do a full FAQ post on it

You do hs rubjonny? or did u leave it for another day??/

[rubjonny]

Sorry I didn't get round to it yet!  I'll get it done next weekend I recon

[KKK]

You can use the alignment tool with worn bushes - you just have to preload them to take up the slack.  You can either work it out logically (mildly brain-aching), or just tighten the selector rod clamp down while pulling the selector mechanism at the gearbox end so it pushes the gear lever to the RH side of the car.  If you can't get 1st gear easily, just do it again so that the gear lever gets pushed to the LH side.   

KKK