Golf gearbox problem!

[Charlie Croker]

I've just bought myself a 1994 golf mk3 cabriolet and it was advertised as having a reverse gear problem I.e it crunches grinds and jumps out of reverse. My pal adjusted the linkage as I thought that was the problem so now I've no reverse at all and first is where reverse was. I have been told both the box and linkage are weak on this model. Anybody any ideas on what the fault could be? Thanks in advance.

[simmo]

It still sounds like adjustment or wear in the linkage, there is a tool for setting up the linkage, did your mate have one?

[Charlie Croker]

No. We just did it by trial and error. I wasn't getting fifth either but now I do although it's where third should be.lol. The reason I think the box may be goosesd is I read on a vw forum that if the box makes a noise sounding rather like a knackard wheel bearing is away its had it. Although I suppose it could well be the bearing. It just seems to make a racket in 3rd and above. Hope this helps.

[Pillock]

Linkage is usually fairly sound on these but yeah reverse can be noisy - is it an 020 box with the release bearing on the "wrong" end?

Live with it..... the noisy reverse is nothing compared to the mess that happens when it throws a diff pin through the case.

 

 

[Charlie Croker]

"DOH". That looks grim. Problem is I have no reverse at all....it's like it's just not there. The noise is in 3 4 5th gears. It's a nitemare.

[Pillock]

On the plus side, the replacement box cost me £40 and took three days to fit, on my own, outdoors in winter with limited daylight. One person with a garage and hoist could do it in a day, easy. Might be worth to just go that route. There's a billion Mk3 Golfs being broken at any one time on eBay, the only risk is that because the reverse gear is a weakpoint you might end up with another duff box - it's very rarely it'll totally fail though, they normally just stay noisy for a few dozen thousand miles until rust inevitably claims the car.

 

Bearing is easy to check/change - the green cap behind the nearside front wheel. Prise it off, unhook the clutch cable, move the arm out the way and pull the bearing out with a magnet. They cost £6 from VW and even an idiot like me can change them in 5 minutes. Note the green cap is one-use-only so order a new one with the new bearing, you have to almost destroy them to get them off.

[fiatdaft]

with regards the gear selection,it sounds though it isn't being moved to the left enough through the linkage,easy enough on the rod change box,but never done one on the cable change box,somebody somewhere on a vag forum will have done a step by step how to guide somewhere.

 

probably.

[Volksy]

I had a similar problem on a Touran not so long back which wouldn't select 5th or reverse, there is a silver aluminium counterweighted selector on the top of the gearbox, which sits on a splined shaft going into the gearbox. it appeared the splines/aluminium had worn, and the selector was racking about with lots of play, it's secured with a single nut on the top of the splined shaft, and a correct sized washed put in between said nut and the selector cured it by eliminating the play. Not sure if it's the same on yours but worth a look.