While doing a lot of other maintenance on my L Bug, I decided to replace the shift rod bush. I have already done it a while ago (probably about 15 years ago), and figured it could be one of the small rattles I now have.
I removed the shift rod (the old bush was OK by the way - go figure) and I noticed that the shift rod has small bends in it (see photo).
Is this normal?
Is this a problem?
Should I straighten it out befor I re-install it?
From your ole' mate Jeff
beetleboyjeff wrote:While doing a lot of other maintenance on my L Bug, I decided to replace the shift rod bush. I have already done it a while ago (probably about 15 years ago), and figured it could be one of the small rattles I now have.
I removed the shift rod (the old bush was OK by the way - go figure) and I noticed that the shift rod has small bends in it (see photo).
Is this normal?
Is this a problem?
Should I straighten it out before I re-install it?
Hi Jeff..
NO NO NO....
I know of two beetle owners in the USA...
both ?? decided to straighten their shifter shafts....
couldn't get any gears....???
Had to bend them back..... lol
Just as well You asked Jeff....
LEE
PS: Jeff.. do You think its possible to replace that bush without taking the shaft out??? I've never done mine..
have a couple of new ones.. LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
bends are normal
thats odd? in type 3s they are dead straight.
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE
Some have a very slight dog leg in the middle some don't.
I've never actually pulled any of my Lbug ones right out of the tunnel to check but the couple of Sbugs I've stripped have been straight as a die.
Lbugs have a shorter rod though
Thanks for the replies.
I couldn't see how it would have got bent, and figured it must have always been like that.
I also figured that the bends (being relatively minor) wouldn't make any difference to the shift.
If I hadn't asked, I would have left them in - if it aint broke, don't fix it.
It was quite easy to remove - the only trick was the plate on the front of the tunnel isn't exactly a plate - it is more of a big brace? (for want of a better term) See pictures.
From your ole' mate Jeff
If I could get the damned thing out I could check the one I have here Jeff, I know it is taken out through the front, but where at the front?
Aha, so you answered my question while I was trying to do just that.
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
It's just a crash deformation plate and is an ass to get out if the sway bar is still in place.
Mine wasn't too bad. I had to wiggle it around a bit, but only took a minute I reckon.
Just about to go and try and get it all back in again.
From your ole' mate Jeff
Joel wrote:It's just a crash deformation plate and is an ass to get out if the sway bar is still in place.
that is on a Super Beetle...
on NON Supers You take a black round plate from the body
a small round thick plate off the front of the body and a rounded rectangular plate off the chassis held on with two bolts
Don..
You may have to take Your body off.... again....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Guys,
If You can get the old bush off....
why can't the new split bush be placed over the shaft and into the bracket
LEE in 38c temperature... getting hotter...
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
Thanks Lee, the last person who told me to get my body off was........oh never mind, best not to go there. 🙄
I dream of a day when a chicken can cross a road without being asked for it's motive!
I was actually looking for a small round plate. It took me a little while to realise it was the whole piece.
You could put the bush over the shaft, but then you wouldn't be able to get it into the hole in the bracket.
In the L bug, the tunnel is long enough to be able to slide the rod completely out of the bush before it comes out the front, so you could still do it without removing the front panel. I still wanted to take it out and check it. It had a lot of surface rust (or dust in the coat of grease I put on it last time - 15 years ago I think - I will have to check my records), so I wanted to clean that off. I remember when I replaced the bush last time, the shift was getting VERY stiff - it was just that the rod needed lubrication. Made a hell of a difference.
Here is a photo of the 2 shift rod bushes - the 'yellow' one is the old one. I have taken the metal ring off it and installed it on the new one, but it still looks to be in great nick. Now that I have gone this far, I will replace it of course.
From your ole' mate Jeff
beetleboyjeff wrote:You could put the bush over the shaft, but then you wouldn't be able to get it into the hole in the bracket.
.
Why NOT JEFF???
why is it split then???
if not to fit Over the shaft???
LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
Jeff
I also noticed Your rear suspension needs a coat of paint...
Yellow or Blue would be nice...
or silver green hammertone.... would look great...
and the axles too.....
Killrust..
LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
68AutoBug wrote:beetleboyjeff wrote:You could put the bush over the shaft, but then you wouldn't be able to get it into the hole in the bracket.
.
Why NOT JEFF???
why is it split then???
if not to fit Over the shaft???
LEE
Because the bush needs to be pushed into the bracket inside the tunnel first.
When it's pushed in it squishes slight until the bracket is located in the groove on the bush.
Smiley
😎If you said I was a Volkswagen man, you'd be right.
Exactly correct Smiley. There is no way the bush would have gone through the hole with the shift rod already through it. It needs to compress untill it gets to the groove for the bracket.
I don't know about earlier bugs, but in the L bug, it is a breeze to get the shift rod in and out I reckon. I just fed it along each way with a pair of long nose pliers. I had to jiggle it a few times, but still only took me about a minute each way.
From your ole' mate Jeff
It is even quicker if you tie a piece of string through the gearbox end of the shift rod before you take it out. You then just need to pull it back through using the string. Make sure you lube it well before you thread it back through the bushing. When I did the 68, it was slightly bent but the S bug was straight. I gave them both a good sand to clear off all of the old grease and gunk build up and they work well now.
Yogie
OK GUYS
Now I know....
thanks for that... and I'll try the string trick too...
Lee
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---
good advise from yogie. sand or if you can wire buff the rod before putting them back in makes it easy and plenty of grease. 👍
What my garage isn't messy........Well chaos is a form of order isn't it?
I didn't sand the shift rod, but i did give it a hit with Mothers Mag wheel cleaner - came up great. I re-coated it with graphite grease before I re-installed it.
I think rounding up some string and tying it on would take a lot longer than just feeding the shift rod along with pointy nose pliers. I had read about the string idea on Joels 'how to' thread, that is why I thought it must be harder to do on other models. I can't see it being at all necessary on my L bug.
From your ole' mate Jeff
yeah I just pushed it through. All in all it should only be a 30min job at most.
I was 14 when I did my first shift rod bush. i just read the workshop manual and did it first go 👍
71 notchback,
Past owner of, 70 NB, 73 SB and 72 FB TLE
Thats all I did the first time, then again this time. It was very simple, that's why I wondered if some of the earlier models were harder to do.
From your ole' mate Jeff
It's the exact same process whether it's a standard or a super, only difference is the standards need the inspection plate on the frame head removed first, the rod hits these before its out of the hanger.
All explained in my howto thread.
Lee, the bushing is pretty well a tolerance fit, that's how it works by keeping the rod in the one spot and letting it spin in the hanger rather than flop around, if the bushing just slipped into the hanger with the rod still in it would fall out the first time you changed gear.
When I replaced the bushing the first time 9 years ago I didnt use a string or anything, and it was a f##king nightmare trying to feed it back through, kept getting hooked up on all the conduits for heater, handbrake and clutch cables.
Alien8 came up with a good idea of using migwire instead of string, the thinner it is the better it works
