ok this is my very first post

i have a 69 type three beauty till last week.

i am driving for a while on the highway then come to slow down and it crunches down in to second and at the lights i cant get it in to first . basically it is just getting worse. third and forth gear still work ok.

also recently i have noticed that the clutch has been shuddering a bit lately esp. first and second

what do you guys reckon

i have time a brain a few manuals some muscles and a fair bit of patience ...... or should i just take it to someone????

Fill in your profile panle so we can see where abouts your located and advise of some place close

Other wise it sounds like the syncros in the gearbox have gone.

I will argue the toss Dave

Sounds clutch plate to me
- shuddering, synchro's wouldnt do that (?)
- cant get into first

Sounds like the plate has collapsed :o

Don't forget the simple things first. Check the clutch cable for adjustment, and check the 'dip' in the cable between the body and the gear box (this helps prevent shuddering). Also have a look at all the linkages between the gear box and gear lever. If this is no help, as Dave says, it could be the syncro's or a clutch problem.
Try double clutching gear changes, if this helps, at least you know the gears/bearings etc are OK.
Let us know how you go.
Andy

i'll give it a go then get back to ya

thanks geezers

How important is the bend in the clutch tube. What should the bend of it be.

I have had a shuddery clutch in the 57 for about a year now (mainly in first gear) and have just assumed it was an oil glaze on the clutch plate.

OK, the short semi-flexible tube between the chassis and clutch is call the Bowden tube. If it's collapsed or you've bent the rear a little or if your front transaxle mounting is torn, it won't want to go into 1st and 2nd and/or you'll get bad shudder on take off... It should have about 15mm defection to run right, although I run 25mm on my buggy because of the excessive forces that twist everything more than normal. To adjust it, you simply undo the cable, flex and pop the Bowden tube out of it's socket, add a washer or two (whatever it takes to get it right) and pop it back in. Adjust your clutch cable again and Robert's your mother's brother...

But do check mountings, alignment of rear chassis tubes (done any big jumps lately like I have?), and simply the adjustment of the clutch cable too (do you have to bury the pedal into the carpet to change gear?).

Having said all that, it could be worse, you might have shattered a bearing or bush in the gearbox... Good luck.

checked it out and the clutch cabe is seriously frayed
there is only three of the ten or twelve strands of the wire holding on

i tightened it a little and it fixed it (only temporarily

so i will change the cable check the bend in the tube ..... anything else to look for????

If it's frayed it's effed!
Put a new one in. It's fiddly but quite do-able.
To stop the end falling off the pedal lever use a strong rubber band looped over & over it. Over time the rubber falls of but it dosen't matter.

Change the cable first, and adjust it type3boy and let us know how you go.
:thumb

Don't miss the obvious: It all sounds like clutch problems, but for it to happen suddenly, all this may simply be a collapsed Throw-out bearing (the carbon type tends to go rather suddenly.) Any backyard mechanic can change one in an afternoon - just make sure you check the pivots for the throw-out arm, they are known to fail. The reason such problems are more noticeable in lower gears is simply that the engine/gearbox speeds tend to be more mismatched. The VW gearbox is a pretty tough unit (even the old non-sychros,) don't be too quick to jump to the conclusion that it has died (unless you run a serious 150HP+ street engine...)

it was the clutch cable

now its changed
everythings back to goodness and light in vworld

hows the outer tube did u get the right pre tension in it???

I just had similar probs and it end up being a sheared front gear box mount...lucky me..all sortid now

Just dragged myself out from under the Oval and found the reason for the shimmies and shakes. Too much bend in the clutch tube. About 50mm of bend forced out by some really dodgy looking half moon washers. Took out the washers, greased the cable and Shakin Stevens is no more.
Think I'm in for a new cable soon tho as a couple of the strands were snapped.
:bounce:bounce

[Edited on 16-12-2002 by Grey 57]

Grey 57 , I reduced the swoop in my Bowden tube to make the ( Super Heavy duty ) Clutch easier to operate. I did not think that too much dip in the Tube could cause shudder. Usually its from not enough dip.
Still if its fixed then Great.

Hey Glen, it surprised me too. Thought I would give it a go and see what happens.
And it worked out great. Make the thing a lot less stressful to drive around Melb.

Exactly the same problem with my Kombi - too much bend in the Bowden tube = shakes!