Author Topic: No First Or Second (Read 1585 times)

tanman · « **on:** April 14, 2006, 06:34:06 PM »

hey im having big time trouble finding first and second on my 67 beetle. it seems that if i turn the stickshift around a bit i am able to find them sometimes... but the whole thing is loose and shaky. ive heard it may be some sort of bushing? any help?
also... what octane do you guys run your VWs at? mine seems to run really crappy if i use less than midgrade. normal? thanks
tanner

Chris · « **Reply #1 on:** April 14, 2006, 06:39:27 PM »

could be the shift rod coupler, you can check it, its under an inspection plate on the hump on the pan, in front of the rear seat.

Its the thing with the red urethane, or it may be a tube, also your shifter plate may have moved. I would check that coupler first before you mess with the shifter position.

tanman · « **Reply #2 on:** April 14, 2006, 06:47:07 PM »

is there also another one i can check? i thought i remembered someone saying something about a front one and a rear one? (thanks for the photo thats helpful!)

Bruce · « **Reply #3 on:** April 14, 2006, 11:25:43 PM »

When you inspect the shift coupler like in the pic above, look at the cylindrical part that is pressed into the sheet metal cage. The cylindrical part is where the square head set screw is. That part does come loose sometimes and will cause exactly what you described. Watch the set screw relative to the cage while you move the shifter left to right.

If the coupler comes up good you need to check the shift rod bushing that is in the tunnel just under and slightly behind the shifter. Remove the shifter and reach down to grab the shift rod. Wiggle it around to see if there's any play. If you get even slight play, you must replace it. They are about $3 from our host.

jason_hamilton · « **Reply #4 on:** April 15, 2006, 07:42:39 AM »

Tanner, Bruce is describing the \"front shift rod bushing\". It's a plastic ring that the shift rod rides in just behind the gearshift lever. Come and see me at AirSpeed today and I'll show you one and give you instructions on how to replace it and adjust your shift lever.

As far as fuel goes, if you have stock compression, your car should run fine on regular fuel. If your particular engine was ever rebuilt to have a higher compression ratio, then higher octane fuel may be required to prevent \"knock\". Otherwise, it's a timing issue, or your engine is otherwise out of tune.