Gear jumps out and non smooth gear changes

[RIZWAN180]

Hello people,

I am having a problem selecting a gear on my 1.9tdi Passat 2001 reg, especially 1, 2 and 3rd gear. Sometimes when I put it into 1 it jumps back out, this probably happens about 10% of the time.

Changing gears is not very smooth either it seems very jerky and rough. The clutch seems to be ok, although at 90k it may need replacing as it is the original version. All help would be appreciated.

thanks,

Riz.

[MalcQV]

Can't help much. My 03 has only done 53k. Gearbox is excellent. It could be you are getting clutch drag due to a warped or buckled clutch plate or maybe just linkage problems - I think the gearbox is transverse, but would have to consult the manual.

[RIZWAN180]

thanks for the info, do you think that if it is the linkage it could be the cause of the gear stick jumping back out when I try and move off?

[cairnsie13]

It could be the clutch drag is stopping you from putting it all the way into gear so its poping out or it could be a worn gearbox.

[RIZWAN180]

thanks, that sounds interesting. What is clutch drag? and how would I be able to check to see if this is causing the problem?

thanks,

Riz.

[cairnsie13]

Sometimes for various reasons such as clutch return spring wearing or distorted clutch plate the clutch does not fully release from the engine therfore the gearbox is still been driven a little by the clutch so it can stop you putting it into gear properly also causing gear change to be rough. Does it jump out pretty much straight away or can you drive for a while then it jumps out when in first.

[RIZWAN180]

its a little bit strange the way that the car behaves. it only jumps out of 1st gear about 10% of the time when pulling away from a standing start and it will jump out straight away as soon as I lift the clutch and apply the gas pedal.

All gear changes are non smooth as I have to push the gear stick hard through a "tight spot" on the way to engaging the gear from neutral or another gear.

thanks for the continued help.

[cairnsie13]

Would say that the symptoms do match with the clutch drag response but unfortuantly dont know a test to make sure its that.

I have a old manual for a differnt car with a fault finding section. quotes difficulty engaging gears could be clutch fault, worn gear linkage or worn syncorniser units. Normally cars have differnt syncroniser units on different gears so it would only affect 1 gear maybe 2 if they share the syncroniser unit. So probs clutch. Best take it to a garage though as oi have no experience with your car.

Does double declutching improve the gear change?

[M4YTY]

Sounds like clutch drag or a sticky splined shaft. A good thing to do if you can is compare your clutch with a similar model passat and see if yours is heavy. If it is, this is a sign of the splined shaft that the pressure plate runs on being dirty or unlubricated (if that is a word!) causing drag

[guyg]

A dragging clutch [i.e. one that does not fully disengage] will make gear selection more difficult, but will not cause the car to jump out of gear, probably the reverse.

With a healthy box, once a gear is engaged and the drive train is under load, it should be quite difficult to pull the gearstick out of gear, as anyone who has learnt to make clutchless changes will testify.

It sounds to me like there is a problem with the linkage or selection within the box that is preventing the gear from being fully engaged. A jerky or rough change also indicates problems with selection or syncromesh.

It's also possible the syncromesh may be worn if the clutch has been dragging for a long time, although this wouldn't cause it to jump out of gear unless the synchro assembly was badly damaged [this would affect a specific gear].

Cheers

Guy

[RIZWAN180]

gentlemen,

thanks for the continued help and it gives me a better idea of the specific components which could be at fault. I will take the car to a VW specialist and discuss the possibilities that you have given me.

I hope I can repay the help at a later date.

Riz.
:beerchug:

[MalcQV]

Good luck and let us know how you get on ;)

[RIZWAN180]

After all the things that could have been causing these issues, it ended up being the ball at the end of the gear stick which was completely dry. The original grease put on the plastic ball which fits underneath the big washer and circlip was completely dry and the original grease has completely solidified causing the motion of the gear stick to be very difficult and even stop the first gear engaging, resulting in it popping back out. A friend of mine spotted it when we were looking for the gear linkages going from the gear stick into the back of the gearbox. I have now lubricated it and its much better, although not perfect as I suspect that I will have to remove the big circlip and washer/ball retainer and clean out all of the crap and then lubricate the ball and reseat it. It may be that the linkages are now heavily worn due to the gear stick motion being difficult.

Anyway thanks for all of the help, and maybe this can help someone in the future.

cheers,

Riz.