Q from newbie:Gearbox repair for MKIV golf 1.4E

[hollieollo]

Hello everybody,
As aprt of etiquette I am introducing myself as a new member and asking for some assistance.
My son has the above vehicle. He has been told that it has a well documented failure, in that the rivets used from 1999-2002 on these models on the interface between the G/box and transmission have sheared.
2nd hand boxes are hard to find and expensive and could have the same fault.
Is a repair a feasbale alternative, and if so, could a layman do it with a manual and the right tools?

Regards

Chris

[Crasher]

Used boxes for that car (usually a DUW code) are like gold dust and fetch daft money, my friend with a VAG breakers yard can get £500 for them easily and who knows if it will go pop again in a week. A repair is feasible but very expensive as the clutch housing is normally punched through and sometimes the main gear casing too. Some companies weld them up which is not good and others repair them with chemical metal, which is not good at all. This is such a huge problem that the waters of supply are infested with sharks waiting to take a bite. My preferred way to approach this problem is to fit a genuine VAG exchange unit but these are absolutely stupid money at £1400 plus fitting and probably requiring a clutch too. All I can say is take great care obtaining a box, I have seen numerous sob stories over this. For example I had an A3 1.6 with this problem and the owner could not afford me to rebuild the box via my rebuilder never mind a VAG recon. He had me fit a box he supplied from a tinterweb supplier and I warned him if there was a problem with it, he would have to pay any extra labour incurred other than the four hours the job normally takes. After we fitted the third box he supplied (the first lost oil as fast as we could add it and the second crunched into second gear) it worked and I left him to take it up with HIS supplier.

[hollieollo]

Many thanks for your prompt response. I was half expecting your reply to be bad news.
Just one point; should the gearbox and housing prove to be intact, would it then be worthwhile dissembling it and using the VW repair kits that are on the market, or is it best just to bite the bullit and sell it in loot for spares? (sniffle sniffle!!!)

Regards

Chris

[Crasher]

The case will be damaged, I can’t imagine it not being if it is exhibiting the signs such as thumping in second and losing oil. The boxes are not easy to rebuild without the info (which I can provide) or the special tools (pullers, press, dial gauge) which really adds up. All you can do is pull it and take a look.

[hollieollo]

Thanks for your help. I will have a word with my son and see if he wants to remove the box and have a look, or just get rid.
If we do remove the box, I will continue this thread at some later date, so keep your eyes peeled!

Regards

Chris Arnfield