New clutch & flywheel, now have gear clash

sisyphus

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Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
So I just spent a long week changing out the clutch in my '99.5; I'm not going to whine about what went wrong but now that it's in there I fired it up, went to back off the ramps and got some horrible gear clash going into reverse. The other gears seem fine.
IIRC this is an up-and-down adjustment at the shift tower? I have the old style tower.
I've bled the clutch because it got snagged on something and it seems fine. With the new pressure plate the clutch feels lighter but it's just like the one I have in the other car anyway. I just did that a few years ago and I remember feeling that the pedal was a lot lighter.
But anyway, now what?
 

mr.loops

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Joined
Nov 24, 2010
Location
Kelowna
TDI
2002 jetta, 2003 Bora 1.8T
You need to reset /recheck the shift adjustment on your shift tower and shift box - it’s still out.

If you have an 02A trans they can be a little difficult without the proper VAG tool


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Mongler98

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Mar 23, 2011
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COLORADO (SE of Denver)
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98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
Shifter cable adjustment is needed at the shift tower.
 

mr.loops

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Kelowna
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2002 jetta, 2003 Bora 1.8T
Shifter cable adjustment is needed at the shift tower.


You still need to set the shift box on its “home” position or you’ll just spend time guessing.

Op
There was a guy on vw vortex that had a diy on how to set these old 02A’s up without needing the special tools


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sisyphus

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Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
It's not an O2A, it's a J. Late model 99.5's had the 02J with the A shift tower.
Anyway, I got it to stop grinding into reverse but lost fifth gear. Also broke the cheesy plastic adjuster so I had to weld up a new one.
Edited to add:
Found this old thread, posting it here for in case it helps anyone:
https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=195536
 
Last edited:

mr.loops

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Nov 24, 2010
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Kelowna
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2002 jetta, 2003 Bora 1.8T
It's not an O2A, it's a J. Late model 99.5's had the 02J with the A shift tower.
Anyway, I got it to stop grinding into reverse but lost fifth gear. Also broke the cheesy plastic adjuster so I had to weld up a new one.
Edited to add:
Found this old thread, posting it here for in case it helps anyone:
https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=195536


[emoji106]

Dieselgeek has some great videos on YouTube on how to set them up as well



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KLXD

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Aug 22, 2009
Location
Lompoc, CA
TDI
'98, '2 Jettas
Why would a different clutch require a shifter adjustment? Seems to me it it was adjusted properly with the old clutch it would still be.
 

jokila

Vendor
Joined
Dec 3, 2004
Location
Houston, Texas
TDI
2003 Jetta GLS, Manual
Why would a different clutch require a shifter adjustment? Seems to me it it was adjusted properly with the old clutch it would still be.
Because to replace the clutch you have to remove the trans and therefore disconnect the cables.
 

Nero Morg

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Oct 19, 2017
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OR
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2014 A6 TDI, 2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat TDI
When you disconnect the linkage, it doesn't change the adjustments. The three manual swaps I've done I installed the linkage that was in the same car as the trans and didn't have to adjust any of them. Have you checked your shifter bushings to see if one is worn out?
 

mr.loops

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Nov 24, 2010
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Kelowna
TDI
2002 jetta, 2003 Bora 1.8T
When you disconnect the linkage, it doesn't change the adjustments. The three manual swaps I've done I installed the linkage that was in the same car as the trans and didn't have to adjust any of them. Have you checked your shifter bushings to see if one is worn out?


That depends on how people disconnect them. If they unhook/pop off the ends from the tower, then no adjustment is needed. If however the ends have been separated from the cables, then your gonna need to do the adjustment


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sisyphus

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Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
Good question. I suspect that the engine and transmission didn't bolt up exactly as they had been connected for the previous 20 years. It's only a couple millimeters adjustment.
 

KLXD

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Joined
Aug 22, 2009
Location
Lompoc, CA
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'98, '2 Jettas
Because to replace the clutch you have to remove the trans and therefore disconnect the cables.
Fair enough, if that's how he did it.

But, I don't see a shifter adjustment causing it to grind. Either it's going into gear or it isn't.

Seems to me this is simply the new clutch dragging which should go away once it gets the fuzz worn off.

Or he damaged the clutch cylinders by bleeding it and running the pistons over some new areas with debris/rust.
 

sisyphus

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Dec 8, 2008
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Appleton, Maine
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99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
Maybe if you went over everything that went wrong it will help us help you ;)
What went wrong...
Let's see. First thing that went wrong was my mother in law burned up what had remained of the clutch. Then it got towed to my house while I was still four hours away and deposited next to the building with the front facing the street, which is downhill from the shop.
I used a winch to get it into the building.
The center bolt on the driver's side mount snapped off, necessitating removal of the transmission with that bracket still attached.
Next, one of the dogbone mount bolts snapped off at the crossmember. That took an amazing amount of work to get that mount off.
Then, I lost a bunch of lube from the transmission after removing the passenger's side drive flange. It was likely slightly overfilled anyway, and the car was up on ramps.
My torque wrench failed.
At some point the clutch cylinder fell down behind the transmission when I was putting everything back together and the piston inside the rubber boot there got pulled out or something, because I noticed brake fluid dripping out of it. I pushed it back in. The next morning there was nothing coming out of it, so apparently it sealed up again. I have another one just in case.
Reinstallation went as could be predicted; first a few of the balls came out of the passenger side inner CV joint, so I spent some time dealing with that. Then the other CV joint wouldn't bolt up because one of the balls had fallen into the boot area, so I ended up spending probably about five hours total trying to unf*ck that before I gave up and pulled the shaft out of the car and replaced the entire inner CV joint on that side with a Metelli one I had sitting around that was brand new, but I had to make new gaskets for.
That out of the way, I started the car and gingerly tried to put it into reverse to get it down off the ramps. That's when I noticed the grinding.
To remove the end of the shift cable I just lifted up the tab there, easy peasy. Same for putting it back on, it went right back on.
At any rate, I followed the fix outlined in the post above, with the diagram from the Bentley. Worked like a charm.
I have no complaints, and am very excited to not spend another day under that damned car.
My other car has a blown steering rack. I think I'll farm that one out.
 

mr.loops

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2010
Location
Kelowna
TDI
2002 jetta, 2003 Bora 1.8T
What went wrong...
Let's see. First thing that went wrong was my mother in law burned up what had remained of the clutch. Then it got towed to my house while I was still four hours away and deposited next to the building with the front facing the street, which is downhill from the shop.
I used a winch to get it into the building.
The center bolt on the driver's side mount snapped off, necessitating removal of the transmission with that bracket still attached.
Next, one of the dogbone mount bolts snapped off at the crossmember. That took an amazing amount of work to get that mount off.
Then, I lost a bunch of lube from the transmission after removing the passenger's side drive flange. It was likely slightly overfilled anyway, and the car was up on ramps.
My torque wrench failed.
At some point the clutch cylinder fell down behind the transmission when I was putting everything back together and the piston inside the rubber boot there got pulled out or something, because I noticed brake fluid dripping out of it. I pushed it back in. The next morning there was nothing coming out of it, so apparently it sealed up again. I have another one just in case.
Reinstallation went as could be predicted; first a few of the balls came out of the passenger side inner CV joint, so I spent some time dealing with that. Then the other CV joint wouldn't bolt up because one of the balls had fallen into the boot area, so I ended up spending probably about five hours total trying to unf*ck that before I gave up and pulled the shaft out of the car and replaced the entire inner CV joint on that side with a Metelli one I had sitting around that was brand new, but I had to make new gaskets for.
That out of the way, I started the car and gingerly tried to put it into reverse to get it down off the ramps. That's when I noticed the grinding.
To remove the end of the shift cable I just lifted up the tab there, easy peasy. Same for putting it back on, it went right back on.
At any rate, I followed the fix outlined in the post above, with the diagram from the Bentley. Worked like a charm.
I have no complaints, and am very excited to not spend another day under that damned car.
My other car has a blown steering rack. I think I'll farm that one out.


My lord, that car is cursed!
Anyhow glad you got everything sorted [emoji106]


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sisyphus

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Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
LOL seriously, maybe it is. Or it's me, IDK. It was either I do the clutch in this car or the steering rack in the other and honestly having done both jobs before I preferred the clutch job because the steering rack job I remember as being particularly nasty.
Now I'm not so sure.
 

sisyphus

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Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
Aaahhh, now the starter does that thing where it doesn't disengage quickly enough and sounds like a dying crow, attracting the attention of everyone within earshot.
 

Nero Morg

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Joined
Oct 19, 2017
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OR
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2014 A6 TDI, 2001 Jetta TDI, 2014 Passat TDI
Aaahhh, now the starter does that thing where it doesn't disengage quickly enough and sounds like a dying crow, attracting the attention of everyone within earshot.
Had one that did that. Left it like that for 8 months never had an issue starting. Just knocked some of the dust around inside. Could probably get away with just cleaning it.
 

PakProtector

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Jan 5, 2014
Location
AnnArbor, MI
TDI
Mk.4's and the Cummins
A lot of what you did happened to me but we solved it differently.

Same bolt broke for me...but I beat it differently; and I got the mount off and then took the trans out.

I drained the lube before taking out the PS side drive hub. Re-filled it with the efer-so-effective MT90.

Used a 13mm open end to pry off the shifter cables from the balls onto which they were riding.

Not sure what that has to do with the price of beer, but with that said it went back together with a functional slave cylinder. It shifted well.
cheers,
Douglas
 

sisyphus

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
Curious how you got that mount off. The way it straddles the gearbox at that web makes it impossible to lift off (or lower the box away from it). I thought about cutting a channel either side of the bolt, but in the end decided against it.
 

legendman

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Joined
Nov 9, 2004
Location
19
TDI
2006 Jetta 5sp
Next time soak the bolts down with some PB Blaster(or whatever you like to use) it will help them come loose.


On the cable adjustments, I just went through this with a broken homing pin and with the Dieselgeek videos I was able to get it shifting good(it was popping and grinding in first) it took quite a few tries to get it good.
 

PakProtector

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Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Location
AnnArbor, MI
TDI
Mk.4's and the Cummins
Curious how you got that mount off. The way it straddles the gearbox at that web makes it impossible to lift off (or lower the box away from it). I thought about cutting a channel either side of the bolt, but in the end decided against it.
I turned a guide bushing, drilled nearly to the trans mount with a 1/8" drill, then re-drilled the bushing for one the size of the minor dia of that bolt then finished turning enough of it to chips to get the mount off.

With the trans out I heated it, and turned the remaining stub with a visegrip. Then re-heated and repeated until it was out. No way penetrating oil would have helped; that pup was glued in enough to break the thing from the git-go...
cheers,
Douglas

ps on the starter, I have one that I put 140k of the 240k miles it has on it, and it squealed everytime I cranked it up. Am not parting wid that starter either, though a quiet one now lives there after some change-of-address was given to that particular, healty engine.
 
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roadhard1960

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Joined
Feb 1, 2004
Location
Covington, Ga.
TDI
2003 Jetta wagon GLS 5 speed
Was sticky grease applied to to the transmission input shaft? Did you slide the driven clutch disk on and off the input shaft before assembling everything to make sure it is able to properly slide?
 
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