Rebuilt O2A shift towers now available

thechoochlyman

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2015
Location
Campbellsville, Kentucky
TDI
1997 B4 Sedan
After going through an ordeal with loose shifting in my own car I decided to address the actual components instead of going for the O2J tower swap. And many of you may prefer this solution as well, as it's directly plug-and-play with no worries of linkage or wiring compatibility.

I went through the entire assembly and replaced every plastic component with oil-infused bearing bronze, brass, or stainless, depending on its function. The relay arm is made from stainless and is fully-adjustable using the original captive bolt. The shift cable is held in place with a washer threaded onto the brass standoff to retain the cable's original position.

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The plastic selector bushing has been replaced with a round stainless nub, fit precisely into the selector arm with minimal play.

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The original "mesh" bearing in the center shaft has been replaced with oil-infused bearing bronze, pressed into the aluminum housing.

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The actuating arm rod is made from solid brass with a helical groove to hold lubricant and capture any contaminants, reducing the possibility of binding. The hole through the housing is reamed to 12mm in order to ensure a consistent fit throughout and to remove previous imperfections.

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I've been using this for a couple of weeks now and the difference is astounding. Very tight gates and much reduced horizontal shifter slop. I think anyone looking for improved shifter function without having to source additional parts and potentially cut/alter cables will appreciate the simplicity of a direct-fit replacement that can be installed in 30 minutes.

I currently have one put together and ready to go, and will hopefully have another soon. I plan on selling these for $250 shipped in the continental US, and you can mail back your old unit as a "core" once you have the new unit installed.

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garciapiano

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
1997 Jetta TDI (1Z)
This looks really nice! If I didn't have the O2J swap already I'd be all over it.

Maybe you can do a "hot swap with deposit" program to limit downtime...
 

thechoochlyman

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2015
Location
Campbellsville, Kentucky
TDI
1997 B4 Sedan
This looks really nice! If I didn't have the O2J swap already I'd be all over it.

Maybe you can do a "hot swap with deposit" program to limit downtime...
That's essentially what I'm doing, but maybe I didn't explain it well enough...

1. You buy the rebuilt unit from me and I mail it to you
2. You send your old one back once you have the new one installed. Zero downtime!
 

d24tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Location
MT
TDI
BHW x3, BEW x2, ALH x2, AHU, 1Z, AFB, AKN, BCZ, BDH
Nice to see this solution, great option for those of us still rocking the old 02A equipped cars. I'm down to only one left but might need to do this on it.
 

thechoochlyman

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2015
Location
Campbellsville, Kentucky
TDI
1997 B4 Sedan
Damn, very nice.

You might also think about making a short shifter version. The one for the Mk4 is awesome. Driving a regular B4 now feels like shifting a truck with the long throw.
That's definitely something I want to work on, but I'm concerned that bringing the cable any closer to the housing will cause it to bind. I might try mounting the cable into the hole where the counterweight goes as an experiment.

Neat! Now you need to custom make a shifter box that doesn't crack and fall apart.
That's on the list too. lol
 

thechoochlyman

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
May 7, 2015
Location
Campbellsville, Kentucky
TDI
1997 B4 Sedan
The new shifter box could be designed to be a short shift unit.
Very possible, just have to get one apart and see what I can do with it.

I mentioned this in another thread, but I just replaced my very worn engine mounts and it also made a big shifter improvement. So just another avenue there if you really want to get the absolute best experience.
 

rotaecho

Veteran Member
Joined
May 29, 2015
Location
Phoenix
TDI
mTDI AHU in an 82 Vanagon Diesel & 86' 1.6na Golf (destined TDI)
Most excellent! I was planning a rebuild kit initially for the MK3 shift tower going into my MK2 TDI swap, but this is way sweeter.

This will happen with the CTN refresh with the wavetrack.

Thanks for thinking this up Sir!
 
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