How come when I shift my 1973 VW Beetle from 1st to 2nd gear it grinds?

This happens sometimes not all of the time but it is getting annoying.How come when I shift my 1973 VW Beetle from 1st to 2nd gear it grinds?The problems that you are describing are caused by two different things.



Dealing with the 'floating' of the gear lever ("...It feels as if there is no center and that it moves all over the place"). This is caused by a worn shift rod bush fitted in the tunnel just below the gear lever. The cost of the bush is cheap (should not be more than a few dollars), however, the fitting of it is a real nightmare.



To get some feel of the difficulty involved in the replacement of this bush visit the following site particularly the later posts.



http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewtopic鈥?/a>



I can personally vouch that this is a terrible bush to replace.

If you want to do it yourself then visit these sites for advice



http://www.glenn-ring.com/tech/bushing_r鈥?/a>



http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtop鈥?/a>



Once this bush has been replaced you may find that the grinding will be much reduced. If it is not, then you have a reasonably expensive repair job awaiting you as it means that the syncro's in the gearbox are worn and need replacing.How come when I shift my 1973 VW Beetle from 1st to 2nd gear it grinds?
Concerning your added details; you might have a worn or missing shift shaft bushing. Also there is a shift coupler with a rubber core that maybe breaking down. You can see it beneath the oval cover on the tunnel below the back seat. Last -is the 2 bolts that hold the shifter to the tunnel tight?.If any of that round metal piece below the rubber booty moves, you wil have trouble shifting.



As far as the grinding goes, it's already covered with the clutch adjustment/worn syncros/slow down shifting posts.How come when I shift my 1973 VW Beetle from 1st to 2nd gear it grinds?Synchros are getting worn out. when you pull it out of first don't try to shift so quickly take a little more time. Don't rev first real high any more either. Just use first to get moving and then make a lazy shift to second. The shift linkage is long and they were never designed to be shifted quickly in the first place. You will find that slower is faster.How come when I shift my 1973 VW Beetle from 1st to 2nd gear it grinds?
either the synchro's in the transmission are wearing out, you're low on tranny oil, or the clutch needs adjustment, which would mean it's starting to wear down.How come when I shift my 1973 VW Beetle from 1st to 2nd gear it grinds?you need to adjust your clutchHow come when I shift my 1973 VW Beetle from 1st to 2nd gear it grinds?
You can't chew gum and breathe at the same time, right?

VW shifters are not and never have been "tight".

They are not a racing shifter either.

Chances are you might be able to remove some of the grinding noise by adjusting the clutch cable tighter(because you are not seperating from the flywheel completely.

Shift slower and shift with determination Into first, now into second. Too many people fiddle shift instead of taking command and "shifting it"

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