[Cupholder]

Just hit the 1000 mile point in my new Passat. Everything is fine except that the stick shift seems to be a bit stiff going into first and second... it feels like the syncros may be grinding on something. No grinding noise is made, it just feels like there is a little resistance. I just traded from a 99 B5, which shifted like buttah', and I assumed that the stiffness was simply a part of the break-in process... but at 1k miles, I am thinking some kind of lubricant may be needed.
Any feedback?


[Modified by Cupholder, 5:31 AM 11-28-2001]

 

[GoBigRed]

Re: Stiff shifter - does this go away on its own? (Cupholder)

Mine is the same way... I have 8500 miles on mine and its still pretty much like that, I can't really say if its getting less stiff or not. I basically have to shove to get it down into first after I've been in third. You probably know what I mean but it is hard to describe otherwise. 1st and 2nd are the gears where I notice it the most, mostly downshifting.
I've found that this is less of a problem if I shift down through the gears (ie. 3-2-1 rather than 3-1) without ever engaging the clutch. Maybe this helps out the synchros a bit?

 

[Cupholder]

Re: Stiff shifter - does this go away on its own? (GoBigRed)

quote:[HR][/HR]Mine is the same way... I have 8500 miles on mine and its still pretty much like that, I can't really say if its getting less stiff or not. I basically have to shove to get it down into first after I've been in third. You probably know what I mean but it is hard to describe otherwise. 1st and 2nd are the gears where I notice it the most, mostly downshifting.
I've found that this is less of a problem if I shift down through the gears (ie. 3-2-1 rather than 3-1) without ever engaging the clutch. Maybe this helps out the synchros a bit?[HR][/HR]​

Off topic... but how do you like your sport springs? Did the deal install them?

 

[Cupholder]

Re: Stiff shifter - does this go away on its own? (Cupholder)

 

[theinsider]

Re: Stiff shifter - does this go away on its own? (GoBigRed)

I highly suggest investing in a UUC short shift kit...does not shorten the throws a lot BUT it does feel a whole lot more solid and sure. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[DaffyPassat]

Re: Stiff shifter - does this go away on its own? (Cupholder)

I have a 1999 B5 manual and the first to second shift has always been stiff, especially during the winter before it warms up. Two dealers told me that's just the way the car is. Otherwise, I haven't had an problems (knocking on wood).

 

[GoBigRed]

Re: Stiff shifter - does this go away on its own? (Cupholder)

cupholder,
I'm a huge fan of my new springs - the H&R Sport springs really tightened things up even without replacing the shocks. I'm going to upgrade the stock shockts to Bilstein HD (I think) at some point in the spring, but even without its a huge emprovement.
Affordable at http://www.parts4vws.com
I did the spring install with a friend of mine in my garage. All you need is a couple of jack stands and a rented spring compressor. It takes a little bit of work to do the fronts (you need to be sure to detach the top control arms) but it wasn't impossible at all. The rear springs took a total of 25-30 minutes. Total time was about 4-5 hours, including a lot of time trying to figure out what we were doing.

 

[b5bel]

Re: Stiff shifter - does this go away on its own? (theinsider)

I agree w/ theinsider...the uuc shifter is the way to go...

 

[Simplistic]

Re: Stiff shifter - does this go away on its own? (b5bel)

i've had some problems with grinding. and no i know how to shift. just sometimes like the 1st shift into 2nd will be met with a grinding noise...so now i've gotten into the habit of shifting into netural, then left and down into 2nd. that seems to alleviate it abit but it still grinds sometimes. mostly only once, the rest of the gears and shifts are fine. usually on the upshift...
and yes 1st and 2nd are stiff, i'm assuming i'ts the synchros.