The gearbox in my camper is probably overdue for a bit of TLC. It whines more than my dog; and despite my best efforts with a front bush overhaul, rear bush examination, and some serious fiddling and replacement of the coupling bit, it still would give stirring porridge some serious competition. Now I do appreciate the length of rods makes a difference and it's not going to be like a modern car evah evah evah. And I also know that my choice of stock original gearstick will also exacerbate any wobble. But y'know, if I can do something positive to make it the best possible, why not? Life is short, I've got a spare gearbox sitting in the garage, and when I get my winter overtime cheque through, the money will just get bored and lonely if I leave it sitting in the bank, right? The code on the box currently fitted to Clem is CU 08 09 and then the rest is too corroded to see; plus there's a lot of gunky oil everywhere, and there's only so much degreaser I can spray around, flat on my back on a rainy day, under a (thankfully stock height) campervan. The code on the gearbox in the garage is CA 022 7636 It's very clean They're both 3 rib, which is fine as I have a Type 1 engine (or at least the campervan does), and although it's a 1776cc, I'm happy enough with the 1600cc ratios. The camper is a 1974 Any thoughts, oh great collective brain of TLB? (PS any double entendres above are purely incidental, obviously, and I wasn't at all disappointed that I couldn't get any more in than I did )
@scrooge95 I would speak to @davidoft see what he advises with all that experience he's 1000 years old you now Hope you get it sorted, I don't have enough experience on this matters but i replaced the gearbox oil a couple times and it made it a massive difference, but that was in my old Bay that had been stood around for a long time. Good luck best regards the Geord.
I just spat me tea across the kitchen you dirty dirty boy! And for the record, it was a very good fit and last time I looked the bush was holding up very nicely thank you very much, with no visible wear and tear. *snigger *
I will admit to using hot water to soften things up initially, but that was mostly because the rubber (or whatever it’s made of these days) was a bit stiff to get in the hole at the front, but actually the rod went in quite smoothly. But if in doubt, lube. If by any chance anyone knows anything about either of my above mentioned boxes and codes etc, please do chip in. Despite all the slightly gratuitous smut, I am all ears for sensible advice
I doubt it is the box at fault.... there is very little movement there. The front rod can become worn, there is a slotted cup that the bottom of the gearstick sits in. Also the polyurethane bushes in the rear coupling can become worn. I had porridge stirring so replaced front bush, front rod assembly including coupling collar & rear coupling for a solid billet type sold by limebug. All this made little difference which led me to the gearstick which I replaced for a Hurst style trigger shifter.... now the whole assembly drives like a regular car. Regarding the whine... I replaced the gearbox oil for castrol syntrans transaxle oil 75w-90, which helped but now I keep my hand OFF the stick between changes this prevents noise transference.... I’m sure your box is lovely!
Hahaha right up to the last sentence... Front rod replaced, gearstick replaced with a lovely reconditioned original, not heard about billet couplers though.... tell me more. It’s really more about knowing what I’ve got, and if getting one rebuilt, which one? Is one worth more than the other if selling? Is the older CA code one still even suitable for my bus (being a 74)? That kinda thang.
I have a spreadsheet that you can use to decide on ratio, if you go for a rebuild. Have you replaced the gearbox mount rubbers on the cradle? VWHeritage have a webpage that details what's in each gearbox just use the first two letters of the code. I'd post the link for you, but I'm at a show.
Do you know any of the history of your spare gearbox ...does it whine worse in 1st and 2nd or when you are at full speed in 4th . Are the gears easy to change ...does it jump out of gear at all . Depends on how much you wish to spend on getting the gearbox prim an proper .you could get the best out of the two boxes overhauled by a professional . I have a spare 3 rib which i think is a CE coded ..so there seems quite a few types and i am afraid i wouldn't know which is best and what they are suited too . If you think it would be ok for this summer , look into it in the winter .
Spare gearbox is an unknown so it was a bit of a punt, but cheap enough to be worth the risk. It came out of a wrecked early I believe, along with the engine, which got used elsewhere making the gearbox redundant.