I accidentally disabled the gear stick in the T4

[jets]

I'll write it up properly later with some pics as there's the odd trick with the ACV/02G combination that hasn't been covered by other similar threads.

I look forward to reading it. Mine hasn't needed doing yet but one day it will.

[Seano]

Righto. It is actually a simple enough job. As other threads already linked here suggest...start underneath.

Drop the gearstick link off the gearstick assembly with an 11 and 13 mm spanner then undo the pivot arm (13mm nut) and drop it off the main selector rod. Remove the gearstick link from the pivot arm and pull the pivot arm from the gearbox selector link. Undo the clamp (11mm top and bottom) that holds the main selector rod to the gearstick assembly - this is the 1st constrained space job - and push it towards the rear of the vehicle. The clamp may need to be spread slightly to achieve this.

Now go to the front right of the engine bay. You are looking for this support strut...the double bolt end fits over the ball linkage carrier while the single end fits to a bracket on the chassis rail.



It can be removed by removing the three 11mm bolts that hold it in...revealing what lies beneath



Now this is after I've started refitting but you'll get the picture. All the action is in the centre of the picture underneath the heater hoses (the white ball is the new big ball on the end of the gear selector rod. It's rather crowded - more so when you have air-con like I do. The support strut has been removed - you can see the double holes left of centre while the U bracket for the single bolt end sits and the end of the air-con pipe on the right of pic. It sits over the heater hoses...

Firstly you'll need to disconnect what I assume to be the wiring for the reverse switch (just south of the white ball in pic above). Then remove the holder on the back of the carrier for the wire that runs alongside it. Then find yourself a 6mm hex key (preferably a ball end version) AND a 6mm hex key driver bit with a spanner to suit. There are three machine screws that hold the ball linkage carrier to the engine block (they are visible next to the heater hose in the pic above) - the rear two will need the stubby driver bit to undo them because there isn't enough room due to their proximity to the gearbox selector housing (under the white ball). Some machinations later you will have them out. At which point you can remove the plate...and take a deep sigh and a long stretch.

Next trick is to remove the clevis from the selector plate (10mm bolts). I had to hang on to the arm of the plate to get the leverage required but it was straightforward. Ideally, one would then remove the selector plate itself but I couldn't get enough leverage on the 13mm nut to get it to go.

At this point, you can pull the gear selector rod forward to disconnect it from the gearstick assembly underneath, spin it over 180 degrees and push it towards the back of the vehicle. Then get underneath and remove the rod entirely.

Then take all the bits to the workspace and get to replacing the busted bits. Firstly the ball linkage carrier.



The old bush had snapped in two and was lost. The remaining 'cup' could be pushed out by hand. The new bush is the white one.



Pushing the new bush into the carrier seems simple enough. It has to go in from the back side (the view in the previous image to the one above) as this side is chamfered and the bush is more compressible on the open end. With a block of wood on the back side (pushing) and a 1" socket on the receiving side plus considerable Lanotec lubrication I squashed them together in the vice. Due to the poor tolerances of the vice the bush didn't go in that straight but I was able to lever the bush slightly from the inside with a socket spanner to sort it and it popped in with a bit more squashing. It's a very very tight fit and the bush deformed alarmingly in the process but it did go in.



After that it's a doddle. Here's the gear selector rod with old and new balls



Cut the old ones off with a knife. Push the new ones on in the vice. I used appropriately size sockets as carriers for the balls.



Then push the smaller ball into the bush on the carrier. You'll definitely need the vice!!



The remaining bushes in the pivot arm can pushed out by hand or with a screwdriver. And pushed back in by hand too.

After that it is a simple case of reassembly. The only major wrinkle is the effort of getting the selector rod back into the vehicle with the carrier on the end of it. The minor wrinkle is getting the pivot arm back onto the selector rod - I found I had to fit the top bush then the arm then the bottom bush which was pushed home by the nut. The remainder is the arm wrestle in reverse. And the result is a nice tight gear change.

I didn't do the short shift mod as the pivot arm ends are canted into a different plane from the rest of the arm. If I had chosen to shorten it then the plane of arm to rod would change and put considerable pressure on the bush...increasing wear. Not a biggy but nothing I really look forward to either...

[jets]

Thanks Seano.
Mods, could this writeup be made a sticky in the T4 DIY & How to section please?

[Transporter]

Done! The link is in T4 DIY sticky.

[Seano]

Look at that... nearly ten years later and I'm doing this job again!!!

[aSimpleLife]

You're getting great value out of that T4.
I wish I could the same about my poor old T5. That contrary to your very sage advise. Back before I became wise enough to understand it. I seem to have over-thought to death.

[Abyss]

Ten years is the magic number it seems, job is on the list for me, this time here in Australia and not in the UK but with the same vehicle 😁

I did set my linkage up pretty badly last time (I removed it all!) So bad that really only I can drive it haha, now I should rectify that! Anyone finding genuine VW linkage bushes around? I only find aftermarket but have not tried the dealers as I believe most items are now NLA. 🤔

[Sunny43.5]

The big problem these days is that car makers are not obliged to keep parts ten years after the last model is built , so they may stockpile enough to satisfy the needs during that ten years but not after .