Re: [T3] AT deathmatch

["Russ Wolfe" <russella@prairieinet.net>]

Subject: [T3] AT deathmatch


>
> Well, I got it home.  One of the first days I had it, I got in it
> to drive; put it in neutral, started it up... when I went to drive off in
> reverse, it didn't go anywhere.  As I pressed on the gas, the engine was
> clearly under load, but it was *stuck* -- it kind of hunkered down as I
> pushed the throttle.  I don't remember all of the symptoms now -- I seem
to
> recall having to rock the car back and forth, and try different gear
> selector positions... I think it kind of went "clank" and broke free.  It
> was like it was in gear *and* in park at the same time, the way it was
> under load but not moving.
>
> I've very rarely used park since then.  I tried to get clever once
> about a year and a half ago, and put it in park, and regretted it, as it
> did the same thing.
>
> Meanwhile, it has never really held the cable adjustment properly.
> Of course, it's always a bit odd to adjust, as you're supposed to adjust
it
> when it's in park, and I don't dare put it in park.  So, I'll drive it,
> test the selector positions, then adjust the cable to correct.  I can get
> it to be nicely adjusted.
>
> However, after a while -- probably after I've shifted down to 2 or
> 1 on a couple of occasions -- it gets out of whack again and I have to
> re-adjust.  Then it might drift again, and need to get adjusted back the
> other way; always very odd.
>
> It often seems to "settle" one position off -- N actually selects
> R, the transmission is in neutral when the selector is in 3, and to drive
> normally I put the selector in position 2.  Strangely, these days, I
cannot
> move the selector from 2 to 1 (in order to select gear 2 at the tranny in
> my offset system) -- it's jammed and won't go.  Strange.
>
> The transmission seems to operate and self-shift reasonably well,
> except for park; the only other funny business is the selector/cable and
> the adjustment.
>
> A couple of other factoids...
>
> Now and again, the transmission will dump maybe a quarter cup (it's
> hard to tell) of AT fluid after it's parked.  I have found no correlation
> to hot/cold, full/low, posiiton of car, etc.  It'll maybe do it after one
> trip, then make several happy trips with no dump after parking, then it'll
> do it again.  Weird.
>
> Also, my dad reported no funny business with shifting or selecting
> park when he had the car -- that is, up until it went into the hands of
the
> shippers and their Giant Screwdriver.  I have a theory that they didn't
> read the signs about lifting the gear selector to get it out of park, and
> either tried to force the selector and/or the cable at the tranny with
> their Screwdriver from Hell. <shudder>  I have no proof, of course.
>
> I suspect that the "gets funky when put in park" problem might be
> separate from the drifting adjustment.  I think that the "stuck in park"
> may be due to problems with the cog thingy in the tranny that locks it.  I
> think that the weird drifting might be due to a
> damaged/stretched/stretching cable.
>
> I'll start with a fluid change.  (I am terribly evil -- we've
> driven the car about 14k since we bought it about four years ago, and I
> have not changed it.  Please don't flame me!)  I'll look around to see
what
> I can see regarding the park lock.  I may also remove the cable so that I
> can look it over well and see that it operates smoothly.
>
> Any other ideas?
>
> If anyone has experienced any of these symptoms before, or has some
> clues, please let me know!  I'll let y'all know what I find.
>
Check the attachment of the cable at both ends. It could be loose at the
shifter, or the bracket at the trans could be loose. Be sure the cable is
not bent or binding.
Check for wear in the shifter itself. I have a shifter here you can have if
you need it for parts. It has worn detents, and the shift lever is bent.
I think Tom Hansen has a spare shift cable if you need one. I sent him mine,
then he found his.
It may be a bent arm inside the trans. Get the pan off, then have someone
shift it while watching the linkage inside the trans.
The park linkage is mostly spring operated on the release. Maybe something
is bent, if it has been forced. A pretty decent picture is on page 28 of the
trans section of the Bentley.

Russ Wolfe
russw@classicvw.org
http://www.classicvw.org/


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