Aircooled VW South Africa

Since getting Petrus back, I have been having a tough time getting the gear selection sorted.

The car has an Empi Quickshifter and no mateer how we adjusted the gear lever, selecting first gear was a gamble. In traffic, this can be frustrating (and dangerous) as any Beetle owner will tell you that pulling off in third does not make for a rapid getaway and trying to find an elusive second under those conditions just leads to chaos.

Eventually, Andre decided to have a look at the selector connection located under the inspection cover beneath the rear seat.

We found that the cross joint on the selector shaft had broken loose on one side.

Fortunately, somehow I had acquired a spare unit and once it was fitted, first gear miraculously re-appeared and after final adjustment to the gear shifter, I now have the slick and precise gearshifts I was looking for.

Good job! That selector connection can be a sneaky little critter at times. When I first got the car, I had a peek... Both of the retaining "grub" bolts were no where near tight and the retaining wire loops were also missing! Just imagine losing ALL gears at the most inappropriate time - as is customary with car defects. Brought me out in a cold sweat just thinking about it!