Shifter Movement Under Torque

Gradually over the last two weeks, my shifter has begun to move when the drive train is under torque. At first it was just a small amount of movement, but now it is extreme.

It feels like the transaxle is coming loose and is moving up and down from engine torque, and transferring that movement up through the shifter.

This movement is also affecting the accelerator. The movement initially causes the RPMs to go up, then I decrease pedal pressure to decrease RPMs, and then movement changes and the RPMs go back down. It causes very jerky driving.

Any ideas? The car is a VIntage Speedster, it's about 18 months old with about 6,000 miles on it.

Thanks for any ideas.

Cracked trans mount? - front one is a pain. Back 2 are easier to see. Are they rubber or the red poly? Might just need to re-torque mounting bolts.

If it's been getting progressively worse sounds like something is working it's way loose.

Sounds a lot like the front transaxle mount has loosened up. They don't really break that often, but considering how new your car is, there's a really good chance that the assembler didn't tighten, torque, and mark the nuts when installing the trans. Most likely the mount-to-pan nuts/bolts are loose.

That little colored strike is so important on torqued nuts, it allows you to see at a glance when things have loosened up.

Easy Peasy fix.

Maybe? Hopefully?

Luck

Thanks for the quick reply! I will check and hope that it's a loose, and not broken, mount.

You should also fit an accelerator guide tube. Goes between the chassis and engine. It works the same as the bowden tube for your clutch cable, keeping engine movement from pulling on the accelerator cable and self-actuating the throttle. Sounds like someone forgot to put it back on. http://www2.cip1.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=accelerator+guide&Search1=Search

I gave up on the red poly mounts a long time ago, after trashing several of them in a very short period of time. I went back to german black rubber mounts and I am much happier....no failures with those at all....

The red poly seems to soften considerably when hot and then when subjected to a bit of HP they rip apart...I have destroyed both front and rear red poly mounts....

Does anyone know the torque specs on the front transaxle mounting bolts? I can only find the rear, which seem to be 166.

Cole

Just tighten them up. Make shure there is some type of lock, or spring washer on them. Then tighten them as tight as you can with a normal box end wrench. You may also want to install a mid mount if you have a larger then stock motor to help the nose mount out....

Thanks Kevin. Where can I learn more about mid mounts, are they purchased or do you fabricate them yourself?

No we do not make one yet. But here is a good one that wont break the bank.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=292359

It simply bolts on to the trans and keeps the trans from launching up on acceleration. The whole reason these are made is to keep from breaking the front mount and to save the nose cone of the trans from breaking. good luck.

Ok, here's the story, the front mount was broken. Might I ask a few questions?

1. Is this likely to happen again or was this a fluke? I have a 1915 and do drive hard.

2. Are some mounts better than others. I used black rubber mounts.

3. Changing the front mount was difficult because the bolts were welded to the frame. Is this standard or just something Vintage Speedsters does?

4. We removed the welded bolts so we didn't have to pull the engine/trans. The new bolts were not welded in, is this going to be a problem?

Thanks for all the assistance, it's been a great help!

Cole

What actually broke? The trans nose cone, the rubber mount, or the bracket on the chassis? Was the rubber mount new or old?

The studs are welded to the chassis. I don't think using regular bolts would cause problems as long as they are secured well.

The rubber mount broke, and I assume they were new when the car was built 18 months ago. They did look like they had been new.

Well a trans brace like the one linked above should limit movement enough to keep the rubber mount intact. There's also a brace often referred to as a traction bar that hangs down from the bumper brackets and goes underneath the rear of the engine that does the same thing. The mid mount is easier to attach in these cars.

Cole,

Thanks for taking the time to post the solution to the problem. Many times folks will post a question regarding a mechanical problem, then after they get lots of feedback, they fix the problem, but never let anyone know what worked and what didn't. It raises everyone's knowledge level when folks like you take the time to post the solution that worked.

Hate to say it, but if the mount was new(ish) and broke is was probably from India and the rear mounts were probably in the same batch and just as shoddy. Those may well be next in line since they've already been stressed by the forward mount breaking.

The third world mounts have too much carbon/filler and not enough "rubber" in them. I was honestly able to bite the top off of a hood snubber that I bought for the TR6. "Made in India."

Keep a close eye on the rear mounts, and even the new front mount if it wasn't genuine German. Install any aftermarket device that you're comfortable with, they all do a good job, but remember that the rear cross bar device was designed to be mounted to metal, not fiberglass bulkheads.

Luck,

TC