Thanks Phil that’s good to know.
Not Uwe’s experience that’s for sure, and he’s been running it as a daily driver since 2016…
I will look it up however. My other option is to rebuild the VW gearbox again, but it only lasted 5 years with very little driving, so unsure that is the best way to go. Plus, the last guy I used I wouldn’t ever go to again, and I don’t know anyone in Perth.
Cheers
G
The builder may be the problem and not the gearbox.
Do you mean the VW box builder or the Subi box builder?
Hi everyone,
have decided to go the rebuild the original trannie route, as the reversed Subi is just too much of an investment right now.
I hae now found a reputable VW gearbox specialist in Perth - Mike Trewhitt - so feel it is in good hands.
Now, considering I have a naturally aspirated Subi EJ25 fitted and my 4th gear has been popping out, I will be buying new spares, hopefully heavy duty, from Weddle Industries.
Can anyone here confirm the original 4th gear ratio is 0.85? And what is the recommended ratio is for lower revs running the EJ25 - I’ve heard 0.77 is popular. Anyone here gone that route?
Finally, also considering my 16" wheels with BFG AT2 215/65 R16 tyre, should I be worrying about final gear ratio? I have read that OEM is 4.86:1, and that any change would need to be made both at front and rear.
If anyone has any exprience/knowledge to share, I’m all ears!
Thanks
Gaetan aka naughtyG
Hi Gaetan,
I have a EJ25 subie franken motor running 2L heads for higher compression and better torque down much lower in the rev range.
Even with that I decided to keep the stock ratios as I didnt want to change down gears on freeway runs with a loaded van with wife, kids and dog plus all the gear we carry.
The big tyres are a huge factor.
I’m running 235 x 75 x 15 BFGs on alloys which are extremely heavy.
Runs great and hills dont bother it in top gear.
Thanks Scott.
I am going with the 0.77 (instead of 0.82) as I’d like lower revs on freeway, don’t mind dropping a gear if needed when fully loaded 
The parts list needed is quite a bit, I am hoping Weddle will help me in selecting all I need and quoting for the lot.
So the rebuilt gearbox has gone in and it’s still jumping out of 4th gear as soon as any power is applied. 
It feels to me like it’s not fully engaging, but the garage said there’s no adjustment.
I’m getting married the week after next so it’s gonna have to wait, but it’ll go back to the gearbox guy first to have a look and if no luck to the garage who refitted the box. Weirdest thing is garage dude said he took it for a 20mns drive and had no problems, but as soon as I went to 4th it popped out again.
All other gears are absolutely fine.
If anyone has any input or advice on this issue it’ll be most welcome.
Thanks
Gaetan
I have no experience with this issue or fixing it, but I guess it’s worth checking the linkages and guides in the gear selector (particularly at the gear box end) are all in good condition and adjusted correctly. This can have a big impact on selecting gears correctly.
Hi Gaetan,
Very strange that its only 4th gear.
Who rebuilt the gearbox?
Maybe they missed something?
Or, maybe worn shift rod bushings which can be readjusted at the shift linkage?
Hi Scott,
thnks for that. No resolution yet. Gearbox rebuilt by Mike Trewitt who’s a local VW gearbox expert - that’s all he does.
We did find the lever arm connecting the linkage to the gearbox appears to be an aftermarket part - prolly GoWesty - and Mike said it looks longer to him. But if anything that should give a longer throw which should help rather than hinder the gear engagement.
It’s looking like the GB will need to come out again for him to check what’s going on
We fitted a new 4th gear (lower ratio), as well as new forks and sliders, so should be all good. But, while all the other gears are fine, 4th pops out as soon as any power is applied.
We tried putting a couple of washers behind the plate that holds the linkage at the gearbox end (moving it 3mm forward) to see if maybe the new rubber boots fitted were springing it back out, but it made no difference.
Most likely there’s something wrong internally, will have to wait until it’s out again for Mike to see. What a 'mare.. makes me feel I should’ve just dropped $10k again and gone the reverse Subagear route instead.
cheers
Gaetan
This is true ONLY when the gear linkage at the front of the car has sufficient room to move backwards and forwards. As Richard suggested, my thoughts are the shift rod length needs to be checked.
Richard provided some much needed sanity for me a few years ago when I had the misfortune to need replacement parts for my shift mechanism. Being of a much calmer disposition than I, he guided me to the nuances of T3 gear linkage adjustments.
About mid way along the shaft is an adjustment point for both length and left/right rotation. It’s a small - very small actually - adjustment to get the R/1st/3rd and G/2nd/4th length right.
Hi everyone.
OK so the gearbox saga continues.. I know it’s been ages, and the van’s been off the road all that time.
In the meantime, I’ve managed to:
The gearbox did come out again, and Mike the specialist went right through it a second time and could find nothing wrong with it internally.
Fitted again (by his mate at a much lower cost), and then it needed a new slave cylinder as clutch wouldn’t hold pressure. Tested, still popping out of 4th gear.
Put it on the ramp, disconnected the shifting mechanism, put it in fourth, ran it and it popped right off. That means the gearbox 100%, right??
I said please put it back together, refund the rebuild $$, and I’ll drive it home and see if Subagears is now the only way to a ($10k+) fix.
Then overnight Mike couldn’t sleep and wondered if he’d put the spacer on the gearbox shifting shaft on the correct side. Went back, swapped it around, took it for a test and said it’s no longer popping out (!)
I went to pick it up this eve to drive it home. It does mostly stay in 4th now, but still randomly pops out from time to time.
The whole shifting mechanism is SO stiff going back and forth it’s almost impossible to get it in first, and from 4th with my broken wrist still recovering I almost can’t get it to 3rd.
I have absolutely no idea wtf is going on, but it seems obvious the entire shifting mechanism is in dire need of checking / adjustment. Is there anyone here with strong knowledge / experience with this? I have a Haynes manual (non-syncro unfortunately) which isn’t of much help.
For the history:
Am I going mad, or does this point at Vdub Spares & Repairs doing a shit job on the refit? I’m sure they’ll say they didn’t touch it - just disconnected/reconnected, but surely part of the job is making the needed adjuatments so it all works properly?
Sorry for the long-winded post I am just venting a massive amount of frustration.
Any suggestions / help / pointers / gear shift mechanism adjustment experience highly welcome!
thanks all
Gaetan
I’ll take some supporting photos when I can.
When I started work on my Syncro the gear selection was extremely stiff. Almost impossible of get to neutral because the force would sent it straight to the opposite gate. Turned out the rubber/nylon shift bush and washer on the shift rod at the gearbox end were arranged wrong. Before I discovered this, I improved it by spray lube.
Hi Gaetan,
From what I have been told, jumping out of gear is a gearbox issue not a shifter issue.
A shifter issue usually relates to not being able to select particular gears.
I have seen a guy in the UK set up an elastic strap to keep the van in top gear, yet I would find that a problem if you needed to change down gears quickly for any reason.
There are a couple of really good gearbox guys in Queensland such as Aarons Speed Shop and Rudi Purkhardt.
I would box up the gearbox and ship it to one of them.
Best of Luck,
Scott
@kombi4x427lc thanks for the tips. I’m unable to find someone in WA to do the conversion to Subagears, and now after 2 unsuccessful rebuilds I’m feeling like the original box is toast. I’ve emailed Aarons Speed Shift Autos but can’t find anything on how to contact Rudi, if he’s still operating?
@911jack Uwe where did you have your Subgears conversion done? I know it’s 2016, but if they’re still around - I’m struggling,..
Thanks guys!
Hi Gaeton, sorry to hear about your troubles.
My gearbox at the time started a diff noise so I pulled and opened it to find the main shaft had front to back play, wearing into the aluminum housing and causing the diff whine, there is a fix a bearing retainer. The higher power Subaru 2.5 engine, but mainly my right foot probably caused that.
Decided to try a Subarugears box while gathering parts to rebuild the syncro box. So that was 2016 and the subarugears box is still in without any issue and the syncro is my daily driver and has done its fair share of towing.
It comes down to being OK with no granny gear, but I still have the syncro box which will go back in at some time.
Mine was one the first I think, Todd from Subarugears was located in Sydney at the time and Alldrivesubaru provided a whole converted gearbox organised by Todd ( Subaru Rear Drive for VW - By All Drive Subaroo )
Todd is actually located in Perth for many years now, you could have a chat with him.
PS - If I was doing it today I would do the conversion myself, there are good instructions to basically take a box apart and reassemble with some new parts.
Cheers, Uwe
Hi Uwe,
thanks for the reply. I have been talking top Todd here but cannot find a local installer willing to take on the conversion and he’s not been all that helpful unfortunately. You’d think he’d want the business?
Anyway, had a long call with Aaron from Aarons Speed Shift Autos this morning, and he sounds like he really does know his stuff, as well as having all the parts on hand.
So here we go again, gearbox will need to come out a third time (will try myself this time to hopefully save on costs) and get shipped to Gold Coast for a third (and hopefully final) rebuild..
Send me good vibes
Hi Gaetan,
Thats basically what I did with mine, yet I sent mine to Rudi on Bribie Island.
Its not a massive job to remove the gearbox (a few CV Bolts, support the motor on a separate stand, support the gearbox on a trolley jack, undo the mounting bolts to engine and rear mount, undo the tailshaft, undo linkages and diff lock/ decoupler wiring/ vac lines and starter wiring and remove and don’t forget to remove the skid plate)…slightly more involved than a 2wd but definitely doable.
I had a box made from MDF with mounts to keep the gearbox stable and some openings at each side/ end to allow for lifting.
I’ve been looking at shipping thre whole van but it’s so expensive.. almost $2k one way..
Would be happy to take the box out, but I haven’t got a hoist, hate working under a raised van and have 1 1/2 working hands since breaking my wrist.
My neighbour has a great set of outdoor solid ramp / inspection pit, but working out a way to lower the box isn’t so easy.
@kombi4x427lc when you did yours did you have the van on stands or a hoist?
Hi Gaetan,
I did mine on jack stands in the back of my garage.
Not so far to bring the gearbox down.
Just support the back of the engine on a scissor jack (so you can lower/ raise it as required for gearbox removal) and put a trolley jack under the gearbox. I did it myself as I have no available help here.
Once clear and lowered, I put a couple of layers of cardboard down and rolled the gearbox onto the cardboard and dragged it out (on the cardboard - it slides easy on a flat floor).
This is my setup:
