Gearbox..opinions...advise please

[blutopless2]

my wifes gti used to crunch going from first to second no matter what revs it was doing.
vw changed the type of oil in the gearbox. This seemed to fix it for a few months then the crunching came back.
Took it back to vw and they replaced the second gear synchros.
It has never crunched again in any gear at any rpm.

[Jmac]

What oil did you change it to mate??
Jmac

[hotcar1600]

It is an insteresting little topic and it seems there are quite a few of us with the same probelm.

I will change the oil and the engine mount and see how i go. I personally think if it gets worse VW should change it for nothing considering the car has only done 30,000 kms - even though i know they won't.

noone - i was thinking of getting the chip done by these guys http://www.europeanautotech.com.au/
they did the suspension on the car (which was done before i bought it) it has H & R springs and shocks - they seem to do quite well in the car, im still very new to the polo gti world and dont know the tuning tricks to these europen cars
I have heaps of knowledge in V8's and japenese cars but this is a whole new world to me

[noone]

noone - i was thinking of getting the chip done by these guys http://www.europeanautotech.com.au/

They did my tune, engine mount and springs. They are an APR dealer. Derek is well known by many on here, if you can get some of his time his advice is good.

[seangti]

noone - i was thinking of getting the chip done by these guys http://www.europeanautotech.com.au/
they did the suspension on the car (which was done before i bought it) it has H & R springs and shocks - they seem to do quite well in the car, im still very new to the polo gti world and dont know the tuning tricks to these europen cars
I have heaps of knowledge in V8's and japenese cars but this is a whole new world to me

So the 84yr old previous owner lowered the car too?? righteo...

As others have said, there's little point reving to 6k rpm, she's out of put shortly after 5. On the race track (circuit) I'll shift around 5200-5500 and my top speed is still within a few km/h. I also wouldn't be smashing the gearbox - what's the point? In saying that, your problem is not uncommon and is understandable you'd want it rectified so as others have said, change the fluid and get the engine/gearbox mount.

[hotcar1600]

yes believe it or not he did...but purely for cosmetic reasons...and money is no real object to this guy

i will not mention his name but he was the previous owner of several large companies is NSW and well known in the industry

he drives a 250,000 dollar car and this was his every day car, and all his cars are manual

he was an ex racing car driver and even built his own cars and would probably still keep pace to you and me...he is quite an amazing character...so no need for forum sarcasm

i will head your advise though...just still getting to know these cars and the probelms...its all half the fun really

[hotcar1600]

noone - PM sent

[blutopless2]

What oil did you change it to mate??
Jmac

dont know as VW did it. They stated at the time that it was a "recall" by VWA at the time and put a sticker thing in the door jam to show it had been done.
Dont think it was a blanket recall as such but something they are aware of as a problem and a possible fix without rebuilding the gearbox.
they had the car for nearly 2 weeks to do the job. - the gearbox that is not the oil

[BLAKROC]

I used to have the same 1st to 2nd gear crunch problem. VW replaced the oil a couple times but the problem would always come back after a few months.

Eventually they did a partial gearbox rebuild, 1st and 2nd (or 1st and 3rd?) gears only.

Works a beaut now

[woosh73]

crunches

[QUOTE=xtturbo;457533]Firstly, don't shift at 6000 rpm - its an exercise in stupidity. The torque has well and truly rolled off by then so in reality all you're doing is revving your engine for absolutely no reason - you're actually going slower. I shift at 5000, but you can shift at 5500 if you really must...QUOTE]


The best advise , 5000 - 5250 rpm shift , 6000rm is way to high and the torque is gone.

[hotcar1600]

hey guys

an update on the gearbox issues im having

i have headed all you advice and thus i am shifting at below 6000rpm...9even though it not as fun ahah)

however, even when i do this, say at 4000rpm i still crunch gears when shifting into 3rd. It happens as soon as you do a moderately fast shift....

i personally think my synchro is farked and could be related to some of the gearbox probelms im having

any thoughts on this guys?? does anyone know a good gearbox guy located in sydney to look at this...

i want to get the chip etc soon but also want to ensure the car is 100% before i progress with modifications.

cheers

[noone]

Have you tried xtturbo's gearbox... thing?

Have you changed the gearbox oil?

I would still call a few VW dealerships and try to talk to the most senior service person you can on the issue. If you explain that you have discussed this on this forum and have noted a number of people have had the issue and you only just took ownership of the car, someone MAY be willing to help...

Good luck.

[Jmac]

hey guys

an update on the gearbox issues im having

i have headed all you advice and thus i am shifting at below 6000rpm...9even though it not as fun ahah)

however, even when i do this, say at 4000rpm i still crunch gears when shifting into 3rd. It happens as soon as you do a moderately fast shift....

i personally think my synchro is farked and could be related to some of the gearbox probelms im having

any thoughts on this guys?? does anyone know a good gearbox guy located in sydney to look at this...

i want to get the chip etc soon but also want to ensure the car is 100% before i progress with modifications.

cheers

Last Pog box i had with crunching was 3rd up and down, even holding the clutch in to slow the box down, crunch. I used Redline MTL and cured. no crap. Shame 3 months later it spat a diff rivet through the casing. But yeah try MTL well worth a try before you condemn the syncro
cheers
Jmac

[vanllinx]

yea, had my car in service and seb did a full analysis on it and looks like i bought a car with
'leaking gearbox'...crunches are still there even with the redline MTL.

seb suggests i get it fixed. $1500 on average

or use a thicker redline oil but it will work well wen the engine's warm, endless crunches wen its cold..

anyone know what kind of further problems down the line might i get if i dont get the synchros fixed now?

[DarkCloudNebulae]

HotCar1600,
I recently contacted Volkswagen Australia about the very same issue, I quoted the recall/bulletin number and ask them to confirm if my car did or didn't suffer from this problem. (I bought a new Polo GTI)
It was explained to me that the problem started from the 'incorrect oil' being used from the factory, it was not incorrect like it was grease instead of oil, but it was a slightly thinner oil that it should be. This oil resulted in the grinding of gears during changes and excessive force to be required to engage the gear. They fixed this by changing out the oil, and as the box is a sealed unit, this is not changed unless you tell them you are suffering from it. They told me it was not a 'recall' but a optional service interval for people that were noticing the problem. They were also very clear to point out that it did not result in any gearbox failures or damage (I do not swear to any validity of this info though).
I was told my car (using the VIN) was not affected, but was not given any further details as to which cars were. You might want to contact VWA and give them the VIN and see what they think. Also worth asking a dealer/service centre.

Good luck!