Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears

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Thu 19 Jan 2012 21:47
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - csgmart

I've just purchased a 1997 petrol 1.4 Polo as a run about. The car runs fine but there is a problem selecting any gear. It is extremely difficult to select the correct gear and requires a huge amount of pressure to push the gear stick. On the plus side once in gear there are no crunching noises and the gear box works perfectly without any whining noises etc. Is this likely to be something as simple as a selector mechansim that needs adjusting or renewal?

Edited by csgmart on 19/01/2012 at 21:47

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 11:58
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - madf

Get the vendor to sort it out.

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 12:09
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - Peter D

Did you not notice this when you test drove it. can you select gears with the engine off. Where is the clutch bite point. Regards Peter

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 12:42
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - Peter.N.

...and will it go into reverse without crunching?

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 13:02
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - csgmart

It goes into all gears without crunching. It's just incredibly difficult to select any gear. I'm not with the car now so will have to try putting in gear with engine off. What will it tell me if it does go into gear with the engine off? Once in gear the drive is fine without any whining. I can't return the car so just need to find a fix for it hence asking the questions. Looking for possible solutions please.

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 15:34
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - Peter D

Clutch drag causing the input shaft to rotate thus causing the refusal to engage. Regards Peter

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 17:12
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - Big John

Check the rear engine/gearbox mount just in case (looking from underneath at the passenger side get someone to rock the engine backwards and forwards). Wear here can cause major problems with the gear linkages.

Also double check lubrication of the gear leaver/linkages. At this age of car the grease could have dried up etc.. The ball pivot below the gaiter can substantially stiffen up.

If it was the clutch it would frequently crunch going into reverse as I think there is no reverse syncro on this gearbox. As previoulsy mentioned try engagin gear with the engine turned off. I also think the clutch is hydraulic - double check the brake master cylinder lever to ensure you are not loosing hydraulic fluid (clutch - or brakes!)

Edited by Big John on 20/01/2012 at 17:14

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 19:08
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - csgmart

Check the rear engine/gearbox mount just in case (looking from underneath at the passenger side get someone to rock the engine backwards and forwards). Wear here can cause major problems with the gear linkages.

Also double check lubrication of the gear leaver/linkages. At this age of car the grease could have dried up etc.. The ball pivot below the gaiter can substantially stiffen up.

If it was the clutch it would frequently crunch going into reverse as I think there is no reverse syncro on this gearbox. As previoulsy mentioned try engagin gear with the engine turned off. I also think the clutch is hydraulic - double check the brake master cylinder lever to ensure you are not loosing hydraulic fluid (clutch - or brakes!)

OK, I've sat in the car with the engine off and it makes no difference. The gear stick is still difficult to move into any gear. As it's dark I will wait until tomorrow morning to check the brake fluid level and have a look under the car at the gear linkages etc.

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 20:53
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - Big John

Forget the brake fluid as this was part of diagnosing a clutch fault which it is not - because the fault is the same with engine on or off.

With the gear stick - start inside the car by lifting up the gaitor surround - usually attached to a plastic surround that should be easily removed, this will reveal the gear lever ball pivot. Try working in a little oil first to loosen up the pivot and old grease followed by working in fresh grease. My 2001 1.4 Octavia (suprisingly similar setup) had started to stiffen up a bit but the above sorted it.

Don't forget the engine mount - I had one of these fail on a Polo in the past. If faulty the engine can tilt putting pressure on the linkages.

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Fri 20 Jan 2012 21:07
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - csgmart

With the gear stick - start inside the car by lifting up the gaitor surround - usually attached to a plastic surround that should be easily removed, this will reveal the gear lever ball pivot. Try working in a little oil first to loosen up the pivot and old grease followed by working in fresh grease. My 2001 1.4 Octavia (suprisingly similar setup) had started to stiffen up a bit but the above sorted it.

Don't forget the engine mount - I had one of these fail on a Polo in the past. If faulty the engine can tilt putting pressure on the linkages.

Thanks - I'll give it a try tomorrow and let you know how I get on.

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Sat 28 Jan 2012 14:50
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - csgmart

I tried spraying WD40 into the area under the gear stick gator and also got under the car to spray WD40 unto all the linkages and moving parts of the gear selector mechanism. Sadly it hasn't made any appreciable difference. What I did notice is the gear stick seems to be "off centre" slightly with a bias towards the driver (e.g. right) rather than being in the horizontal straight up position. Also it is difficult to select reverse sometimes whilst 1st and 2nd are relatively easy and 3rd / 4th more difficult to select. 5th is incredibly difficult to select beucase I cannot easily "find" it. I think I'm at the point where a garage will have a look for me unless anyone else has any suggestions. I'm convinced it's a gear selector problem as opposed to a gear box internal issue as the gears do not crunch and once in gear it is quiet.

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Sat 28 Jan 2012 22:00
Volkswagen Polo III - 1.4 Petrol 1997 - Extremelydifficult to select gears - Big John

Did you look at the engine mount?

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