This install should be performed before the side-to-side
reduction parts have been installed.
1.
Remove the shift knob and boot assembly. Do this by simply
unscrewing the shift knob and unsnap and remove the center console
piece which holds the shift boot, exposing the shift
linkage. On the Passat, also remove the rubber sound-proofing boot. Set the boot
parts aside.
2.
Finish exposing the shift linkage.
On the
Corrado, you now want to remove
the front section of the center console.
To do this, follow these steps.
On the Corrado, remove the rear ash tray by pulling it up and out. Using a stubby Phillips
screwdriver, remove the forward-facing Phillips screw inside the front of the
hole vacated by the ash tray.
Next, engage the parking brake fully. Next, remove the Phillips screw
under the front of the handbrake handle. Next, remove the handbrake grip by
pressing the tab on the lowest point of the handle and then slide it off toward
the front of the car. Remove
the center section of the center console.
The front section of the center console on the Corrado (says "Karmann" on
it) is held down with two 10mm nuts and washers. After you remove these nuts and washers,
lift the center console out. It may
be helpful to rotate the center console counterclockwise as you lift it
off. It takes some finesse to get
it out so take your time! If you
have any questions, consult your Bentley manual for
specifics on how to remove the center console on your particular
car.
On the
Passat, Jetta III VR6 and TDI, and on the A3 GTI VR6, remove all of the fasteners
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5) for the
center consoles. Do not remove the center console completely on the A3 cars.
The center console can be lifted up
enough to complete the install on these cars after all fasteners have been
removed. Remove the center console
completely on the Passats.
3.
A bracket is welded to the front of the side-to-side pivot axle, and is
held in place by at 13mm bolt. On
all cars, remove the 13mm
bolt which holds the side-to-side pivot axle bracket in place. This bolt faces the front of the
car. Also, on the Corrado, Passat,
Jetta III VR6 and TDI, and A3 GTI VR6 only, remove the front bolt
that holds the shift mechanism sheet metal box to the aluminum frame. This bolt must be removed on these cars
because it prevents the side-to-side pivot axle from being slid forward out of
the shift linkage mechanism.
4.
On the Corrado and all A3 cars you must remove a small
section of the sheet metal flange directly in front of the
side-to-side pivot axle. The
portion you remove must run from the centerline of the car to the mid-point of
the right front corner of the flange.
Use a Dremel
tool to remove this flange.
Remove that section of the flange completely so that there is no raised
portion remaining in that area. This is especially important with the
Corrado as there is very little clearance to remove the pivot pin. Also on the Corrado only, after the
notch is removed, place a large chisel
longitudinally on the body sheet metal directly in line with the
axis of the side-to-side pivot axle.
With a large hammer, hit the chisel once or twice to make a very, very
slight indentation in the body sheet metal. Also on the Corrado only, remove the
rear bolt that holds the aluminum shift assembly to the car's center
tunnel. This will allow the pivot
pin to be maneuvered out of the aluminum shift assembly. Finally, on the Corrado only and with a
Dremel
tool, remove
the small lip of the bracket welded to the side-to-side pivot
axle. All of these things are done
on the Corrado to allow the side-to-side pivot axle to slide forward and come
free of the remaining shift lever components.
Please note that on the A3 VR6 and TDI cars,
only the notching
step is required in step #4!
Notching is not required at all on Passat.
5.
On the Jetta III VR6 and TDI, and A3 GTI VR6 only, cut a small
notch in the carpet and/or sound deadening material to fully allow
the side-to-side pivot axle to be slid
out of the shift mechanism.
On the Passat, a small cut in the foam sound deadening material can be
made to facilitate the removal of the pivot pin.
6.
On all cars, slide the
side-to-side pivot axle forward and out of the aluminum shift
housing. The Corrado pivot axle is
more difficult to remove since it sits so low in the car. All of the steps in #4 should make the
pivot pin easier to remove on the Corrado.
7.
On all cars, remove the special
circlip from the front-to-back pivot axle.
8.
Lift the mechanism out of the aluminum shift housing and slide the sheet
metal pivot toward the passenger side of the car and set it outside
of the car since it is greasy.
9.
Remove the front-to-back cable from the shift lever by removing the
special cotter pin from the cable shaft. Be careful not to lose it, though an
extra cotter pin was sent in case you do lose the original. Make note that this clip is not made of
ferrous metal and is thus not magnetic.
You will have to fish it out of the shift box with your fingers if you
drop it in there. It also likes to
fly away when it is removed, so watch your eyes!
10.
Remove the stock shift lever from the car.
11.
Remove the dieselgeek.com shift mechanism from the bag and try not to
remove the grease that was applied to it.
Re-grease the pivot bushings with your favorite brand of white/yellow
grease if you have any questions as to whether there is sufficient grease on
them. Don't disassemble the shift
lever assembly since it is fully greased under the plastic bushings.
HIGH
PERFORMANCE TIP! Install two 8mm
bolts and nuts in the vacant holes that VW left in the aluminum pivot frame
assembly and the body sheet metal. These added bolts tie the sheet metal shift
box more securely to the aluminum pivot frame. This sturdier platform will make the
assembly stiffer, which makes the shift mechanism feel more solid. Volkswagen must have saved some money by
not using these two holes. Most
hardware stores carry this hardware.
The nuts and the hex heads on the bolts should be 13mm or 5/16”. Tighten to 20 pound feet if you have a
torque wrench.
On the Corrado, hold the aluminum pivot frame
loosely in place with the original rear bolt that the factory did install. Next, from inside the aluminum pivot
frame, insert an 8mm bolt through one of the above mentioned "extra" holes. This bolt will be installed "upside
down" with the head down inside the aluminum pivot frame and the threads coming
up through the hole. Loosely insert
a nut on this bolt. Repeat this
with the remaining bolt and nut.
These nuts/bolts will be tightened in Step #16. When it is time to tighten them, use the
following procedure: use a 13mm wrench to hold the head of the bolt inside the
aluminum pivot frame. Tighten the
nut using a 13mm socket wrench.
Tighten to 20 ft/lb. Next,
install the original front bolt holding the aluminum pivot frame in place. Tighten the 2 original bolts (front
& rear) to 15 ft/lb.
12.
Reattach the shift cable to the new shift lever. Slide the cotter pin
through the hole in the cable pivot shaft. This can be mildly tedious as the cotter
pin hole is pretty small. An extra
cotter pin has been provided in case you lose the original cotter pin.
On the Corrado, remove the shift cable
retaining cotter pin from your new short shift kit. Next, lower the shift lever/sheet metal
bracket assembly (the assembly shipped to you by dieselgeek.com) down into the
aluminum pivot frame. Attach the
shift cable to the pivot shaft on the short shift assembly and reinstall the
cotter pin. Space is tight, so be
patient. Lower this assembly so
that the 11mm plastic-sheathed ball at the bottom of the bracket goes into the
grooved bracket on the right side of the shift mechanism. Line up all of the holes that the
side-to-side pivot axle will travel through. Carefully insert the side-to-side pivot
shaft from the front. As the shaft
approaches it's rearward most position, insure that the bracket at the forward
end of the shaft rests between the two spring ends on the sheet metal
bracket. For the Corrado, now go to
Step #15.
13.
Slide the new sheet metal pivot
bracket's pivot pin into the shift lever's plastic bushing and
reinstall the special
circlip to the end of the front-to-back pivot
shaft.
14.
Lower the mechanism back into the shift box, guiding the 11mm
plastic-sheathed ball which is welded to the bottom of the sheet metal pivot
bracket into the grooved bracket on the right side of the mechanism. Once fully lowered, push the
side-to-side pivot shaft back through the sheet metal bracket's new bushings and
guide the end of the pivot shaft in between the two spring ends on the sheet
metal bracket.
15.
Replace the 13mm
bolt removed in step #3.
This bolt’s head faces the front of the car. Tighten it in a position that places the
shift lever nearly perfectly vertical.
Tighten to 15 foot pounds and no more! It strips rather easily.
16.
Replace the front
bolt that holds the shift mechanism sheet metal box to the aluminum
frame. Don't over-tighten this
bolt. Tighten to 15 foot pounds and
no more! It also strips rather
easily.
17.
Reinstall the center console.
18.
Reinstall the shift knob and boot.
Simply put the shift boot over the shaft and screw the knob onto the
shaft, centering the engraved/embossed shift pattern when fully tightened.
Reattach the shift boot to the center console.
19.
Install the newly redesigned side-to-side reduction
pin and adjust the linkage as described here.
If for some reason you do not want
to install the side to side reduction pin it is very important for you to know
that you may still need to adjust the linkage as described here. Also, if you have an A3 GTI or Jetta or
B4 Passat, you should install the new Dieselgeek.com high performance front/back
cable end bushings immediately before you
install the side to side reduction pin.
(Corrados came equipped with square-headed cable ends and cannot use the
hard plastic oval bushings we supply to the other shift kits.) These upgraded custom bushings replace
the spongy black rubber bushing that is currently installed in the end of your
stock front/back cable end. This
mod was designed to make your A3 GTI/Jetta GLX or TDI and Passat shifter feel
like the highly sought after MkIV Sigma shifter! The install is as simple as unbolting
the shift weight and front/back cable end while being careful not to lose the thick 8mm washer
and square nut that are just below the shift cable. When you have removed the bolt holding
the shift cable to its shift bracket, hold the cable end with one
hand and push out the black rubber bushing with your fingers. You’ll be left with an empty oval ring
to put the new bushings into. Then
lightly grease the new white plastic bushing’s round inside
holes. Place one of the
bushings on the bottom of the shift cable end and place the other on top of the
cable end. Then you just simply
bolt the
cable end back to the front to back bracket, roughly centering the shift cable
in the adjustment slot. Replace the
shift weight (if your car has one) after you have tightened down the bolt
holding the shift cable end. You
are done.
