These instructions might seem
lengthy but they are thorough and most people appreciate that. This install
should take about an hour to perform. Also, these instructions ONLY apply to
the dieselgeek.com Sigma Shifter that went on sale on September 28th, 2009.
These instructions will not work on any other shifter in existence and are
COPYWRITED material and pictures!
Tools needed:
3/8 drive ratchet
10mm and 13mm (1/2 inch will
usually work) socket in 3/8 drive size
5mm Allen wrench or socket
Channel lock pliers or special
hose clamp pliers for MAF clamp (TDI)
3/8 box end wrench (10mm will
work)
All-purpose lubricant such as
WD-40 or equivalent
1. Always work on a cool car.
These engines get hot! You will burn yourself otherwise.
2. Park car on level ground, set
hand brake. Daylight really works best for seeing what you are doing. Pull hood
latch and open hood.
3. For TDI Jetta you need to
remove the battery tray, battery and air box to do this install. First remove the battery cover and loosen both of the battery
cable clamps. Next, remove the battery hold down bolt and battery. Rabbits and Jettas with 2.5 5 cylinder gas engines do not require air
box removal but they do require removal of the battery and battery support
tray.
4. To remove the air box cover,
unscrew the eight Phillips head screws from the air box cover. Next, remove the
spring hose clamp holding the flexible air pipe to the mass air
flow sensor (MAF) with a pair of channel lock pliers or specialized hose clamp pliers. Unplug the mass airflow sensor electrical plug.
There is a catch in the middle that must be pressed
upwards to release the plug. Leave the small rubber passenger (engine) side
vacuum hose (TDI) attached to the air box cover and set the cover on top of the
engine out of the way.
5. Remove the battery tray end cover. Next,
remove the air filter and louvered tray that sits under the air filter and set
aside. On the TDI only, remove the flexible duct from the aluminum tube coming
from the turbo area.
6. For TDI Jetta Only: Pop
off the air box snorkel cover by lifting up on all three catches. Make a mental
note on which groove the snorkel sits in. You may also mark
the groove with magic marker or liquid paper to make reinstallation easier.
7. For TDI Jetta Only: The
lower air box is held in by one 5mm Allen screw and two rubber and plastic
quick-release barbed mounts. After the 5mm Allen screw
is removed the air box comes out by carefully pulling it straight up. After the
lower air box is free from its mounts, you must snake its snorkel underneath
the upper radiator hose.
8. For all cars: The battery tray is held down by three 6mm bolts with 10mm hex heads. Remove them and
lift out the battery tray.
9. Looking down to the left hand
corner of the battery at the bottom you will see the shift linkage with two shift cables running
back towards the center of the car. You can look at the new dieselgeek.com
short shift parts and visualize how the new parts go in place.
10. Detach both of the shift
cable ends from the shift cables by pulling their knurled plastic rings toward you and against
the coil spring and turning it clockwise (or counter-clockwise depending how
you look at it) against its stop to unlock the cable ends. This will allow you to
slide the cable ends off of the threaded cables after you remove the shiny metal clips holding them to
the stock shift brackets.
11. All models up to 2008:
On the left-most shift bracket (the small, dull silver
one), undo the shiny metal clip with your fingernail
that secures its pivoting shaft to the transmission housing. Try not to lose
this clip. You can use a clip from your cable ends in case you lose the clip.
(The VW/Audi part number for
the shiny clip is N 908 159 03 and it is the same as the clip holding the stock
cable ends.) On 2008 models
which use black plastic side to side brackets, unhook the plastic catch that keeps the long
pivot pin secured to the transmission.
12.
Slide this smaller
sheetmetal bracket towards the engine to remove it. There are two round white plastic pivot bushings
on this bracket. Make sure that the round white plastic bushing on the
passenger side (LHD) stays in the
aluminum bracket/tube that is attached to the transmission. Remove the
round white plastic bushing from the stock flat silver shift bracket and
replace it in the aluminum tube if it happens to come out with the shift
bracket. The shifter will not work properly without both of these bushings
being in place! The factory part number for these bushings is 1J0 711 067L if you happen to lose
one. The 2008 models will not have these bushings from the factory but new ones
will be provided for you in the shift kit if you specified that you have a 2008
model during the order process. The empty tube on the transmission will look like this on 2008 models. The tube
will look like this after you install the 1J0 711 067L bushings on the 2008 models.
These bushings must be in place on all models to allow the shifter to work
correctly.
13. Using a 13mm socket and ratchet (plus 12"-18"
worth of extension bars if you have them), remove the 13mm nut holding the
chrome Klingon warship-shaped chrome
shift bracket to the transmission. The shift mechanism will rotate
counter-clockwise into gear as you loosen this nut. This is not a problem.
After you remove it, discard the 13mm nut as it is not reused.
14. Use leather
gloves for this step! After the 13mm nut has been removed, you will need to put
the selector shaft in the middle position (neutral) where it is free to move up
and down. Place both hands on the chrome bracket so you can
pull up evenly or wiggle the bracket side to side while pulling upwards. Use some control since you might hurt
yourself when the bracket does finally come free of its shaft. Sometimes it
helps to get both hands on this bracket so you can pull up evenly (and
repeatedly, if necessary). Also, while grabbing the chrome bracket, you can
wiggle it side to side while pulling up on it to free it from the splined
shaft. For really new cars, some people have used a battery terminal puller (or a
generic two jaw puller) to remove the chrome bracket from the selector shaft.
This can be sourced from most auto parts stores for around $4.00. If the
splines are new and tight and it will take a few minutes to get the bracket
off.
1. While holding the shift parts in your hands, use the supplied L-shaped Allen wrench and a 3/8 inch box end wrench (10mm will work usually) to tighten all ten of the Allen screws of the two aluminum cable ends until they are almost snug (very slightly loose). This will make the install easier. Be careful though, if you over tighten them you will not be able to insert the threaded shift cables into them.
2. Back in the engine bay; pull back both shift cables rubber boots and plastic rings to expose all threads of the cables. After the clear plastic rings have been broken loose, slide them toward the rear of the car to expose all of the threads and smooth cable. Reattach the black rubber cable boots to the clear plastic cable rings.
3. Start with the front to back bracket first. Before you try to put the shift bracket back onto the splined transmission selector shaft, spray the front to back shift cable with WD-40 or equivalent light weight lubricant. Then slide the aluminum cable end onto the lubricated and partially threaded shift cable.
4. At this point it is extremely important to note that there is a keyway or joined spline on the selector shaft on the transmission. The correct corresponding keyway to use on the front to back shift lever is a keyway marked with a permanent magic marker mark denoting its position. You cannot easily push the shift bracket onto the transmission selector shaft without these two elements lining up. It is very important that you do not install the front to back bracket in the wrong position. Once lined up, however, the shift bracket will push pretty easily onto the selector shaft. Another easy check is that once the shifter is fully assembled, the white plastic slider of the side to side bracket will be in the middle of the front to back bracket while in neutral. The white plastic slider is also engraved with "Sigma 5 Top" on the top side.
5.
Next, thread the supplied new OE 13mm lock nut by hand onto the shaft and
then tighten it with your ratchet but do not go crazy with it (The Bentley
service manual says tighten to 18 foot pounds but this accuracy is hard to
achieve since the extensions alter the torque wrench reading). You absolutely must
not reuse the old locknut that you removed from the stock shifter. The
Sigma shifter will not work with the original lock nut. While you are tightening the new locknut, the
selector shaft will rotate clockwise before the nut gets tight. After the
nut has been tightened, rotate the shift bracket counter-clockwise to the
neutral position. In the neutral position the front to back shift bracket can
be moved up and down.
6. Next, make sure that both of the round white plastic bushings are in the aluminum pivot hole in the transmission. The factory part number for these bushings is 1J0 711 067L if you have lost one. The shifter will not work correctly unless both bushings are in place. All 2008 and newer cars must have brand new bushings installed here which we supply if your order was placed correctly.
7. Next, spray the remaining shift cable with WD-40 or similar lubricant. Then take the remaining silver side to side shift bracket and engage the lubricated shift cable with the aluminum cable end. Make sure that the shift cable slides freely in and out of the aluminum cable end by cycling it several times in and out of the aluminum cable end (This will remove any burrs inside the aluminum cable end if present.) This free movement is crucial to the proper adjustment of the shifter as described below. Also make sure that the shift cable boot has been pulled back to expose the smooth part of the shift cable as shown here.
8.
Next, slide the silver side to side shift lever's longer pivot shaft through
the hole on the transmission meant for it (from engine side). As you are slowly
pushing the side to side bracket to the right,
push its aluminum cable end slowly onto the threaded section of the cable. This
is little bit of a ballet act and under no circumstance should you force
anything. You just feed the bracket toward the right and rotate it backwards
onto the cable at the same time slowly and carefully. As you are sliding the
silver brackets pin through the hole, engage the slot of the white plastic slider with the
front to back bracket. Another
check is that once the shifter is fully assembled, the white plastic slider of
the side to side bracket will be in the middle of the front to back bracket while in
neutral. The white plastic slider is also engraved with "Sigma 5 Top"
on the top side. This should face up.
9. After the silver shift bracket is fully engaged into the pivot hole, replace the small shiny metal clip on the silver brackets pivot shaft. Here is a top view of what the shifter should look like if you have installed everything correctly.
Adjustment: This is the most important part. This
procedure must be followed exactly! Please
call (210) 852-4819 if you have problems here. Make note that all shifters
will feel better when given a week or so to break in as there are friction
surfaces that will be polished with several days worth
of driving. The adjustment procedure is
pretty straightforward so problems should be few, if any. PLEASE do not seek adjustment
advice from anyone other than JIM ROYSTON
which includes posting anything to any online forums! Please consult me first.
That said, of course when you reduce the available leverage by installing ANY
short shift kit there with be a degree of higher effort and this will be
perceived as notchiness by some. Just give it a few days to a week for the
sliding parts to break in before you call us.
1. Expose the shift linkage inside the car. On Golf and Jetta, while
working inside of the car, put both hands into the rear of the shift boot
and lift up the rear of the frame of the shift boot. It will unsnap from the center console.
Then lift the rubber sound deadening boot from the shifter aperture. Lift
up the shift boot but don't remove it.
2. Lock the mechanism inside the car into its "Home" position.
Do this by inserting the expensive and rare special tool we supplied with the kit
into the hole at the lower left of the shift lever and push it
through and into the corresponding hole in the shifter base until it
bottoms out. This will give the appearance that
the shifter is in second gear which
is exactly correct. Also, the shift lever inside the car WILL NOT MOVE if you
have successfully put the nail through both holes. If you do not have the
nail tool we provide with our kits, the special tool was made from a 4 inch
long, 20d Bright Common nail with a 5 mm or .195 inch shank diameter and a 30
degree bend 2.5 inches from the tip of the nail to clear the shift knob.
3. Lock the transmission into its "Home" position. Right
now, your transmissions black L-shaped locking lever is in the normal
operating position and should point to the rear of the car. In the engine bay,
make sure that the transmission is in
neutral (in neutral
the front to back shift bracket is free to move up and down). With your
right thumb, push down on the front to back shift bracket approximately 1/3 of
an inch and then with your forefinger turn the small black L-shaped locking lever on the transmissions
shift tower clockwise while pushing it in. The tip of this black locking lever
will end up pointing straight up when the shift
mechanism is successfully placed in the locked or home position. You will also not be able to move the front to back shift bracket
up and down if the transmission is locked into the home position.
4. Once you have installed the adjustment nail through both holes inside the car (Step 2) and locked the transmission into its Home position (Step 3) you are ready to tighten the Allen screws that clamp both of the aluminum cable ends to the shift cables. This IS the adjustment for the short shift kit! Where you clamp the cables has everything to do with the proper adjustment of the shifter. If you did not follow all of the preceding steps exactly then do not tighten the Allen screws until you do. If you have followed the directions, tighten the middle Allen screw on the cable ends with the supplied L-shaped Allen wrench and a box end 10mm or 3/8 wrench to hold the lock nuts.
5. Unlock the transmission from its Home position. While pushing down
slightly on the front to back bracket, pull the transmission L-shaped locking
pin to the left and rotate it counter-clockwise until it comes back out to its
rest position stop. It will move toward the right side (engine side) of the car
by approximately 1/2 inch. (You are not removing the pin completely.) It is
very important that you pull this pin back to the normal 10:00 O clock rest position since your shifter
will not work with the pin pushed into the transmission Home position!
Furthermore, you will permanently damage the pin if you forcefully try to
shift the mechanism with the pin pushed in! Please do not forget to release the
pin after adjustment. The mechanism will still function if you damage the
plastic pin but you will have to replace the pin for any future adjustments. The part number for the
locking pin is 02J 301 358C and is available at your dealer for about $5.00. It
is a pain to install, however.
6. Unlock the mechanism inside the car from its Home position. Go back
inside the car and remove completely the special bent nail tool from the
shifter mechanism.
7. Check the shifter action by gently cycling through the gears
(remember, you only have tightened one of the five Allen screws clamping the
cables). Make sure that first and second gear engage smoothly without too much
effort. Also, make sure that reverse gear is easy to engage. If either first or
second gears are not where they are supposed to be, loosen the middle Allen
screws of both brackets and do the adjustment procedure over again starting at
step #2 in this adjustment section. (Make note that the shifter will always work
its best with the engine running and the clutch pushed in.)
8. If all gears are easy to
engage, tighten all of the remaining Allen screws. Tighten the Allen screws
until the slit in the side of the aluminum cable end will barely allow either a
credit card or two
playing cards to fit in the gap. Once the ten Allen screws are
tight, the shift levers have been properly installed and adjusted. They should never
need to be readjusted unless the procedure was done incorrectly.
9. Slide the shift cable boots
back toward the aluminum shift cable ends like this.
10. Reinstall the sound
deadening boot and shift boot into the shifter aperture inside the car. Both of
them simply snap into place.
11. Reinstall the battery tray.
The battery tray is held down by three 6mm bolts with 10mm hex heads.
12. For TDI Jetta Only:
Reinstall the lower air box. The lower air box is held in by one 5mm Allen screw and two rubber and plastic
quick-release barbed mounts. To install, snake the air box snorkel under the
upper radiator hose and align the lower air box with the two rubber mounts. The
air box simply pushes onto the plastic pins mounted on the battery tray. After
the pins protrude through the lower air box rubber mounts you can screw in the 5mm Allen screw. Replace the
louvered plate into the lower air box and then replace the air filter.
13. For TDI Jetta Only: Make
sure that the air box snorkel is sitting in its original groove (TDI
only). Replace the cover for this air snorkel.
14. For TDI Jetta Only:
Reattach the flexible duct on the rear of the lower air box
to the metal tube in the turbo area.
15. For TDI Jetta Only:
Replace the air box cover by screwing in the eight Phillips head screws . Next,
replace the spring hose clamp holding the flexible air pipe to the mass air
flow sensor (MAF) with a pair of channel lock pliers or specialized hose clamp pliers. Plug in the mass airflow sensor electrical plug. It
simply pushes on. Make sure that the small rubber passenger (engine) side
vacuum hose is still attached to the air box cover.
16. Replace the battery surround
pieces, battery insulator and then the battery hold down bracket and 8mm bolt. Reattach the
two battery cables. Next, replace the battery tray end cover.
Once you are sure all of the battery covers are in place, replace the
top cover for the battery.
17. Start the engine and go for
a ride. You are finished with the install.
18. Enjoy and tell your friends about
how much you love your dieselgeek.com MK5 Sigma 5 Speed Short Shifter!
Hey,
If you see anything in this install manual that is unclear or if
you could make anything easier to understand I am all ears. Please email me at jim@dieselgeek.com
with suggestions or edits that would improve these instructions. Sometimes when
you have done an operation a bunch of times you lose sight of how it must be to
be doing it for the first time and having input from first timers would be
great. Also letting me know what you think of the Sigma shifter itself would be
super groovy...
Thanks,
Jim
Last revision 9-28-09
