1988 Golf Automatic Transmission question

Hello all and thanks for your help in the past. I have encountered a new problem and need your help. I picked up a 1988 Golf with an automatice transmission for a really good price. It wasn't running, but with your help I got it running....at least the engine that is. After I fixed the engine, I put the car in gear...sometimes it would go in gear and sometimes it wouldn't. After pulling the tranny pan, I found that it was full of sludge. To keep it simple I decided to find another and swap it out. I found a tranny with very good clean fluid in it from a 1990 jetta that was junked because of a blown head gasket. I pulled the tranny myself and installed it in my car. I adjusted the linkages according to my Bentley manual. When I try to put it into gear for the first time and every time after that, it will not engage into any gear but you can hear a ratcheting sound like teeth on a gear trying to engage into another gear. I quickly shut it down. I have checked and re-checked everything that I can think of but I am stumped. Does anyone have any ideas before I have it towed to a tranny shop for an estimate?

That almost sounds like a bad CV Joint to me. Maybe you accidently pulled the shaft out of one of the outer joints.

Try pushing the vehicle while it is in P to see if it moves. If it does look at the Axle Shafts to see which one is not turning while you push the vehicle. If you can't push it in P but can in R,N,etc. then you might want to tow it to a trans shop.

good luck! later, dave (One out of many daves)

"David Craig" wrote

The 88 Golf is Westmoreland the transmission you got is from car from Mexican plant, I believe.

Are you sure the détentes are the same with the automatic shifter control in both cars?

I changed an 88 automatic Golf to a 5 speed. It is easy. Liked the 5 speed much better. The pedals come off in a cage in a 5 speed in one module. A small wiring harness is necessary for the back up lights that is easy. Starter is different. CV axles the same.

You may want to consider disassembling the original transmission and cleaning that you know works. I have done several automatics of various brands and it is not rocket science. The donor car may have had a blown transmission and you were told wrong.

Harry

Harry, I wanted a manual transmission to begin with. I didn't know that the pedals come as a unit. How difficult was it to conver the whole thing over?

Thanks,

Dave

Harry, Also, I have noticed that the shifter does not lock into position so as to not to be able to accidently knock it from one gear to another. It seems that I did remember reading something regarding Mexico on a part or two on the Jetta that I harvested the transmission from.....but back to my earlier question....how difficult is the conversion from auto to manual? thanks again,

Dave

Hello Harry:

Encouraging that you found the switch over from automatic to manual transmission to be fairly easy. I thought about doing the same with my 1988 Cabbie convertible, but felt leery about doing it after being told that the steering column and other major components would need to be changed.

Regards.

Hi David:

For some reason, every time you post your message appears twice. Thought you should know.

Regards.

Hello everyone, I have never done a newer car, but we always did the old classic V8's. One thing we learned the hard way, Not all crankshafts have a pilot hole for the manual tranmission bearing. What a pain to tear the whole assembly out and try to fit a tranny in when the engine doesn't have a hole. Just all this talk made me remember our frustration, Thanks.

Cecil

"David Craig" wrote

It was very easy. Obviously, you need a donor car. The VW A2 is module-like obviously. Do not be tempted to remove the pedals from a donor VW stick because the whole unit comes off intact like a cage with pedals affixed. You have to go under and take the bolts off and I think there is one or two under the seat. The pedal assembly comes right off intact lick a module.

I had no trouble at all and unlike some cars that switch over because the VW is so interchangable it is not half-ass and appears as always a stick. The only thing a little unstock is I ran the back up switch wiring in the automatic selector, where it was, by soldering new wires and putting them through a hole in the firewall but it is all unseen.

You need the 5 speed assembly from the donor. The shifting mechanism and the shift rod bearing simply screws on the power steering rack. You will also need the flywheel from the donor and don't forget to use locktight when putting in the bolts when you change the flywheel. Also it would be a good time to put in a new clutch plate. Remove the engine mounts from the donor car or buy new mounts (just take everything you think you may need from the donor in the junkyard)

The best way to do it is with a package deal with the auto yard saying you want everything to change over to a stick. You can use the same CV axles. I did not know this when I did it and wound up with 2 sets of usable CV axles. It is NOT hard at all and I had no difficulties. I did power blast the shifting box where the gear shifter was that was rusted on the donor car and put a coat of paint. Though I have a new car I use my Golf as a runner and it has had no issues since I transferred it over to stick a few years ago. You will need a starter too as the stick starter is different. (by the way changing an automatic starter is a big task in itself if you keep it automatic and when the starter fails - on the stick, a 5 or 10 minute operation) Seems like it was never an automatic and glad I did it.

Harry

"Papa" wrote

Well the Cabbie is really a Rabbit body or an A1 but still I don't understand why that would be true of what you were told. I did it on an A2. The shifting assembly - I see no connection to the steering column because it is affixed to the rack assembly by fasteners. I believe if I remember correctly it is 3 screws. All the racks are generally the same whether stick or automatic. If you have the holes on the rack then you can convert it unless I am missing something because it is an A1 - but I don't think so. I put a power rack on an 83 Rabbit stick that came from an automatic donor that had the holes. I am not sure on an A1 the the pedals come off in one piece like the A2 - never looked - but probably do.

Harry

Sorry about that I was on another family member's different news account.

One thing I forgot to say is that you need a different speedometer cable too from the donor car. At least take the speedometer gear off the donor car if you are going to use a new cable.

Harry

Harry, What about the pilot hole that Detailing Dude (Cecil) was talking about? Was that present? By the way....Thanks Cecil and everybody for the help.

Dave

"David Craig" wrote

You mean on the end of the crankshaft? It is a flange with 4 fasteners that fit either an automatic flywheel or a stick flywheel. These are the fasteners that you use Locktite on (the Blue Locktite, not the Red that requires heating to 500 degrees to remove). Last thing you need is the flywheel coming loose requiring a major disassembly.

Harry

"Detailing Dude" wrote

They used a shifting fork and throw-out bearing.

The VW uses an inner shaft through the transmission main shaft. I did put new seals on the the end of the VW transmission main shaft. A large seal and a small seal where the rod comes out to push the clutch plate. Did not want any leaks I think they (seals) were only a few dollars total and took a minute to put in. Probably not necessary.

Harry