Sticky Shifting

I've been having trouble shifting my 5-sp. 1990 Golf lately. It just
feels sticky, like the shift lever doesn't want to go into gear. I
notice it most right off the freeway, when I'm back in town and
shifting more. Would a trans. fluid change take care of this?

You might need some new linkage pieces.
Try some lubricant on the linkages and see if that helps!
--
later,
dave
(One out of many daves)


"Ears" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> I've been having trouble shifting my 5-sp. 1990 Golf lately. It just
> feels sticky, like the shift lever doesn't want to go into gear. I
> notice it most right off the freeway, when I'm back in town and
> shifting more. Would a trans. fluid change take care of this?
>

"Ears" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> I've been having trouble shifting my 5-sp. 1990 Golf lately. It just
> feels sticky, like the shift lever doesn't want to go into gear. I
> notice it most right off the freeway, when I'm back in town and
> shifting more. Would a trans. fluid change take care of this?

Probably not. Gear oil changes usually only make sense when the car is cold
and has been sitting outside in very cool fall/winter weather
overnight...cold temperatures often cause "summer-weight" gear oil to be too
thick and hard to shift until the car warms up. Gear oil otherwise isn't an
obstacle, especially in summer on a car that already has been driven at
operating temperature..

You probably instead need to look into one of the various shifter rebuild
kits (sounds awful but it isn't). It's a collection of the assorted little
nylon, plastic, and bushings that are found in the shift linkage system.
When done, a shifter alignment also may be in order as well. If you're
reasonably handy with tools and not afraid of attempting a DIY repair, you
should be able to do all this in an hour or two yourself. If you have a
shop do it, make sure it's a shop that specifically knows VWs of that
vintage and the idea of a shifter rebuild kit and shifter alignment will be
a no-brainer for them to get right. The parts are usually available online
for under $100 too.

"dave AKA vwdoc1" > wrote in message
t...
> You might need some new linkage pieces.
> Try some lubricant on the linkages and see if that helps!

yes that's another good idea. I've had good luck with just a little basic
white grease that I dab on with my finger (WD40, etc. will work but will dry
out too fast long-term).

On Sep 13, 3:56 pm, "Joseph Meehan" >
wrote:
> Just to make sure, do you have a manual or automatic transmission?
>

> > I've been having trouble shifting my 5-sp. 1990 Golf lately.

"Joseph Meehan" > wrote in message
...
> Just to make sure, do you have a manual or automatic transmission?
>> I've been having trouble shifting my 5-sp. 1990 Golf lately.

Has to be a manual. VW automatics were 3-speeds on the 1990 Golf.