Gerbox woes :(

[vrbob]

Hi All,

Had a bit of an issue last night, drove home from work no probs. Got home went to reverse on my driveway and couldnt select reverse.

Wiggled the stick about and then selected reverse again and it went in so started to go backwards. Wanted to straighten up so went to get 1st gear and now i couldnt get it out of reverse. I wasnt sure what it was if the cable had got stuck or what so i had a look in the bay and couldnt see anything out of place.

Got back in the car and tried to move the gearstick about and suddenly it popped free so i thought wuhoo its all good. But als no as i can now no longer select first or second gear.

I can select everything else using the selector ontop of the box but it does not engage 1st or second.

I did a quick google and from what i can see it sounds like the selector fork for gear 1 and 2 has snapped off whichj i believe is a gearbox out job.

So if this is the case any ideas as to what it will cost to refurb the gearbox once removed?

Cheers

Rob

 

[vrbob]

Right so looking for options really do I get my current box removed and refurb`d (if so any ideas as to what it might cost for the refurb or just to get the selector fixed?)

Or do I source a second hand gearbox and just hope its ok? If I do go for the second hand option am I just looking for any 02m box or is there any other codes I need to be aware of that are specific to the S3?

As the gearbox is coming off I am gonna do the clutch and flywheel too as it would be silly not to so any reccomendations on what to use as I think I am gonna stick with the dual mass setup but might like a upgraded paddle.

Any help greatly appreciated

 

[Adam P]

Rob,

I dont know if you have a facebook account but there is a good second hand gearbox for sale on the VAG page for £230.
Heres the link, hopefully it works, https://www.facebook.com/groups/Vagownersclub/
Scroll down a bit and you will see it. I will be looking to change my clutch soon as i think its coming to the end of its life so would be interested to see what is used as an upgrade to be honest.

Cheers

 

[sam4191]

I think you'd be looking at £6-700 for a refurb.

 

[Alex C]

I had the same problem - my 5/6th selector fork broke at 79,000miles (March, 2011)

Gearbox repair (just forks): £350 Ex. VAT
New Clutch + bits n bobs: £310 Ex. VAT (no flywheel)
Labour (7hrs at 40pph): £280 Ex. VAT
VAT @ 20%: £190
Total: £1,130

Now on 117,000miles and will probably need a reconditioned box soon as the synchros are on the way out

 

[SoljahofSensi]

I had the same thing last year, arrived at work in morning fine, went to reverse out of work in evening, no reverse gear, fwd gears fine, it was the selector fork, i can't give advice on price as i reckon got shafted on labour (london prices) getting it fixed, basically got charged the labour price of a (expensive) clutch change with parts on top, been fine since , touch wood.

Having just seen Alex C's post makes me feel slightly better

 

[vrbob]

Cheers for the replies guys

I think refurbing my gearbox might be too expensive as the fix of the selector fork is about £300 in its own for which I can get a second hand low mileage gearbox. Mine has done 120k so it would be silly to not get it refurbd but at a cost of £600-700. So second hand box and flog off my old busted one as spares or repair would be the most cost effective route. Just gotta hope I can find a good one.

Adam P am trying to view the facebook link you posted but as yet no luck. I have found a couple of FMN (this is the code on the sticker in my boot) on ebay so am keeping my eye on them.

Got a quote from my local mechanic for gearbox removal and refit which wasn't too bad and he said he would intall new clutch and flywheel at the same time.

So plan is source second hand lowmileage box, New clutch and flywheel, and then get my car towed to the garage and should be all good even if it does hurt my bank balance a bit.

 

[Adam P]

Thats annoying, i have managed to get a print screen so you can have a look then contact the user that way if your interested.

 

[vrbob]

Thanks mate

Just contacted a breakers who has a 61k FMN box inc transfer box off a TT which was in 100% working condition before removal for under £300 delivered and its got a 14day warranty too so thinking I might go for that.

So just doing the clutch kit research now and am thinking of this AUDI A3 S3 1.8T NEW SACHS DUAL MASS FLYWHEEL & CARBON KEVLAR CLUTCH | eBay as have seen a couple of people have used them on here plus supposedly if you call them you can get it for nearer £400

 

[kwistof]

Blew my gearbox up after fitting a SMF just after Xmas (was on around 180k)


I ended up getting another box from eBay for £190 delivered and got a friendly mechanic to fit it for about £340 both inc vat.


So £530 all in for me...the £190 gearbox wasn't reconditioned but was apparently taken from a 60k S3.


Did take a bit of a risk but it turned out a good one... feels nice a tight...which is how we all like it ;-)

 

[vrbob]

Yup that's what I am hoping for a nice tight box with no whineing

Think I am gonna go for the one I found at the breakers as to be fair all second hand boxes are gonna be a gamble so just gotta pick the best you can really I suppose.

Just trying to research Sachs clutches to see if one I linked to above is any good or not. Also emailed a company called CG Motorsports as I have seen them mentioned on here before for clutch kits so will see what they can offer me

 

[Dani_B19]

Kwistof what clutch and flywheel you got then?

 

[vrbob]

Stage 1 complete as have got the gearbox for £290 delivered plus as its half the mileage of mine fingers crossed it should be all good comes complete with the transfer box so will use that too as its also a lot less mileage on it than mine. Will then try to sell off my old broken box and transfer box to maybe get a small bit of money back.

So now just clutch to decide on so will wait to hear back from the companies I have contacted and go with what ever seems the best deal for the money.

So should be on the way to getting my car back on the road sooner rather than later

 

[vrbob]

Stage 2 complete as have ordered the Sachs carbon Kevlar Dual mass setup as they did the deal for £400 delivered

 

[vrbob]

Next update is that my 2nd hand FMN Gearbox has arrived.

I have given it a once over and looks ok with no obvious leaks etc. I have also managed to select all the gears using the selector on the top of the box (although 5th or 6th was a little difficult to engage first time).

So I want to clean up the box a bit before it gets installed. Can I just clean it with some normal cleaning solution or are any bits sensitive to fluids?

Also I have no idea as to when the oil was last changed in the box so could this be done off the car? if so whats the process as I know normally when fitted to the car you fill it and then run the car for 2 mins before topping it up. but of course cant do that off the car. Or should I just leave it as is and then change the oil if needed after the car is back up and running?

 

[s3dave]

I would leave it until it is running then you know nothing you have done has interfered with it, easy enough to do on the car...

 

[vrbob]

Yeah am just gonna get it fitted but give it a quick clean up first.

I think their reputation has improved plus a couple of peeps on here are already running the setup I bought without issues. Its Sachs branded stuff plus has a 4 year 40,000 mile warranty. So will see how it goes.

 

[vrbob]

Well all bits have arrived now so I got Sachs DMF, Sachs Pressure Plate, Sachs Carbon Kevlar Clutch Plate and a new hydraulic lifter all looks good to me and I tested it in the bell housing and as far as I can tell it all looks correct (To be fair I have never really seen inside one before though).

So been down to see my local mechanic who s doing the job and am all booked in for Tuesday. So will wait till later in the day after work for the traffic to ease off and then am gonna go on a 3rd gear trip (remember no 1 or 2 in my car at the mo) as its only about 4-5 miles from my house to the garage.

Gonna get them to swap the gearbox oil during the change to just be 100% its as good as I can get it.

So hopefully I should have the old girl back on the road sometime next week.

 

[vrbob]

*quick update*

Car is still at the garage having the clutch etc fitted.

Gearbox is still untested really so fingers crossed its all good and silky smooth. It turned out that it had no oil in it when I got it as it had been drained before being couriered. So I took the opportunity as it was very easy to do with the box on a pallet to drain the transfer box too so now it is completely empty. I bought 5l of 75w-90 fully synth GL4 from ECP and while it was still on the pallet I filled it with about 2.5l of fluid so that once it is fitted they can run it up and fill the transfer box before topping up the actual box.

The clutch and flywheel had a tiny issue as the new flywheel needed slightly different bolts to the OEM one and they were not in the kit I got. But a quick call has the issued solved as they called the garage direct for me and arranged for some bolts to be sent overnight they were very very helpful.

Just had a call from the garage saying they are giving it a quick roadtest and then should be able to go and get it

 

[vrbob]

update Mk2

Car is back and all is good!! clutch is lovely not grabby at all and its so light on the pedal too. Second hand gearbox is a winner all gear select lovely and smooth.

Gonna take it easy for a few weeks/hundred miles and let the clutch bed in and settle. then it should be ready for fun.

Surprisingly the old OEM LUK clutch and flywheel were still in quite good condition even after the 120k its covered and still has quite a lot of meat left on it but still worth swapping whilst the box was off.

So total cost was around the £1000 mark which is a bit of an ouch but I do have a new clutch and low mileage box now fitted.