Goofy audi 016 question....

[Cliff Beer]

So I put an upgraded 016 in my CAV (LSD and strengthening plate) and it all went together fine, replacing a different 016 w/o LSD or stengthening kit.

I have adjusted the shift linkage, and with engine not running the box shifts nicely into all the gears with a positive motion and no issues - makes no difference if the clutch is depressed or not. The clutch has been bled and there's a firm pedal. However, with the engine is running, it's quite difficult to get the box in gear, any gear. It will go in gear, and the car is driveable, but the shifting is quite difficult. It requires more force on the gear shift and cables than I really want to apply. With the old 016 that came out the shifting was smooth and positive in all gears under all conditions.

I don't think it's a matter of just fine tuning the shifter adjustment - it shifts nice and easy with the engine not running. It's only when the engine is started that the shifting becomes difficult.

Any ideas? I'm probably being a real dunce here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ian Anderson]

Forgot to fill with oil
Ian

 

[Cliff Beer]

Thanks Ian, good thought, but I was awake/aware enough to get some good Redline in her before putting it in the car.....

 

[Jimmy P]

Cliff, Sorry, but I doubt this is going to help you but I've always been told the Audi boxes MUST use a very specific Audi oil. Have you found that the Redline gear oil you're using is a suitable replacement? Very interested in what the problem turns out to be.

 

[Mark Clapp]

Hi Cliff, was the throw out bearing or its cradle thickness changed? It sounds like your clutch may not be fully engaging and so just barely allowing gear changes. To get the travel distance of the throw out bearing correct to engage, and not let the slave cylinder to over extend, I had to weld an empty cradle to the back of the throw out bearing cradle. This added about 3/8" thickness. Before we did this, the slave cylinder piston would come out of its bore due to excess travel needed. I'm not an expert but I hope this gives you ideas on a possible reason for the malfunction.

 

[Pat]

Cliff, do you need to bleed the clutch slave?

 

[SteveB]

Hi Cliff

The symptoms are similar to my car when I had issues with the clutch dragging due to lack of travel on the release bearing, the clutch could not spin free and made changing the gears very baulky. I needed to change the master cyl size to increase travel to clear the clutch.

It could be worth lifting the rear wheels clear of the ground then comparing the resistance to rotation in neutral then in top gear with the clutch depressed, if there is more effort required when the clutch is depressed that would indicate the clutch is not freeing; this means that the syncro has to work hard to 'syncronise ' the gears before it can engage, this condition can cause rapid wear on the syncro cones/rings and make shifting difficult.

Steve

 

[Cliff Beer]

Thank you gents. All very good and thoughtful suggestions. Much appreciated.

I did re-bleed the slave, with both a pressure, and a vacuum bleeder, and that helped. Then, I simply drove the car for about a 100 miles, with lots of gear changes. Gradually the shifting freed up and now she shifts just fine. I have to think that perhaps the 'box sitting on the shelf for so many years contributed to some gummy synchros or something. The box sat on the shelf for probably 10-15 years. When I had it apart everything seemed to move freely and there was no sign of corrosion or other issues, however, that many years of not moving and heat cycling has to have had some effect. I did replace most of the bearings, but not all of them.

You have to like mechanical problems that fix themselves just from driving the car.....

 

[Cliff Beer]

Jimmy, that's an interesting suggestion as to the particularities of the oil....I have used redline in an 016 before and it seemed to shift pretty well. I blended the redline non-LSD and LSD oil in a 50/50 ratio as I've done with other LSD transaxles, maybe that wasn't too smart. Hhhmmmm.

 

[Scott]

Sounds like your clutch is the culprit.

Redline has very poor shear strength when compared to the factory specs.