[randymoore88]

i have a 2000 vw beetle 1.8 turbo automatic. it has no reverse, you can drive it while in neutral, when it d its like it locks down. it pulls in 3rd but in second and 1st it locks down. i was really wanting to swap it over to a straight shift. but i just didnt know what all that consisted of any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[D2Beetle]

Off the top of my head, your Automatic sounds like it is in limp mode and needs a new valve body, which might be cheaper than converting it to manual. Off the top of my head, to do the conversion, you would need ...

0) ... not certain on this one, but an ECU from a donor car that has a Manual transmission
1) ... a Manual Transmission
2) ... Clutch Kit with Fly Wheel
3) ... Mounting Studs and Hole thru the Firewall for parts 4, 5, 6 and 7
4) ... a Clutch Slave Cylinder and a Clutch Master Cylinder Assembly with Clutch Pedal
5) ... a Brake Fluid Reservoir with Master Cylinder Tube Connection
6) ... a Wiring Harness to connect the Clutch Pedal Switch to
7) ... the Shifter with ALL Associated Cables, Linkage and Mounting Brackets
8) ... and ALL of the Nuts, Bolts and Washers to mount everything

 

[Zann]

Sell it and buy a manual IMO.

 

[IndyTom]

A new Valve body will be cheaper. You can get a rebuilt valve body with stronger solenoids and a transmission harness for about 600 bucks plus new fluid and filter another $125. So for about $725 you can get the old slushbox working again. And if the main transmission isn't damaged you can still get about 100k miles out of the car.

Kansas City Tdi & CoolAirVw Repair

Valve Body Builders - Remanufactured transmission valve bodies that meet or exceed OEM specs

Here is a great DIY for the valve body:

VWVortex.com - Auto Clean Valve Body DIY

http://www.kansascitytdi.com/01m Valve body removal.htm

 

[IndyTom]

Kansas City TDI has a pretty good reputation on rebuilding Valve Bodies. Don't let the TDI throw you they have the same crappy automatic transmissions back then.
He advertises an O1M valve body for $360 plus parts.
Might be worth contacting this guy.

01M Valve Body Repair $360 Labor + Parts Kansas City TDI

 

[KC051102]

My reverse is not working on my manual ???

So does the above all apply with a manual transmission? My reverse just gave me trouble today! All of a sudden it won't go into reverse but it shifts fine in all the other gears....any ideas?

 

[esse10]

x2

Sell it and buy a manual IMO.

I agree, unless you Really Really have your heart set on this automatic. I would sell it and just get a 5 speed Manual. My 2 cents on this

 

[IndyTom]

So does the above all apply with a manual transmission? My reverse just gave me trouble today! All of a sudden it won't go into reverse but it shifts fine in all the other gears....any ideas?

No, if you have a manual transmission you don't have a valve body. If you can't shift into reverse then there is probably an issue with your linkage. The endlinks could have slipped or the plastic bushings have worn out and you may need to replace the linkage or endlinks on top or the transmission. I swapped mine for a short shifter and it shifts like a dream.
But you don't have to. Take a look at your linkage on top of your transmission (Remove the airbox for easier access) There you can make some minor adjustments. and see if you can get back in to reverse.

Here is a video on how to adjust the linkage. We do have the O2J manual transmission.

VW 5 speed shifter adjustment for 02J and MQ250 transmissions - YouTube

This is the shifter I have and I like it a lot:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-New_Beetle--1.8T/Search/Short_Shifter/ES648/

 

[KC051102]

Thanks for that info Indy!

 

[Smileybug]

Sell it and buy a manual IMO.

I follow the "don't build what you can buy" when it comes to engine swaps, but trans swaps I don't. Especially if you have a low mileage car or have had the car since new or something. An engine swap is pretty expensive too, but a trans swap doesn't have to be. We bought a donor car for $750 so it had pretty much everything we needed right there. Of course, a new clutch/flywheel and gear oil needed to be purchased, but we still weren't much $ into the swap. Especially since we did the work ourselves. The TDI we bought was an '01 with 114k on it, which is very low. And it had a dead auto so we picked up for super cheap. Trying to buy a running 5-speed TDI would have been a good 3x what we paid for the car to start with. With what we paid for the car + the work we did (trans swap and timing belt job), we could probably sell the car and double our investment. I wouldn't have wanted to pay double for a car up front.

Now, gassers are a little different, since there isn't quite the price premium, but finding a good condition, low mileage 5-speed car is getting harder to find (trust me, I was looking a little over a year ago). I would much rather have a car I know well and swap the trans on it than sell it (with a busted trans, so you won't get as much for it) and buy another car that I don't know.

 

[nb_mitch]

I have a 99 NB 2.0L Auto with 231K miles. The transmission recently started to howl/whine and I expect it might not have too much life left in it.

As the car belonged to my daughter Katie before she passed with my 98 TDI, I will keep it forever, but would prefer a different engine/transmission.

I am not mechanical and would have to pay someone else for the conversion.

I have considered a full electric conversion, but the batteries alone were over $10K and not clear on the full conversion cost.

I would also like another TDI/5speed, but I suspect that would be costly too.

I suspect replacing the transmission with a 5 speed would be cheaper, but from this thread that seems more costly than I expected.

Last option would be to repair the auto, but with 231K miles it may need a full rebuild.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Smileybug]

Swapping to a manual is going to be cheaper than work on the auto. And it will last longer. And cheaper to maintain. I'd say just swap the transmission. Since they are so reliable, you can get a used unit and be just fine.

 

[scarabY2k]

Swapping to a manual is going to be cheaper than work on the auto. And it will last longer. And cheaper to maintain. I'd say just swap the transmission. Since they are so reliable, you can get a used unit and be just fine.

Agreed.
As for me, and this is just me...to me rebuilding the valve body and putting it back in, to me is Russian Roulette. A 5speed swap will give you more longivety & dependability.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App

 

[nb_mitch]

Well, she died last week

Sounded like a bag of marbles in a garbage disposal

A transmission shop told me it was more expensive to convert an AUTO to a MANUAL than vice versa, still waiting on the estimates to repair, replace or convert to 5speed Manual.

I got one estimate to just replace with rebuilt auto for $2500.

 

[Smileybug]

More expensive to convert an auto to manual? I doubt it. Manual transmissions are cheaper and don't require a separate computer to work. I know MichelleRoze had the swap done for $2500, I believe that was parts and labor. So for the same price to just rebuild the Auto, you could have a much more dependable, cheaper, long lasting transmission installed.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App