Reverse Linkage problems in SSC T1

[Casting Timmy]

I've read here a lot but can't remember if I have ever posted or not. I am currently rebuilding my SSC T1 IRS tranaxle and don't like how reverse feels at all. In the shift fork jig everything just is loose and so the gear moves too much to adjust.

I was thinking about trying to move the eyelet in or out, tighten the box opening for the reverse lever to eliminate slop, and finally convert to a double diameter pin like the 091 linkage to eliminate the paddle and eliminate the play from it as a last resort.

Do you guys have any advice or things you typically do to get reverse to be able to be adjusted?

[Bruce2]

What you're seeing with reverse is the reason I see no value in the factory or aftermarket shift fork jigs. You can't setup reverse on them because there's no stop to simulate the height of the casting. Because of this, I only use cut up trans cases as jigs. For Type 1s, you need 3 of them.
4 bolt pinion, early reverse
late pinion, early reverse
late pinion, paddle reverse

I was thinking about trying to move the eyelet in or out,

Don't do this. VW built millions of gearboxes with the eyelet post height matching their spec and they all worked. Your gearbox isn't special requiring a non-standard setting.
A couple of years ago I was asked to look at a gearbox that had a reverse engagement problem. When I took it apart, I found the eyelet post was off by half a turn.

Have you been mixing around parts from several gearboxes? Or are your reverse parts all from the same virgin gearbox? I know of two types of the box part that bolts to the reverse shift rod, and 4 different relay levers all used in a SSC Type 1. Mix them up, you may have troubles.

[Marc]

...Have you been mixing around parts from several gearboxes?...

What's the installed height of the relay lever support (measured from gasket surface of gear carrier to centerline of the hole)? On early trannies with the brass fork it was adjusted ~5mm shorter....yours should be 1.709" ± .016".

[Casting Timmy]

I do have a mix of parts, but most of the boxes I have are 72-74 SSC and just a couple pre 72's. Hopefully I have the correct mix of parts. I was thinking about modifying the jig to take a factory shaft, it's good to know there are at least three of them. Luckily I do have a cut case for my transaxle year! I might have to figure out where I stored it.

Right now about half the play comes from the reverse lever in the box, the other half of the play comes from everything else and equals about a 1/4" of movement. Is there any easy way to tell the correct parts for a 74 box? Definitely appreciate the direction and any more things to check. I do believe I have the post length correct, but I will have to figure out a better way to measure it and get a better reading. Maybe a drill shank will allow me to do a precise measurement.

Thanks again for the help.

Let's see if these links will work...
Here is a photo of the jig and parts, probably should have been back a little more to give a better overall photo.
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1435483.jpg

This photo is a little closer so the parts can be seen, hopefully I have the correct mix of parts for a 74.
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1435482.jpg

If I pull the gear back by hand the gear will hit 2nd on the mainshaft. The reverse lever bolt is tight.
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1435481.jpg

If I push the gear it goes about a 1/4" forward....urgggggg
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1435480.jpg

[Casting Timmy]

So I looked over Weddle's site trying to learn more about different types of reverse set ups....do I have this right?

Early IRS
Caged reverse gear

Early Late
Fork style with the adjustment piece having no rotation stop

Late Late
Pin style with the adjustment piece having a rotation stop

I went to Weddle's site to try and figure this out, the site really isn't working 100% right now and they don't have dates listed so I just put them in an assumed order. They also mentioned that on one of the levers it had a "big" end, which would explain a lot if I didn't have the right lever right now.

I assume the pin style and correct adjustment piece with the rotation stop would be a correct match and something better for my 74 transaxle over the stock style?

Thanks for any help you can offer
Tim

[Bruce2]

Early Late
Fork style with the adjustment piece having no rotation stop

Late Late
Pin style with the adjustment piece having a rotation stop

I assume the pin style and correct adjustment piece with the rotation stop would be a correct match and something better for my 74 transaxle over the stock style?

You've got them backwards. The relay lever with the pin goes with the adjustment box without the rotation stop. Here's a pic of what goes with what:

Reverse parts.jpg

[Bruce2]

On the right, is the relay lever with the pin. There are 3 different versions of this part.

The one in the pic is the first one. From the point where the adjustable box contacts the opposing radii of the lever to the pivot is 23mm.
I don't know the order, but there is one that has this distance reduced to 21mm.
There is another lever that has the pin that slides the gear that's 1.5mm longer.

[Casting Timmy]

I'm going to double check all my parts, but I know I have seen 30 multiple times when taking transaxles apart but never the 48 lever with the pin. I have every part below except the lever with the pin.

I have also noticed that some reverse gears have a angle front to the gears while some are curved and give up some tooth length at the tip because of it. The reverse gear looks a lot more like the ones I called angled, where the one I have for my trans has a curved front to it.

My favorite reverse so far has been the one that you can tell they hit reverse instead of second, fully mated there was no contact between the gears at all. When I saw that one I just knew when they did that they knew something bad just happened.