Major problems with 1993 Golf Cl

siobhainh

I have recently bought a 1993 Golf Cl at an
auction as a repo and now I am having major
problems! Before you blame it all on the auction
buy please help. I have put a new head gasket and
clutch, all belts and fluids as well as a new front
axle and tires. Sooo why is it that the gear box
heats up when I drive more than twenty minutes?
Also the wheels seem to rattle on potholes and such
rather than just vibrate. Please help I am a poor
Cdn student who now has a very large credit card
bill. Should I sell it and buy a Honda Civic
instead maybe?

lngtonge18

Exactly how do you know the gearbox is getting too hot? What is it doing? Is it a manual or auto? The only thing that could cause a tranny to overheat would be low fluid or a clogged tranny oil cooler if it even has such a thing. Rattles when you hit bumps could be loose hubcaps, worn out wheel bearings, or worn out struts. How many miles does this car have? It sounds to me like it was beat pretty bad in its lifetime, as if the former owner didn't care about it at all. I would have to say cut your losses and get rid of the car, unless the car is reliable and runs good.

siobhainh

My car is a 5 speed and to answer your other question I know the gear box is getting too hot because I can hardly switch gears without uncomfortably touching the stick. It even heats up the floor and the emergency brake. I will check the fluids again though that sounds good. I am going to sell it though. Unfortunately my dream car's life span is going to be very short.
Thanks

lngtonge18

I honestly doubt a tranny overheating would cause what you described. In fact, I have never heard of a manual tranny geting too hot unless it was out of fluid. I have driven my 84 VW Rabbit for a few months without realizing the tranny was leaking fluid and by the time I got it into the shop, it had lost half of its fluid. I also drove my car for 3 hours straight on the highway in fourth gear because my fifth gear literally blew off the shaft. Neither times did the tranny overheat or cause difficult shifting. It sounds to me like you are missing a heat shield that keeps the hot exhaust from getting the floor hot. The heat shield is a thin metal shield that sits above the entire exhaust system in order to protect the shifter, floor, and emergengy brake from getting too hot. Your difficult shifting problems could be an improperly aligned clutch (since u said you just replaced it) or worn out or misaligned shift linkages. Your shift lever is operated via some rods and bushings, not a cable like most new cars are today. These linkages MUST be adjusted anytime you take off the tranny or replace the clutch. If this was not done, than that would explain your difficult shifting, because the linkages get shifted out of place and will bind or jam if out of alignment. It could also be that the linkages are just worn out if the car has high mileage, because the ends of the rods are plastic balls that crack and get loose with age. The linkages are inexpensive and relatively easy to replace or adjust on your own, if you are at least slightly mechanically inclined. I would try this before thinking its the tranny that is messed up, if you are willing to put anymore time and money into the car. Hope this helps!

lancerfixer

The Golf is a front-wheel drive car; as such, the transmission is not directly underneath the shifter, as it would be on a rear wheel drive car. The gear selections are made through a series of cables and linkages. As such, it is IMPOSSIBLE for an overheating transmission to cause the trouble you're having. I'm fairly certain, too, that a tranny would get that hot anyway...there's no combustion at all taking place anywhere near the tranny, and I don't think simply spinning a bunch of gears (especially through a liquid, which acts as a heat sink) would generate the degree of heat you're talking about anyway. I think Lngtonge18 hit it on the head...missing or rusted heat shield between your exhaust and the floor of your car. Check that; don't give up your dream car just yet!

lancerfixer

I'm fairly certain a tranny would NOT get that hot.

siobhainh

I am going to bring my car into the shop tomorrow and tell them that I want them to check the rods on the gear shift and to check to make sure they are not misaligned. Also I will talk to them about the possibility of the heat shield having rusted through. I do not want to spend any more money than I already have though, but if it the rods I will expect them to cover it and not charge me. I do not feel they are being fair to me right now. They treat me like an idiot and when I brought it in early this week they said it was heating up because the weather is warmer! Give me a break. I am still going to keep the For Sale signs on the car though because who knows what will go wrong next. I swear I will never set foot in a car auction again! Thanks for all your help.
Siobhain

siobhainh

Any ideas about whether or not my catalitic converter could be clogged and causing my heat problem? That's what my mechanic told me today and gave me an estimate of $1200 Canadian to fix it. Are they taking me for a ride or what because I guess here in Canada you don't need these converters to meet emission requirements. Should I look into maybe taking it out and leaving it out? Please help if you know anything about this sort of thing. Thanks

lancerfixer

That might be the case, but again, the heat shield would probably absorb this. Have them check the shield first and foremost and if that's ok, then look to the exhaust system; I also think you can get complete exhaust systems for much less than C$1200. Check out www.neuspeed.com, www.carparts.com, or even www.vw.com for complete exhaust systems. They'll be a lot less expensive and probably of higher quality than this guy is going to install, too.