4kq shifter & grease

[Huw Powell]

> I had my gearshift housing apart today and figured it might be a good idea
> to clean out the grease and apply some fresh stuff.  Bentley recommends
> taking the gearshift lever bearing housing apart and cleaning/greasing that
> as well.  The only problem is I don't have #AOS 126 000 06 white grease
> (naturally).  What I do have is some Finish Line synthetic
> (Teflon-fortified) bicycle grease.  Will this be acceptable by chance?

probably.  anything that simply prevents the plastic bits from binding
or chafing or wearing each other can't hurt.

> I
> figure re-greasing may help my chunking shifting a bit, but I suspect most
> of the problem is in the linkage.  I think before I mess with the linkage
> I'll put some synthetic oil in my tranny and differential since I doubt
> those fluids have ever been changed.  Once the shifting is smoothed out I'll
> install the Blau short shift kit.

I think pretty much all the 4kq shifter linkages out there - and I do
mean all - are shot, pure and simple.  They shift like tanks.  When they
were new they shifted smoothly and precisely.  The problem is that they
are terribly complicated and hard to get to, unlike the 2wd cars of
their era or the type 89 Q's.  I don't think it is the trannies or the
final drives, although as they wear the complex running gear of the
quattro certainly introduces some play and "uncertainty" into the whole
driveline.  If you have new bushings, struts & bearings, decent rubber
and a good alignment the shifter is going to be the worst part of the
car.

Maybe it is time for a massive group purchase and replacement effort of
all those clunky old linkages...

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/

http://www.humanthoughts.org/