Rntaylor

Hi Found this thread a while ago and having read Mirez's words thought I'd tackle the job. In all it took about 7 hours over 2 days, but having seen the pile of crud that came out, well worth it. As Mirez said, it is a slow job due to blind access working on the back of the engine. Next time I would partially drain the coolant and remove the coolant pipes from the EG cooler (or is it a heater for the coolant?). I would also remove that shiny heat shield that protects the solenoid valves behind it to give more access, just undo those 2 big pressed steel nuts then wiggle the plate out. I did a dry run by fitting all the parts together again but off the car. By taking lots of photos I had a good reference for exactly where to find the various bolt holes etc. Make sure it is all done up tight. Had a real fright when the exhaust bleed pipe came loose and sounded as if the turbo was about to leap out! I made and fitted a blanking plate to replace the thin steel gasket where the exhaust is bled off. I now get an average of over 52mpg from my 130BHp Sharan. Thanks Mirez!

Hi SilverBeast What great pictures, exactly where I believe my leak is. Do the pipes simply slide into the joint, or are they more complex than that? Are there O-rings to seal them? What are those white plastic rings that are loose around the pipe near the joints? Think my leak is where the pipe has corroded under the clip. Design fault or my poor maintenance?? Thanks again for your help Cheers

Found the link I was after, and it is from this site! It shows all the pictures and includes a better description than mine. Good luck! http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php/topic/13275-gear-selector-not-moving/

Think I have a leak on my MkII Sharan after the condenser. I can see where most of the pipe work goes, but are there any joints or are the solid pipes all one piece? Think my leak is from near the pressure switch in the RH wing, but the pipe looks to thread itself through the main structure. How does it come out in one?

Hi Had the same snag but worse on my MkI. Basically the gear lever movement is transferred via the 2 flex cables to the lever on top of the gearbox. A single shaft rotates for the 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th changes, but slides up/down (ie in and out) to change between the pairings. This shaft is supported in 2 slider-roller bearings which ultimately fail; the shaft can turn but not slide. The cables are easy to detach from the selector mechanism which in turn is held on to the top of the gearbox by 5 or so M10 bolts. Once undone you can lift the whole mechanism from the top of the gearbox. You also need to disconnect the reversing light switch cable. Make sure you are in neutral when you lift it out. Beware, you now have a big hole open on the top of the gearbox - don't risk anything falling in! Once on the bench you should be able to see the problem more clearly. The new bearing and seal shouldn't cost much. The lower bearing is well lubricated so won't have failed, it's the top one that locks up. I also undid then lo titled the M10 bolt that hold the selector mechanism to the shaft. It has been known to fall out leaving you with no gears and a good chance you'll damage the gearbox. Will try to find all the photos I took to make it so much clearer.

Had to change both of my top strut mounts/bearings due to MOT fail. Nightmare! Good advice above to cut the cups off rather than try to undo that rusty nut. I cut mine across just above the nut with a hacksaw having removed the trim and wiper mechanism. Made the mistake of trying to undo the lower pinch bolt on the hub carrier, it sheared off. The remains of the bolt prevented the shock sliding out of the carrier, so in the end had to undo the drive shaft, steering joint and lower ball-joint to remove the whole thing. How do you undo that lower pinch bolt without it shearing off? This was all on my MkI. Now got a MkII. Offside front spring broke - so here we go again! Having regularly greased the top strut nut I managed to undo it. 7mm hex key and a cut-down spark plug skt with a hex drive helped. Managed to unscrew the broken spring and refit the new one without having to take the strut out. Was a bit tricky and needed the car to be gently lowered onto the strut to compress the spring just enough to refit the top cup. I've taken lots of pictures which I shall post in due course, but would now recommend leaving the strut in to change spring or top mount.

Just had a similar snag on my 1.9 Tdi Sharan. Following a footwell leak I had just refitted the dried out carpet. This involved refitting the centre console and gear-lever cover. Having nipped into town I found I could not get the gear-lever to move out of the 1st/2nd positions. Initially thought I'd trapped a cable so undid the centre console, but no joy. I limped home and then logged onto google which led me here. Went in from on top, but mistakenly removed those big bolts that hold the battery tray - I mean the engine mount - oops! Selector mechanism came off okay and disassembled. Top bearing had completely seized, only £11 from the local VW garage. Was concerned about the M7 bolt that holds the internal selector onto the shaft. I went for some thread lock, but with hindsight note that you can remove the shaft assembly from the top bearing simply by removing the reversing switch actuating pin and then the 4 M6 bolt that hold the steel assembly to the alloy housing. Reassembly was also somewhat easier by initially leaving off the 2 heavy gear-change inertia weights, ie leaving just the steel shaft coming out of the housing. The 6 M10 bolts went in from above before fitting these weights and then reattaching the 2 cables. It now all works as advertised. Next job will probably be to change the gearbox oil, but at 130k I'm not sure this is necessary. Thanks to all above for the help on this forum.

Thanks for your post. Yet to try and undo it, but I now have a replacement for just under £30 from Eurocarparts. Will replace it then take it for a re-gas. Thanks for the help

Found the pressure switch under the RH front wheel arch trim. The electronic top had fallen off the body of the switch, totally corroded. Off to GSF for a replacement at £40 then I assume a re-gas. Have yet to try to unscrew it!

Hi Think I have the identical snag. Replaced fuse 3 several times, but now it blows whenever the ignition is on. Can you help me to locate the A/C pressure switch so I can see if it has failed. I have an 03 VW Sharan ASZ 1.9 Tdi. Thanks Ernie

Hi Just joined the forum, got a similar snag with my ASZ 1.9 Tdi Sharan. Fuse 3 keeps blowing with loss of several systems including the A/C. Told it was probably related to the A/C pressure switch. Not found it yet, but do know that the system does need a re-gas. So, do I need to replace the £40 switch before I re-gas, or not? Is the switch for both under and over pressure? Grateful for any help.