The Sigma Short Shift kit from dieselgeek.com is a billet aluminum replacement for the stock shifter.
We specifically purchased a manual transmission-equipped TDI for the strength and reliability over their automatic counterparts, but that doesn’t mean there is no room for improvement. To many VW drivers (including us), the long shift throws from the factory setup seem like they would be better suited for a domestic truck than a German sport sedan.
To remedy the problem we turned to the VW experts at www.dieselgeek.com for one of its Sigma Short Shift kits. Additionally, because we know we will be making more power with our 1.9L BRM TDI in the near future, we decided to replace the 90,000-plus-mile factory clutch with a high-performance Stage 3 Endurance clutch and single-mass flywheel from South Bend Clutch, which is capable of handling more torque than our little 4-banger will ever make.
The team at South Bend Clutch makes clutches and kits from mild to wild that can serve as a standard factory replacement or tame a high-horsepower beast. After all, what good is newfound power if you can’t get it to the ground?
If you plan to make more power with your TDI, as we do, it is a good idea to get a clutch like this one from South Bend Clutch that can hold the power and put it to the wheels!
To install our new shift linkage, clutch and flywheel, we headed up to Knoxville, Tennessee, where the seasoned VW techs at MF Automotive would be able to easily install the new parts.
The entire installation of both the short shift kit and the clutch-and-flywheel kit took about six hours for Ché Garland, including the typical slow-downs for photography. He worked on both upgrades simultaneously, with roughly one and a half hours spent on the Sigma shift linkage upgrade and four and a half on the clutch upgrade. However, if you are planning to tackle the job at home, plan on a full day (and maybe even a little more), if you are doing both at the same time, as we did.
Most of you DIY-ers will be able to handle the Sigma Short Shifter kit installation in about an hour, especially if you follow the thorough dieselgeek.com online installation manual.
On the other hand, installing the South Bend clutch and flywheel requires removal of the axle shafts and transmission, so novice DIY-ers may be better served by leaving the installation to experienced VW technicians.
Additionally, Garland and the rest of the MF Automotive crew have vehicle hoists to securely lift the car to work on it, making it much easier to pull the transmission and replace the clutch and flywheel. It is not impossible to do this with a floor jack and jack stands, but it is much easier with a shop hoist.
As soon as we lowered the car from the hoist, we noticed an immediate improvement in both the clutch and shifter feel, with noticeably shorter and narrower shift throws and positive clutch engagement. On the negative side, the performance clutch and single-mass flywheel are considerably noisier at idle than the original setup, but the tradeoff is more strength and holding power from the performance clutch over the quieter factory clutch.
In addition, the factory dual-mass flywheels have been known to fail, leaving drivers stranded on the side of the road and saddled with expensive repair bills. So at this point, we can’t complain about a little clutch rattle that is barely audible over the radio playing at normal listening levels.
The dieselgeek.com Sigma shifter offers almost an inch of front-to-rear shift throw reduction with about a half-inch reduction in side-to-side shift throw. As dieselgeek.com owner Jim Royston told us in advance, the shifter was a little stiff and “notchy” through the first week of use. But after the new linkage components had broken in, our little Jetta TDI now shifts very nicely, and we really appreciate the sportier feel of the short shift throws.
We haven’t had a chance to get the car out on the track again yet, but we do expect to see a slight improvement in times with the shorter shift throws that will allow us to spend less time on the clutch and more time on the throttle.
Both dieselgeek.com and South Bend Clutch offer components to fit virtually all TDIs, so if you are looking to improve the “shiftworthiness” of your TDI, give them a shout and tell them that your friends at Diesel World sent you.
Sources:
Bean’s Diesel Performance
Dept. DW
210 Rollin Coal Lane
Woodbury, TN 37190
615.563.7800
www.beansdieselperformance.com
Colt Cams
Dept. DW
2325 264th Street
Aldergrove, BC V4W 2L5
Canada
604.856.3571
dieselgeek.com
Dept. DW
431 Isom Road
Ste 115
San Antonio, TX 78216
210.852.4819
Kerma TDI
Dept. DW
3000 Eaglebend Drive #13
Box 2142
Avon, CO 81620
877.KERMA-TDI (877.537.6283)
MF Automotive
Dept. DW
5611 Washington Pike
Knoxville, TN 37918
865.523.7676
Royal Purple
Dept. DW
One Royal Purple Lane
Porter, TX 77365
888.382.6300
South Bend Clutch
Dept. DW
709 West Jefferson Boulevard
Mishawaka, IN 46545
800.988.4345
This is in the January 2012 issue of Diesel World magazine.
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- The Sigma Short Shift kit from dieselgeek.com is a billet aluminum replacement for the stock shifter.
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- If you plan to make more power with your TDI, as we do, it is a good idea to get a clutch like this one from South Bend Clutch that can hold the power and put it to the wheels!
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- To start the installation, MF Automotive VW technician Ché Garland positions the lift arms under the chassis to lift the Jetta and make it much easier to work on.
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- Then, Garland removes the factory air filter housing, battery and battery mount to access the shift linkage and cables on the transmission housing.
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- With those components removed, you can see and easily access the shift linkage and cables.
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- Garland carefully removes the spring clip retainers to disconnect both shift cables from the shift linkage.
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- Garland now removes the retaining clip and passenger-side shift linkage bracket, making sure to retain the spring clip and both plastic bushings in the transmission housing.
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- He then removes the retaining nut and main shift linkage from the transmission selector shaft. New parts supplied in the dieselgeek.com kit will replace both the linkage and nut.
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- With the shift cables loose and the linkage removed, the next step is to remove the hydraulic clutch cylinder (see arrow) from the transmission housing.
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- After removing the top transmission bolts, Garland secures an engine brace that spans the engine bay to support the engine, once the transmission is removed. Once the support is secure, he removes the driver’s-side engine/transmission mount and bracket and raises the car on the hoist.
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- Using a long extension and an impact gun, Garland removes the inner axle bolts and the switches sockets and removes the axle-retaining nut from the hubs on both sides of the car.
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- Then, he removes the plastic lower engine cover, supports the bottom of the engine with a muffler jack for additional security and removes the outer control arm nuts from each control arm.
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- With the control arms free, Garland can pull the spindles away from the engine to remove each of the axle shafts from the car.
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- Next, he removes the lower engine/transmission mount and the lower splash shield from the driver’s-side fender well.
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- Garland then disconnects the starter harness and removes the starter.
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- Using an impact gun, he then removes all but one of the bolts that secure the transmission to the engine block.
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- With the help of Travis Dunco, Garland holds the transmission in place, removes the final mounting bolt and then carefully lowers the transmission to the ground.
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- The factory Sachs clutch wasn’t giving us any problems, but it would have had a hard time contending with the power we plan to wring out of our little 1.9L TDI.
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- Next, Garland removes the dual-mass flywheel. Notice the dark spots on the surface of the flywheel—even with the modest power we are currently making, there has definitely been some heat in the clutch.
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- With the factory flywheel removed, he installs the new South Bend Clutch performance single-mass, one-piece flywheel and torques it to factory specs by holding the flywheel with a tool that engages the starter gear teeth.
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- When installing the clutch disc, make sure that it is facing in the proper direction (note that it is labeled “Gearbox-Side.” Make sure you can see that before trying to install the pressure plate) and use the supplied alignment tool to center it on the flywheel.
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- Garland aligns the pressure plate with the mounting holes in the flywheel and properly tightens the mounting bolts before removing the clutch alignment tool.
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- Don’t forget to install the new throwout bearing that was supplied with the South Bend Clutch kit before reinstalling the transmission.
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- With more of Dunco’s help, Garland put the transmission back into the car and secures it with the transmission bolts. He then completes the installation in the reverse order of the disassembly.
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- With the clutch complete, attention is turned back to the Sigma short shift kit. To remove the factory cable ends, simply compress the spring and twist the assembly. Then, slide it off each cable.
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- Slide the new linkage and billet aluminum cable end into position. Be sure that the splines are properly aligned with the selector shaft on the transmission; do not force it, or the shaft could be damaged. Also be sure to use the supplied mounting nut to secure the linkage, because the factory nut will not work with the new linkage.
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- The other piece of the linkage is a little trickier to install, because it requires the proper alignment of the cable, pivot point and nylon slide interface with the other linkage. Be patient, and make sure you get it right.
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- Moving inside the car, carefully release the shift boot and insulation boot by gently pulling at the rear of the boot until it pulls free.
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- Then, move the shifter into the “home” position and lock it in place with the provided tool. Follow the rest of the alignment instructions under the hood.
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- After the shifter, cables and linkage are properly aligned, the bolts on the billet aluminum ends must be tightened to clamp down on the shifter cables. Also be sure to take a good look at the cool Sigma shifter, because you won’t be able to see it once you put everything back together.
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- To be sure the axle nuts are securely fastened, Garland first tightens them with an impact gun during the initial reassembly. Once the car is on the ground, he gives them a quarter turn with a breaker bar and jack handle extension.
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- While it is a shame that the clutch and shifter kits can’t be seen after they are installed, we can easily feel the difference!
Tags: clutches, Diesel Geek, South Bend Clutch, VW TDI
