A3 vs A4 Shifter - WTF??

[105]

Again, I'm almost done with my A3 to A4 transmission swap, but I keep running into these little stupid problems. I bought the correct the bracket for the shifter cable to anchor it to the trans but now the gears don't match the position of the cable!! What now? Are the shifters different or something? Is there an adjustment I can make with how the cable hooks to the shifter maybe?

Here is the problem.
On the A3 the shift lever on the transmission is oriented to the right and the A4 is to the left. So if want to put it in park for example, the A3 required the cable to push the lever all the way down. Now to put it in park the cable needs to pull the lever all the way up.

[Buurin]

Originally Posted by 105

Again, I'm almost done with my A3 to A4 transmission swap, but I keep running into these little stupid problems. I bought the correct the bracket for the shifter cable to anchor it to the trans but now the gears don't match the position of the cable!! What now? Are the shifters different or something? Is there an adjustment I can make with how the cable hooks to the shifter maybe?

Here is the problem.
On the A3 the shift lever on the transmission is oriented to the right and the A4 is to the left. So if want to put it in park for example, the A3 required the cable to push the lever all the way down. Now to put it in park the cable needs to pull the lever all the way up.

I heard your call... did some looking for you.

I haven't seen an A(1)3(1L) up close myself, but my FSM is showing the cable pushing the lever all the way down to P on both transmissions. Can you show me a picture of both with lever supposedly in P?

[105]

The shifter is in park. I'm pretty sure this is park setting for both switches because the extreme opposite direction "L" is the harder to get in to.

A4 - If I pull the switch all the way down it will be in "L" while the shifter is in "P".


A3 - The lever all the way down in "P".


The levers are also different. A4 on left.


Sorry about the quality.

[105]

It looks like the 4 speed shifter is required not only for the OD disabling.

fishexpo101 - "Shifter assemblies are different - you gain an extra position with the 4-speed automatic that is absent on the 3-speed shifter assembly. That could be one of the reasons that the detents are not lining up. You can probably "make it" work (i.e., fabricating a new shifter lever arm, modifying the existing shifter, etc.), but will likely be more trouble that what it is worth. Much easier to grab the shifter assembly from the 4-speed and swap it in."

http://www.corolland.com/forums/inde...11#entry165311

[105]

Now I'm not sure again. Here is a website with a 4 speed disasemble and it looks a lot like mine. http://rinconrolla98...em-corolla.html.

Here is my shifter
button side view
http://i20.photobuck...shifter2005.jpg

drive
http://i20.photobuck...shifter2004.jpg

Low
http://i20.photobuck...shifter2003.jpg

Park
http://i20.photobuck...shifter2002.jpg

top view
http://i20.photobuck.../shifter002.jpg

[Buurin]

I checked with toyodiy again and judging by the part numbers, I think the shift lever assembly is the same for both on the lever side except for the OD button. The difference would all be from the cable out.

And most definitely we did not gain a position on the lever going from A3 to A4.

EDIT: I also played with my A4 shifter while looking at your pics, they look the same to me.

[105]

So maybe what I'm thinking is the park setting on my new A4 is actually the low setting.

If someone with an A4 could go out and check the position of that switch on the transmission while in park that would be awesome. Then they could just put it in neutral with the e-brake on and see if the switch is higher or lower.

Either way we'll find out soon enough. I'm gonna put my interior back together AGAIN tomorrow and hopefully finish up the top side. Then I just have to get the hubs back on the axles, which is proving to be a real pain.

[105]

I've got the car all together and I've confirmed that park is all the way down just like the 3 speed, but I'm having a problem with the cable not reaching down far enough. The new bracket that I bought is holding the cable about 1/16 to 1/8 in to high, so when its hooked up to the switch on the transmission it can't quite push it all the way into park. I'm gonna have to modify the bracket a little.

Besides that, as you'll see in my other thread. The car won't f'n start now.

[Buurin]

Congrats on completing mission (not so im)possible.

[105]

Hey do you know how much fluid the trans takes if its completely empty? I've put like 5 quarts in to get it to register on cold on the dipstick. This is with the car warmed up and shifted through low and back.