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Automatic Stick ShiftFrom the manual - The VW automatic stick shift, optional on 1970 - 1979 models, sharply reduces the amount of gear changing required in ordinary driving and does away with the clutch pedal altogether. A torque converter is used between the engine and the clutch. The torque converter acts as a fluid coupling, making it unnecessary for the clutch to disengage when the car is stopped and the engine running. The clutch disengages only when the selector lever is in neutral or when a new drive range is being selected. Clutch operation is triggered by an electrical signal from the selector lever. Actual disengagement is carried out by a vacuum servo. A vacuum tank installed between the engine's intake manifold and the servo ensures adequate vacuum for operation of the clutch. Evacuation of the vacuum tank is regulated by an electromechanical control valve. The same control valve meters vacuum to the servo for clutch operation. The transmission gears are similar to those of the four-speed manual transmission that is standard for 1970 - 1979 cars. However, the automatic stick shift has only three forward gears. The function of the manual transmission's low gear is taken over by the torque converter. Many parts of the gear system of the automatic stick shift are identical, or of similar design, to corresponding parts of the manual transmission. The ring gear and differential for the automatic stick shift are the same as those for the manual transmission. However, the mounting and adjustment of the pinion are different. Many repairs of both the manual and automatic stick shift transmissions require special tools and skills that only a trained transmission specialist is likely to have. If you lack the tools, experience, or a clean workshop suitable for transmission work, we recommend that you leave such repairs to a qualified shop. Someone wrote - I have a 73 Super Beetle with the automatic stick tranny. The other day I started it up and put it in gear and all was fine but could not get it into second. I found a broken wire coming out of the gear shift so I soldered it and it worked for a little while. My question regards the wire that runs into the gear shift - could the wire be broken at the contact? If so, how do I get to these contacts? Rob responded - The autostick gear shifter is in two parts with a contact mechanism between them which activates the manual clutch via an electro/vacuum system, so the clutch will disengage as you move the stick, and allow you to select another gear. The wire connects to an upwards looking contact just under the upper portion of the gear stick - there is a spring around it to keep the upper stick pointing straight up and the contacts separated when the stick not being moved. To adjust the contact (or to remove the upper stick to examine the contact) lift the rubber boot around the base of the lever and loosen the upper lock nut you find there. Once it's loose you can unscrew the upper section of shift lever, exposing the contacts. To reset the upper lever, screw it down until it just contacts to lower section then unscrew it 1/2 turn, making sure that the elongated hole in the sleeve is running fore/aft (the stick moves in this slot to activate the switch). If you can't set the elongated slot fore/aft with the correct gap (1/2 turn out) then you need to loosen the other lock nut on the sleeve so you can rotate the complete unit to get it lined up, then retighten that locknut, and check the upper locknut/gap.
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