1. Speed sensor/RPM problem\
2. The rear of the car is about 1.5" too low
3. The transmission is very difficult to shift, very sloppy
I will leave the speed sensor issue for a later post.
Its hard to say how much additional weight is on the rear. I took out the motor and exhaust system (approx $250 lbs) and added 240 lbs of batteries and a 150 lb motor in addition to wires and small electronic accessories (estimate 30 lbs). So I estimate that The rear is 160 lbs heavier than before. This weight compressed the suspension and it is now too low. I ordered Coil Over Shocks and will install them to try to bring the rear up to normal height.
With regards to the sloppy shifter, I read up and found that this is very common on old VW's. The shift rod connects the shifter up front to the transaxle in the rear. There is a shift rod bushing and a hanger up front which seems to wear and break frequently. There is also a shift coupler in the rear which can also wear out. In my vehicle the bushing was destroyed but the coupler was intact.
Here is my coupler:
It looks pretty good.
This video shows the metal hitting metal from the destroyed bushing up front:
This is what a new bushing kit looks like on amazon:
