Shifter Stuck in 3rd gear

I am guessing this is an A2 Golf / Jetta. If the shifter seems stuck I don't know what it could be. If the shifter is loose but no gear change happens when you move it then I would venture a guess that this is the same problem I had a few years back:

There is >

Sorry, it's a 1997 Golf, 1.8L, 8V Engine.

And no, I can't move the shifter at all, no play at all. Just stuck in

Thanks for your reply. It still may be a similar problem. Something is definitely broke!!

Steve

Had this happen many a year ago on a '65 beetle. Something in the transmission itself had broken and sort of rolled over and locked the shifter in third gear. At least, that's what the VW wizard I talked to said it was. I guess he was right, because when I replaced the trans it solved the problem.

Counterpoint, though, a friend had an early model Rabbit do the same thing. In his case a rock had gotten into the housing directly under the shifter and jammed the mechanism in some gear or other. He'd replaced the bushings, but lost the cover which goes over the bottom of the rubber housing under the car. Then forgot to get another one. Jammed up solid with no play at all in any direction.

- Bill

Can you move the selector lever on the gear box by hand? Disconnect the linkage to double check. If not then the problem is internal.

--Steve

Nope, can't do that either. It's definitely internal, that's what my mechanic said. He's taking it apart on Monday to see if it needs replacing or repair.

Thanks for all your comments!!

Jim B.

I have read about this before on the older watercooled trannies and when I had my first tranny spread out all over the floor of my garage (for other reasons) it appeared to be true. From what I am told most trannies have something internal to keep you from shifting "too" far (third gear all the way to the dash board, fourth gear in the back seat) and the VW tranny does not. What happens when you shift too far on the VW tranny is this. The ring that slides over the synchros to connect the gear you want with the gear on the shaft that drives it (sorry don't remember the part names) goes to far and slides off the far side of the gear and there is no synchro on that side to line it up to get it back on. If the tranny wasn't turning when this happen you probably didn't do any damage it just going to be expensive labor (and no you probably could not have fixed it yourself, it took a lot of special tools and luck to get mine back together)..

HTH Steve

I have a vague (it's been well over 25 years now) recollection of the mechanic trying something like that but it not working in my case. Now that you mention it, I think I recall that he seemed mildly surprised.

I'd never heard of it happening on a water cooled one and it being IN the transmission. Every case I've encountered (six or seven) it was something linkage related.

On the other hand, my current driver ('87 Scirocco 16V) had a blown trans when I bought it. It shifted freely, but wouldn't move in any gear.

- Bill