Gearbox bust???

[chuck 0]

Had a 'mare the past few days. First the heater matrix goes. (BTW I can confirm that it is possible to replace this without removing the dash). Now while I'm warming the engine to make sure it all works before reassemling everything the engine made a funny noise and then stopped.

 

Now I can only start it with the clutch in even though the stick is in neutral. Even with engine off and stick in neutral, car won't freewheel.

Engine on and stick in neutral, releasing the clutch and revving makes the car want to inch forward, but won't go any further. I can select 1st, 2nd, 3rd (with difficulty) 4th and reverse, but can't get 5th.

 

Whats wrong!!! AAARRRGGGHHHHHH :x :(

[2_Door_fun 0]

Hi.

 

Sounds like selector problems. Stick in neutral but box is not. The drivetrain in the transmission may be stuck between gears, Or selector fork problem. Either way it will be a gearcase open job.

 

Not getting 5th def sounds selector related. it is always the extreme gears such as 5th and reverse that show selector problems. Are all your cables in good order and the linkage at the stick?

 

Have you read this post?

 

Dinkus comments on the mech below the stick. May help

[Rossco 0]

What about the actual cables themselves, give them a check man

[dinkus 10]

Yeah, it could be something simple like the circlip under the gearstick or the linkage that just needs adjusting.

[biggerbigben 0]

pull the end casing off.. 4/5 11mm bolts and see if you can pull the selector for 5th up and down... disconnect the shifter before doing this.. Let me know what happens? Will need to drain the gearbox oil as well.

[CaiosG60 PWR 0]

When you strip a box you have to lock the gears to be able to undo various bolts. What happens is that you select 1st the normal way then you disconnect the shift mech from the 5th gear selector ring. Manually engage 5th gear by pushing it onto the syncros. Doing this locks the box solid like the way you describe.

 

What could have happened is that the selector gear has somehow come off the fifth gear arrangement leaving it stuck in fifth gear. It doesnt seam possible but from the symptoms you have it could be this or a broken tooth is proper jammed between two shafts making it impossible to move. I've had a tooth of reverse gear totally jam up a gearbox before.

 

You definitely need to get the box open to take a look. If your reasonably technical and have a puller to get fifth off then its fairly easy to open up for a look.

 

As Ben's said, you can take a look at fifth with the box on the car. Just take the black end cap with the VW logo off and have a look whats going on with ffith. But you'll get a fair bit of stinking gearbox spilt everywhere. :lol:

[chuck 0]

cheers guys.

 

about an hour after the gearbox jammed, (aprox 59 minutes after a teretts outburst), I managed to select first, slip the clutch with loads of revs, and the car inched forward. The next morning the engine fired without having to use the clutch (tho there was some squeaking from the box), and i was able to drive it to the garage. After about 5 mins of moving, I could select all the gears again.

Since then the box has returned to normal. Mechanic couldn't find a problem. :roll:

 

I've checked the linkages and cables and everything looks OK.

 

So I have no idea what happened, and can only forget it and hope it never happens again.

[Walesy 0]

How queer

[CaiosG60 PWR 0]

Hopefully it was just a case of fifth not disengaging, but it could be that there's a broken tooth in there. If so you may get problems again. It’d definitely be worth give the box an oil change at this point anyway.