5 speed with shifter problems

03 shaker

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Location
Alabama
TDI
2015 Passat SEL
On the way home from work today, cruising along in fifth, traffic was slowing down and when i pushed in the clutch and pulled it out of fifth, the shifter lost all resistance. The car was still in gear. Pulled into a parking lot and the shifter was stuck in the side to side motion, but was extremely free front to back. So after popping the hood and messing around with the linkage for a min i tried the shifter again and it felt ok. Pulled it into fourth and tried other gears and the same thing happened. Super free from the 4th to 3rd slot but not budging side to side.

To get home I stuck it in 3rd from under the hood and limped home. Pulled off the boot and can't see anything wrong. Still no side to side movement and no effort to go front and back. Pulled the metal piece that holds the shift bushing on but can't figure out how to get the ball and shifter part out.

Ideas? Help?
 

WildChild80

Veteran Member
Joined
May 30, 2016
Location
Nashville, AR
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI 2000 Jetta TDI 2000 New Beetle TDI ALL 5 speeds
With the transmission in neutral, can you move the shift shaft up and down freely on the top of the transmission

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03 shaker

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Location
Alabama
TDI
2015 Passat SEL
Yes, i can move it freely like it should on the top of the transmission. I know i can put it in 3rd or 4th because i know those positions. Can move it normally into other slots, i just don’t mnow what gear it’s actually going in.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
If all the bits on the shift tower are intact and a cable hasn't fallen off, the problem is likley inside the car.
 

WildChild80

Veteran Member
Joined
May 30, 2016
Location
Nashville, AR
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI 2000 Jetta TDI 2000 New Beetle TDI ALL 5 speeds
Please keep us posted on the findings

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Dhawk12

Veteran Member
Joined
May 21, 2018
Location
Langley, Canada
TDI
2002 ALH 5 spd
Not entirely sure what car and shift linkages you have but I had a 2000 jetta alh with a very similar problem. Lost all gears but 3 and 4 because one of the little plastic fingers on the side to side cable linkage at the tranny broke off and it wasn't grabbing the cable anymore. Jerry rigged it with a zap strap so the two remaining fingers held the cable and it has worked fine so far, although I have picked up another shift cable end to replace it if it fails again. Just some food for thought.
 

mittzlepick

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2001
Location
union maine
TDI
2004 jetta wagon (365k)2001 wagon tire burner 6spd 2003 wagon(417k)
bushing in the shifter box. diesel geek or someone has a youtube on how to change it without dropping it out the bottom. drills a hole in side of box and replaces the bushing and clip.
 

03 shaker

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Location
Alabama
TDI
2015 Passat SEL
Finally got into the shift box tonight. Pulled the shifter out and the plastic piece that holds the cable end on the bottom of the shifter broke into several pieces. That cable is for front to back movement in the shifter, feels like it should when playing around with the cables under the hood, where they meet the transmission.

What is strange is the other cable, the one that controls side to side movement in the shifter, moves fine one way and won't budge the other. As in, pushing the cable forward, which would be pushing right on the shifter to go into 5th feels fine. But there's no movement when pulling to the rear of the car, as in pushing left, to go into 1st or 3rd.

So now it seems i need to figure out what piece i need to reconnect the cable to the bottom of the shifter and why the side to side cable isn't right.




bushing in the shifter box. diesel geek or someone has a youtube on how to change it without dropping it out the bottom. drills a hole in side of box and replaces the bushing and clip.
I saw a video explaining that and that's what i'll do to reconnect the cable. And the bushing is good, before i even pulled the shift boot i was hoping it was something that simple. Maybe it still is, idk.
 

Fahrvegnugen

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2017
Location
Burlington Vt
TDI
01 golf 1.9 alh gls silver
Dieselgeek sells a deluxe kit for all the shifter bushings. If one of yours broke into pieces the round open cable end should still be in tact. If it is, you can just buy the kit and replace all the crumbling bushings. That is what I did because the plastic gets brittle.
 

03 shaker

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Location
Alabama
TDI
2015 Passat SEL
Dieselgeek sells a deluxe kit for all the shifter bushings. If one of yours broke into pieces the round open cable end should still be in tact. If it is, you can just buy the kit and replace all the crumbling bushings. That is what I did because the plastic gets brittle.
Yeah I should have updated this thread. Bought that exact kit yesterday. Worked on it a little while today getting ready to replace the shifter bushings. Dropped the belly pan and downpipe. After watching the video on diesel geek's site I decided it would be less frustrating to drop the downpipe and go in from the bottom, rather than the hole drill method.

Anyone know the correct/easiest way to remove the heat shielding for the downpipe? I think once that's out of the way it should be simple and easy to get to the bottom of the shift box. No idea though, can't find much as far as info for getting into the bottom of the shift box.
 

03 shaker

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Location
Alabama
TDI
2015 Passat SEL
Finally got all the bushings replaced. I was way overthinking all of this. Thanks for the help even if I didn't understand everything at first.
 

deejaaa

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2007
Location
Baytown, Texas
TDI
FOR SALE, 2002 Jetta GLS, 5 speed
mine quit working Fri on the way home. i was in 4th so was able to get home. checked it with advice from this post and ordered the Cable Saver Replacement Cable End Bushing Set. cheap enough and should be easy once i get the access hole done.
 

03 shaker

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Location
Alabama
TDI
2015 Passat SEL
mine quit working Fri on the way home. i was in 4th so was able to get home. checked it with advice from this post and ordered the Cable Saver Replacement Cable End Bushing Set. cheap enough and should be easy once i get the access hole done.

Glad this could help. I didn't do the access hole, i went at it from underneath the car. After watching the video on diesel geek's website I was pretty sure it was going to be too frustrating for me to try and replace those bushings through that little hole. Just my experience.
 

WildChild80

Veteran Member
Joined
May 30, 2016
Location
Nashville, AR
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI 2000 Jetta TDI 2000 New Beetle TDI ALL 5 speeds
Glad this could help. I didn't do the access hole, i went at it from underneath the car. After watching the video on diesel geek's website I was pretty sure it was going to be too frustrating for me to try and replace those bushings through that little hole. Just my experience.
My thoughts exactly but I'm really dreading doing it on the ground and I still have to get the IP sealed up...stupid pump head seal

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03 shaker

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Location
Alabama
TDI
2015 Passat SEL
My thoughts exactly but I'm really dreading doing it on the ground and I still have to get the IP sealed up...stupid pump head seal

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Honestly it's not too bad. 7 bolts to pull the downpipe, a few aggravating retainers that hold the heat shielding on, then i think 4? easy bolts that actually hold the shift box in place. Then those dumb tabs, but even those don't take 5 minutes to pull out. Then it's easy to replace the bushings. I pulled my skid plate for easy access to where the downpipe connects to the turbo, some may prefer to get those bolts from the top, but for me it's easier from under the car.
 

WildChild80

Veteran Member
Joined
May 30, 2016
Location
Nashville, AR
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI 2000 Jetta TDI 2000 New Beetle TDI ALL 5 speeds
Hopefully I won't have to pull the down pipe, I've got the 3 inch from kerma and I think I can only take 1 section out and get to the shifter, it's a royal PITA to get to the down pipe bolts with the 3 inch...crows foot and a mirror and some new curse words...

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