Transmission question - auto

[DeanR]

Thought it might be ok to ask this here; for all of you car guys.
My son is having trouble with his VW Jetta 5 speed.
Had a rebuilt trans. put in a couple years ago. It has been fine until recently. First, he could not get 5th. He could move the shifter all they way to the right and still be in 3rd instead of 5th.
The tranny place did some 'adjusting' (told him $300 to remove trans for a diagnosis). After doing only the 'adjustments' it was ok for about 6 hrs. Now he cannot get Reverse, 1st or 2nd. He can now move shifter way to the left without it leaving 3rd gear (just the opposite of the original problem). Says gears feel fine, clutch feels fine, and friends tell him that those are not the problem - that it is something in the linkage that is the problem.
Can anybody offer any ideas about this? I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot.

[LoserShoes]

If its anything like the front wheel drives I've had to fix, it probably needs some new rubber bushings, or has a cracked mount somewhere. The tranny place should have caught it, but sometimes those guys aren't too bright/honest.

steve

[SG-Olli]

Somewhere in the linkage

If it is possible to get all the gears when shifting at the levers on the trans it has to be something in the linkage.
Worn bushings, a broken mount or just the select cable having gone out of its abutment will do that. There are two shifter cables. The shifter cable that moves when the stick ist moved back and forth and the select cable.
Try to get a look at the shifter on the trans with somebody in the car moving the stick left and right. If you follow the cables you should be able to see it.