Looking for some advice please and thanks.
I have a 2011 Jetta 5 spd, was driving today and suddenly I could not shift in 4th, 5th or reverse. This is the first time this as happen, I have never had any issues with the far. I don’t knw much about transmissions, so I’m looking for some feedback. The clutch seems to be working fine as I can shift with ease from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
Something on the end of the shifter may have broken off. When the shifter is removed maybe the problem will be obvious. We hope it’s that simple.
Are you able to shift into those gears with the car parked and engine off? When you try to shift into 4 or 5, does the shifter move to that position ok, but the gear doesn’t actually shift? Or won’t it move into those positions at all?
An inability to shift into reverse could be the start of a clutch hydraulic problem, like needing a new clutch master cylinder, but that wouldn’t usually also involve 4th and 5th gears. Worthwhile still to check the level of the clutch hydraulic fluid.
Provided you haven’t been having any problems with shifting into those gears at all before, and this suddenly happened, my first guess, concur with dodgevan2 above, is a linkage problem between the shift lever and the transmission. That’s good news b/c unlikely the transmission will need to be removed.
Your shifter is connected to cables…which connect to the shift arm on the transmission. There are two cables…one for side to side movement…the other forward and back… If some kind of foreign junk or a hose or something falls into or on this linkage arm it can impede movement and subsequently prevent you from being able to select a certain gear
Time to open up your hood and with an assistant moving the gear shift…you will quickly discover what is happening and may find something like a hose or harness or piece of plastic is impeding the shift levers movement.
Only one way to find out…remove all those stupid plastic engine covers and have a looksie. If you see nothing impeding movement…you may have an internal trans issue…but you must look first.
Blackbird