Vw Golf Syncro Is the gearbox dead?

[bonsaiburton53]

After just finishing rebuilding my golf syncro, it passed it’s MOT and the day I picked it up the gearbox has broken.
It started slipping out of 5th gear when I was on the motorway, then at the roundabouts it was hard to change down I had to be really firm to get a gear no crunching just hard to select a gear. Then the next morning put it into gear then took it out of gear and it was still in the gear when it should be in neutral,
When reverse is selected the car won’t move it just stalls the engine. Any ideals because I have spend alot of money on the syncro it would be a shame to have to scrap it or sell it at a discount price

[no such user]

Jumping out of 5th gear is a favorite habit of 020 boxes normally when they are low on oil.

As for the car not moving when reverse is selected is sounds like a damaged selector mechanism inside the gearbox, box probably jams solid in the other 4 gears and reverse ?

It’s probably really worthwhile dropping the oil and looking for bits of metal and pulling the end of the gearbox off and having a look at 5th itself, if it looks like. the box is most likely knacked tho

[Chris S]

It sounds like your 5th gear is knackered, this is a common fault on these boxes and is usually caused by a shortage of oil, it is not a Syncro specific fault as it as it affects the 2wd Golfs as well, probably your best bet would be to fit a 2nd hand gearbox, there are enough of them about all over the UK, I can think of at least 3 people with a spare rod change box in their possesion,
Whereabouts are you based?
If you are in the Bristol area you are dead lucky as both diamond hell & dannyp are not too far away from you and both have spare gearboxes and the equipment to fit them for you (if needed) []

[holmes]

i had a similar problem with my old syncro, one night it was working fine with just a liitl difficulty selecting 2nd and 5th the next morning i went out to drive to work and the gearbox had collapsed in side the box, it wouldnt drive in either direction with out banging and alot of revs, i sold the car as i didnt have the money to get a new box, the bloke who bout it from me txt me a few weeks later and he found that the final drive had worked its way loose and imbedded its self into everything.

[bonsaiburton53]

Thanks for the info everybody. Chris s, i am based in south wales but it would not be too much hassle to get to bristol do you know how much the box would likely to be ?

[Chris S]

Not that much, round about 100 pounds complete with transfer box. btw dannyp lives in Ross on wye

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