I have a 1980 VW Golf. I cannot get reverse gear or 1st and 2nd without switching the car off and then selecting the gear? 3rd and 4th works fine.please help

2nd and 4th gear band is not applying. Possibly worn out. It comes on in 2nd and Overdrive. If this is the case, transmission will have to be overhauled.

time to put a new tranny in that jet most of the time it costs to much to repair it then replace it i have done may tranny rebuilds and replacements to me i would just tell you to replace it at least you will get a better warrentee and stuff

hiya all can any1 help ive had a new master cylinder and slave because the car would not go into gear. problem not solved. took the clutch apart foubd out that the pressure plate is pused out with a long steel rod and it pushed out the nipple part in the middle of it. same happend with the new 1 it was only in there for 3 weeks what would cause that to happen again carnt figure it out any ideas guys vw golf t reg mk4 sdi 1.9

it is not on time

Car is in limp in mode unless you have the tools to work on automatic transmission you will need to take it to a transmission shop. Of course you can check oil level but I suspect you have other issues.

Have you lost 1st, 2nd and reverse? Yes? 1.8 litre engine?This is a common fault on the gearbox. (They use it on Audi TT's). Your best option is to get it to a gearbox specialist. Trying to fix this at home without the correct tools could take you days. The problem is inside the gearbox. A rivet holding one of the gear selectors in position has snapped. A major effort to repair a simple problem.

This is a fault mode in which the transmission either loses electrical power or the PCM deactivates all of the electronics. The transmission will default to max line pressure. The driver will have Reverse and 3rd, with manual 2nd available by putting the gearshift in 2 or 1 (doesn't matter). 1st, 4th, and TCC lockup will not be available. It will not hurt the car to drive it like this for short periods, but use manual 2nd to get the car moving, and be aware that the trans will generate more heat than normal while operating in limp-home mode due to increased torque converter slippage during 2nd gear starts and no lockup in 3rd gear.

Trans shifts into gear harshly, car feels sluggish off the line, No 1st, 4th or TCC lockup available, Manual 2nd, 3rd and Reverse are only available gears, CEL is on: Transmission is either in limp-home mode or has lost electrical power. If there are lots of error codes in the PCM, check the under hood fuse that powers the transmission, and if it pops again, look for a short in that circuit like an O2 sensor harness touching exhaust. Otherwise, check PCM codes for a particular fault in the transmission causing the PCM to put it in limp-home mode.

No 1st or 4th available; trans shifts 2nd to 3rd by itself in D or OD and locks the converter : ShiftA solenoid failed. Easy fix in the pan. Or a wiring problem from PCM to trans.. or PCM.

Car goes into gear but feels very sluggish like the brakes are dragging, but it will roll easily (starts out in 4th gear), you manually shift to 2 to get it moving, once it's moving you put it back in OD and the car shifts 3rd to 4th on its own and locks the converter at the appropriate time: ShiftB solenoid failed: Easy fix in the pan. Or a wiring problem from PCM to trans.. or PCM.

Hi:

Your transmission has 3 shift rails...
1st - 2nd
3rd -4th
5th- Reverse

If your 3rd gear doesn't work , you have an internal transmission problem, such as a syncronizer, or similar fail... There is not much you can fix, without removeing the transmission.

yes. you have to check the plastic/rubber moulding at the linkages under the hood. maybe one of them is missing (fallen out because of wear)