98 GOLF GL 2ND AND 4TH SHIFTING PROBLEMS I READ ONE BLOG QUESTION FROM 97 GOLF OWNER WITH SAME PROBLEM AND SOLLUTIONS WERE SYNCHRO CONE AND SHIFT LINKAGE ROD END. CAN EITHER ONE OF THESE SOLUTIONS BE DONE WITHOUT THE CHORE OF REMOVING THE TRANNY. CAN I GET TO IT FROM THE TOP BY REMOVING THE SHIFTER BOOT AND WHAT IS THE BALL PARK COST OF PARTS. AND THE OTHER QUESTION IS A HOWLING VIBRATION SOUNDS AND FEELS LIKE REAR END COULD THE TWO PROBLEMS BE TRANNY GOING OUT IT RUNS GREAT AND NEVER HAS HAD PROBLEMS SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW FOR WIFE EX WIFE. THANKS MAN YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!!!!!!!

what you have is a synchro ring that speeds up the gear to be selected and then locks a dog toothed ring into that gear
However that synchro ring has a lot of work to do to speed up the gear and if the rotation differences between the gears is too great , it will not allow engagement and it will feel blocked
so possible things that affect the synchro are
transmission oil too thick (ford recommend 30 grade mineral oil)
worn synchro cones
worn /weal synchro spring
trying a racing shift at too high a road speed
clutch needs bleeding
clutch dragging
It is the same effect as you get when coming to lights and try to engage 1st gear
rolling speed is faster than engine rpm for the input shaft and so it will not go into first

it appears that your problem is a failed synchro ring and cone in the 435 transmission which requires you to double clutch to get the gear. The 205 is a transfer case and is outside the 435 gear box and has nothing with selecting gears
get a workshop manual for the transmission

couple of things to try first , is the trans fluid at correct level ? when was the fluid last replaced ? have the OBD codes read as may tell you what the problem is , if you done all this i'd go to a repar shop for advice

transmission synchronizers most common cause of transmisson noise in certain gears, and not others, might want to check the gear oil level. Transmission rebuild required. To read about them and what they actually do, then here is a good read:
When you shift gears in your standard shift car, you move a rod that moves a fork that engages the gear. Depending which gear you're shifting to, a different fork does the job. The fork moves the collar to the desired gear, and dog teeth on the collar mesh up with holes on the gear in order to engage it. You engage reverse gear through a separate, small idler gear. The reverse gear always turns in the opposite direction of the other (forward) gears.
In years past, double-clutching was common in order to disengage a gear, allow the collar and next gear to reach the same speed, and then to engage the new gear. To double-clutch shift, you pushed the clutch pedal to free the engine from the transmission. Then the collar moved into neutral. You released the clutch and revved the engine to get it to the right rpm value for the next gear so the collar and the next gear spun at the same rate to allow the dog teeth to engage the gear. When the engine hit the right speed, you depressed the clutch again in order to lock the collar into place on the next gear.
Modern cars use synchronizers in order to avoid the need for double-clutching. A synchronizer, or "synchro," lets the collar and gear synchronize their speeds while they're already in contact but before the dog teeth engage. Each manufacturer's synchro is slightly different than the others, but the basic idea is the same. For instance, a cone on one gear will fit into a cone-shaped depression on the collar. The gear and collar synchronize their speeds thanks to the friction between the cone and collar. Then the outer part of the collar moves out of the way so that the gear can be engaged by the dog teeth.

You change the transmission control molcule (TCM).

Hi, probably the shift cable or bushings are snapped or popped off. Read this thread:
http://208.86.155.123/forum/showthread.php?p=1855689
Check this before assuming the transmission itself has a problem.
Mike

The absence of 3rd and 4th is imposed by the transmission computer as a precautionary measure. The system has detected fault and rather than risk doing any greater damage has provided a limp home service. It needs to have a transmission specialist look it over and read the error codes. How do your transmission fluid levels look?

PROBABLY A BAD SYNCHRO IN THE TRANS. MUST BE A 5 SPEED?

4th clutch hub splines are stripped off. GM didn't harden the splines until 2004 or so so the early model gradually wear to the point where they are so thin they strip off - and then, no 4th gear

i have a 1997 Golf GTI 2.0 liter engine the motor was replace and has 40,000 on it but the body has close to 150,000 on it everytime i shift 1st to 2nd somethings hitting the ground somewhere and secondly the intake maniflold has like a rattle in it or something of that sort and i dont know where its coming from its sounds like a missfire but im not 100% sure yet can someone help me and oo and 4th and 5th gear the clutch makes a biut of grinding noise like not loud and only when your fully in gear and the clutch is all the way out any ideas