help! Shift linkage

Just bought a 87 Jetta wolfsburg edition from a lien sale. problem is that last week i test drove it and bought it yesterday... over the weekend one of the yard guys walked off with the entire linkage assembly, from the mounting bracker and all. sooooo I went to a scrap yard and got the entire assembly... put it in today and have no clue how to adjust it. what gear is it supposed to be in/shifter position etc... anyone want to help me out on this as the mini chilton's doesnt help much. says i need an alignment gauge... cant afford one and dont have one. help?

Assuming you have a five speed, you need to be in neutral. The tool you need is VW 3104. You can free hand it, but it is a pain in the ass. If you do, you will have to eyeball where the shifter should be in neutral then tighten the clamp. Then, you need to shift throught the gears to make sure you can hit every gear, especially reverse. You will find that either you wont be able to get into reverse or 5th. YOu will just have to keep playing with it until you get a suitable adjustment.

Edit: you can get the tool for about 10-15 bucks.

TY for the info but since it seems the ONLY place I can get this tool is somewhere in the UK off UK ebay, then I guess I am stuck with doiung the loosen, move shifter slightly, retighten repeat technique. this car has to be on the road in the next day or two and i cant wait a week for a part to arrive.

Assuming you have a five speed, you need to be in neutral. The tool you need is VW 3104. You can free hand it, but it is a pain in the ass. If you do, you will have to eyeball where the shifter should be in neutral then tighten the clamp. Then, you need to shift throught the gears to make sure you can hit every gear, especially reverse. You will find that either you wont be able to get into reverse or 5th. YOu will just have to keep playing with it until you get a suitable adjustment.

Edit: you can get the tool for about 10-15 bucks.

Good luck. It can be done, I know from personal experience. The jig helps a lot, though. If you just can't get it, there is a store called Vee Dub parts in Huntington Beach that may have the tool. If not, they may be able to help you locate it.