cannot select right gears on my '88 Jetta

[peter nugent]

I cannot select the right gears on my '88 Jetta-What is wrong and can it be fixed?

[peter nugent]

I cannot select the right gears on my '88 Jetta-I have driven it fine this past week but now cannot select gears. The gearstick is floppy. What is wrong and can it be fixed?

[daveva]

Originally Posted by peter nugent

I cannot select the right gears on my '88 Jetta-What is wrong and can it be fixed?

i had that problem on my 87 jetta gl. it was a bushing on the shift linkage. i found that i could rarely get 1st, and it was really hard to, and for 5, id be hitting third all the time. take a look at the shift linkage, and if it was the same as my car, a rubber bushing popped out. instead of replacing it, i just greased it up really good and popped it back in instead of buying a new bushing. hope this helps you.

[boschmann]

There are also two metal rods with plastic ends that commonly break. They are commonly available.