Shift linkage popped off, snapped it back on

[kirk knighton]

So I was driving down the street today when I shifted gears and felt a loose sort of pop in the shifter. The shifter was suddenly quite sloppy and lose; I couldn't shift into 5th - and then I discovered I could only get 3rd and 4th! No 1st, 2nd or reverse!
I made it home, popped open the hood, and saw a link disconnected from a simple ball joint. I snapped the link back on and got all my gears back.
My question is, what happened? Is the rubber/plastic end that snaps on to the ball joint defective? I can snap it back off with a little effort, and it snaps back on fairly easily. Is the end piece defective? Or the whole link piece?
Thanks!

[TDCTDI]

The dogbones should have a piece that snaps over the end to lock the socket over the ball. These tabs will break off & the dogbone will pop off & eventually break so that they will no longer stay on. It has warned you, order a replacement now.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[kirk knighton]

That's what it's called? LOL! Actually what is the official name of the part?
Right now I see it has that tab that is flipped open. If I can snap it back down that locks it into place?

[kirk knighton]

Good grief: I see the part online sells for $1.50 new.
And it looks like all you do to install it is place it over the ball joint things and snap the lids shut?

Mine right now won't snap and lock on the one end ( closest to front of car ) because the tab is only partly there. THAT must be the culprit!

[TDCTDI]

That’s it. If that one is bad, it wouldn’t hurt to get the other relay arm & maybe a bushing kit too.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[kirk knighton]

My new part is supposed to come today. Do I need to put any grease on the ends before installing it?
It looks like I can just reach down there, maybe with a screwdriver to pop open the far end of the link and simply pull the old one off. And then put the new one on and snap the end tabs closed and that's that?

thanks for your help!

[TDCTDI]

A bit of grease in the socket is preferred.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[kirk knighton]

Ah well the part arrived, I put a little grease in each end, snapped off the old one and snapped in the new one and - voila! It works perfectly!
Thank you so much for your help.
You mentioned replacing the other, longer arm while I'm at it. I can see the one end of it from above, but it looks considerably harder to get to than the short one I just replaced. How do you get to it?
The bushings were all worn away and gone when I bought the car; the shop that installed my new tie rods saw that and replaced them. So now the only old piece in the linkage is that long arm.

[old scirocco dog]

Get a Bentley manual for your year an make. Shifting linkage are fickle. An after market up grades are not much better.
Good luck
Mike