Can't Select Any Gears!

[mainline 2 1 Cars]

Hi Guys, tried searching but couldn't find anything specific to my problem.

 

I tried to MOT my 1.6 GTI last month after it had been off the road for a year or so. It failed on a CV joint and a wheelbearing. I have replaced the passenger side driveshaft with a new one from GSF. I re-filled the gearbox oil up until it was dripping from the level bolt after changing the shaft. I then drove the car out of my garage and back into the garage so I had better access to the other side to change the bearing.

 

I changed the bearing, which took a while as I had to have it professionally pressed into the hub (and my wife had a baby in the mean time ! ). After putting the drivers side back together I thought I would check the gearbox oil level in case any oil had escaped while I was getting the hub off and also because it had time to settle.

 

So I jacked up the gearbox side today, got the car completely level and topped it up.

 

Went to fire up the engine and it started fine, but I could not select any gears.

 

The clutch was up at the top of its travel and the pedal doesn't seem to have moved. It was fine before.

 

Have done less than 1000 miles on the clutch, so I don't think there is anything wrong with it.

 

I tried starting the car in gear with the clutch depressed and it lurched forward a bit, but I didn't want to damage anything so just switched off.

 

Can select gears with the engine switched off.

 

If I try to put it into reverse with the clutch in and the engine off then I get a grinding. Obviously I did not try to force it into reverse.

 

Anyone able to shed any light????

 

Its a standard 1.6 GTI with the later BE whatever it is box (1991).

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[dcc 855]

tighten your clutch cable. likely to not be engaging.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Sounds like possibly the clutch plate is perhaps stuck to the flywheel or stuck on the gearbox input shaft, from a long period of not being used?

Usual way to free it off is to start the engine in say 2nd gear so the car moves along, press the clutch pedal down and try accelerating hard or braking hard to free it off. May take a few attempts so you need to find a bit of space ideally to do it.