Trans stuck in 3rd or 4th?

If you ever happen to get your trans stuck in 3rd or 4th gear, it's usually dirt and metal grit stuck in the slider hub. All 3rd and 4th gear shift forks are steel and 1st and 2nd shift forks are steel AND bronze. The bronze forks break and wear faster, so if you get a gear stuck in 1st or 2nd, it's usually fatal ; (. (Needs rebuilt). 3rd and 4th is different, if you get stuck in 3rd or 4th, you can do a couple of tricks to get it back to working. The cause is usually low oil and very old and dirty oil. Remedy:Open the fill plug on the side of the trans and while someone is gently shift the trans, take a screwdriver and gently pry on the 3rd shift fork to get it to pop out of gear; once this is done, Drain trans oil and plug trans. add 2 quarts of diesel fuel to trans start the engine and while its running, shift the trans from 3rd to 4th about 30 times slowly. Remember, this is a last resort pending a rebuild. What you are doing is cleaning the grit and dirt from between the slider and hub so it won't bind on the dirt. After you have done this, let it set for an hour or so and repeat; the diesel will loosen the dirt even further and this will insure your trans is cleaned. NOW... Drain the diesel out and add 3 quarts of cheap 30 weight oil and run the car for about an hour of mild driving (this will trap the further dirt in the oil and it will drain out with the oil) NOW.. Drain oil and add 90 weight to fill and you should be OK. I've built VW transaxles for many year's and have used this trick many times with great results. The diesel won't hurt the seals for the short time you use it. Remember, 1st and second gear shift fork usually breaks and cause a stick in 1st and second. Excessive brass or even a brass "Chunk" will be found in the oil when 1st or 2nd is stuck. Never use synthetic oil in vw transaxles!! Although superior in performance, it causes leaks in these transaxles that are usually on their 2nd or 3rd rebuild in 40 year's. You'll hear some people say they used it and had no problems, it's POSSIBLE ; ) but, NOT LIKELY! rEMEMBER, This is a quick fix to get you by until you can get the trans repaired properly, but I've done this for people and had them drive on for year's ; ) Hope this helps and feel free to call me if you need any assistance. 706-990-7069 cell Ken