Hey guys, it's driving me nuts- absolutely fricken bucket kicking, face palm bonkers...

So I came back from holidays and my 73 beetle (1200-stock standard) was shifting strangely- it felt like the gears had moved place slightly and shifting down from 3rd to 2nd grinded as it tried to hit reverse...

I then noticed the bolts holding the shifter down were finger loose. So I tightened them but still happened. I can select reverse without depressing the gear shifter.

After surfing the web I tried adjusting as recommended but to no avail.
I then got a new stop plate but this hasent helped...
I've read about a 'shifter pin' but my shifter ends in a flattened ball that sits into the socket below.

Just looking for any advice, tips- encouragement as I've spent three days now trying to sort it but just can't find the sweet spot!!!

Helpppllpllpllppll

You fitted the new shift plate with the correct left to right arrangment so the tab is on the correct side?

alternatively, aircooled.net denote the pin on the shifter and what its purpose is:

" This is the thin stamped steel plate that fits between the VW Standard Transmission shifter and the floor pan It prevents the shifter from engaging reverse unless the "reverse pin" is lifted up over the "ski jump" on the plate. This fits all makes and models of Std Transmissions (not automatics nor auto-sticks). Price for one unit. "

They use the term pin, by that i'm sure they mean the outter ring on the base of the stick above the bottom flattened ball. The pin in the ball is to stop the gear stick spinning in place and nothing else. Silly use of the word pin (unless i'm wrong). And by lifting up and over, i think they mean pressing down and under!

Your shifter still has the spring in place at the base to push the gear stick back up?

Lock plate has bend tag facing up, and on driver side?

Pic of orientation (Note in reference to hand brake):

So to constantly get reverse, either there isn't that 'wall' (as seen in big pic) that the ring on the gearstick rests on to stop it from going to far left and hitting reverse, or there is no spring and thus the gearstick ring naturally drops down below the lock plate.

Alternatively, excess travel from worn shifter rod bush or shifter rod coupler allow for the ring to drop below the lock out plate.

Awesome pics Chris, and I'd say the pin/up,down descrepency is being confused between a stock shifter and some of the aftermarket ones that use a pin for the rev lock-out. The other area where there may be an issue is at the rear of the shift rod, the coupling may be loose, worn, or Chinese crap.

Thx guys- great pictures and explanation about the 'pin'. i might have look deeper for the fault as I have got the large tapered spring/ correct orientation of plate etc...
But I'll probably stuff around more over the weekend no doubt.
Thx for the quick responses!

Killing me... But I love it...
Oh- when I take the shifter and stop plate off- the socket that the shifter 'knob' sits in dosent sit straight up- it's leaning abit to the right- (when shifter removed in neutral) is this normal? When I replace the shifter back in I have to angle it to drop into the socket.

The rod without shifter installed, should travel left and right by equal amounts

Hmm, if the socket isn't level then the grub screw at the gear linkage may not be correctly located in the hockey sticks dimple

Is that a real sentence?