I've got a 67 kombi, IRS with Lbug box. I have an empi trigger shifter that has been working fine for a couple of years. Today I was driving in traffic and I started having trouble selecting 1st and 2nd. It got to the point where I could hardly get them. Then I found that if I pulled the trigger on the shifter I could get 1st and 2nd but absolutely not reverse. Then as I'm driving along I change from 2nd to 3rd and I find 1st instead bringing me to a screeching halt from about 70k's. The shifter is not loose on the floor and even after loosening it and trying to adjust its positioning I have the same problem. Does anbody have any ideas as to what is going on?

Is ther any grinds?

Is it still hard to shift with the engine off?

Hows the bushes / selector coupler rubber (in particular)?

sounds like the coupler is stuffed. where the shift rod attaches to the gearbox selector shaft. too much play here and u wont be able to select gears. the shifter will also feel sloppy.

start at the back

check the bushes in the selector housing

check the coupler

check the sleeves along the shifter rod

check the indet plate under the shifter

my 74 kombi has the same problem, its a new trigger shifter which has had trouble since day 1, the standard gearstick worked better.Mine works better when i loosen the stick from the floor a little, i even put a spacer between it to help it, shortly after i fitted it the trigger thing made no difference for reverse and i was crunching reverse trying to find second, it turned out the welds broke in the base of the new shifter so i rewelded it.Great quality.....NOT!