Took my 70 bug out yesterday to go and get the kids not to far from home.

Got the kids everyone piled in and of home we went, maybe 500 meters later had troubles selecting a gear but with a bit of love it went in, but then the next change was not going to go.

Cruised the rest of the way with out the clutch shifting fine (with the right revs gotta love older gear boxes)

Today did all the checks I could without taking out the motor.
Adjusted clutch
Checked Bowden drop and adjusted
Losened engine bolts gave it a wiggle and tighter back up

No luck

I've got the car off the ground with the hand brake on engine running clutch in and I can not select a gear, when I let the handbrake off wheels start to spin and I can select 1st, 2nd, and 3rd with some love.

Without engine running select all gears no problems

Any ideas.

Does the clutch feel normal or a little stiffer or spongier,I am assuming that you have either lost a torsion spring in the clutch plate or cracked a diaphragm,I am opting for the former either way you have done all of the externals and now the engine comes out. Cheers

Clutch feels normal.
I figured engine will need to come out (bugger) but maybe some will have trick like scratch your left nut while shifting to solve the problem.

Sounds as if the clutch pressure plate is not releasing fully. Have you tried to select reverse, if not try with motor running and foot on the clutch (to floor), if reverse is still grinding and cant be selected this will support my thoughts of clutch not releasing.

Good luck, Kev

You got it I can't select reverse with engine running.

So what saying is that for what ever reason the clutch plate isn't releasing from the fly wheel.

you may have a clutch cable that is about to let go (break!). It will feel normal to push, but due to there being only a couple of strands left it wont be releasing the pressure plate properly (the cable stretches instead of pulling)

2nd the cable breakin.

Tighten up the adjustment until you get a clutch or the cable breaks, if it adjusts up, it'll soon break anyway , 95% chance from your description

That was the other thing I tried was an over adjustment and I didn't get the clutch back.

So when you tightened up the cable, you never got any clutch and the pedal never changed it's feel?

To visually check the lever, look at the wing nut, without any foot on the pedal, you should have about 2-3mm of free travel of the lever before it contacts the throwout to the release ring inside the bell housing. Then get someone to put thier foot on the pedal, and you should see the lever move forward around 25mm.

That about what I'm getting with out checking with a ruler maybe even a bit more.

I'm starting to think that the clutch plate is sticking on the spline.

If the lever is movinig that far and there's no noises from a broken throw out fork, I'd go with the pressure plate has died, a diaphram spring broken or whatever....engine out dude. At least you know where the bolts are.

Yeah maybe I should have continued on going when loosened them off

Check the cable first and replace the outer tube as well if the cable is gone

before pulling the engine

presuming the 3 engine gearbox mounts and gear shift linkage coupling are good as well

Pull the motor out today, bingo crack diaphragm spring bummer need to get a new clutch kit.

Any recommendation or should a say has any got a clutch that they wish they didn't