re
"I can't shift it and when I let out the clutch it seems like it is still in
gear. Got a ride home and now awaiting AAA to bring the van home."

With  the engine off, if the shift lever won't move , like from a gear to
neutral, or to another gear - that points to  a transmission problem.

if it was a clutch thing ............with engine off.......the sifter will
move normally, from gear to gear, whether the clutch is 'stuck' so it can't
disengage, or if slips etc.
From the description so far, I can't see that the VC would be involved in
any way.
If it was, just remove the driveshaft and try the van that way.

Could use more information, but given the info supplied so far, sounds like
a transmission issue.  Possibly a serious one.
But ......I hope it's just a minor thing easily fixed !
Scott
www.turbovans.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Anthony Egeln" <regnsuzanne@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 2:31 PM
Subject: Transmission or clutch gone

Well, I had a catastrophic something failure a little while ago....

Driving down the road at 45 mph, and suddenly the car shakes like it went
over a pile of rocks.

Then it smoothed out and I went another 1/4 and tried to shift and couldn't
shift. I turned into a subdivision and pulled over. I can't shift it and
when I let out the clutch it seems like it is still in gear. Got a ride home
and now awaiting AAA to bring the van home.

My first thought was that the viscous coupling kicked in, because it
shuddered & shook so bad for that brief moment, and I never heard of a
clutch suddenly failing. So I'm wondering if its the clutch or maybe the
tranny granaded.

Any thoughts?

Second problem is I have absolutely no place here in north Florida to take
it for repair anymore. There was one shop but for various reasons, I no
longer have confidence in their ability to work on a vanagon.

Thanks, Anthony
'89 Syncro GL (Hidalgo)