Thanks to everyone for their insight.......

Yesterday I had never tried to shift it while the engine was off.� Today I tried to shift it with the engine off and I can get all the gears with little difficulty.

So this points to the clutch, right?

Just a few weeks a ago I had it in the shop for a gear oil flush, and they said that the clutch slave was leaking.� They replaced that but they kept it an extra day because they said they couldn't get the clutch adjusted.� Then later, after I had picked it up I noticed a new sort of low-pitched whiney noise only when the clutch pedal was released, i.e. it went away when the clutch pedal was depressed.� You may recall that I asked the List about this.

So maybe something with the clutch adjustment may have doomed it?

Thanks, Anthony
'89 Syncro GL (Hidalgo) 

--- On Sun, 8/16/09, Anthony Egeln <regnsuzanne@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Anthony Egeln <regnsuzanne@yahoo.com>
Subject: Transmission or clutch gone
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Sunday, August 16, 2009, 5:31 PM

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)