020 swap not going into gear

[Subd]

did a transmission swap from 94 jetta automatic to manual, 020 DFQ

when i shift into first, second and 3,4,5 it doesnt go into gear, wheels turn like its in neutral, when i took the fifth gear housing off to check that end everything looked right, with the fifth gear housing still off i shifted into first and the wheels wouldnt turn, perfect what im looking for, put the housing back on slid the rod with the spring into its proper place and tighten the bolts, the wheels turned again, does anyone know how to fix this or know what im talking about,

new clutch disc, pressure plate, flywheel, release plate, push rod, TO bearing

everything is align timed and installed correctly i checked and doubled checked, push rod hasnt gone through release plate, clutch disc is installed correctly,

clutch release arm doesnt go past 9, TO bearing isnt cracked or chipped,

[Broke]

put the housing back on slid the rod with the spring into its proper place

Hmmm..... this rod with the spring on top?:



Did you have it completely out of the trans at some point?

[Subd]

i didnt take it completely out but i did pull it out about 2 inches, it was a little hard to push back in i had to turn it back and forth for it to go back in, what i dont understand is with the fifth gear housing off it shifts perfectly,

what i meant about sliding the rod with the spring into its place, i was talking about how the spring has its place to go when you put the cover back on,

[Broke]

i didnt take it completely out but i did pull it out about 2 inches, it was a little hard to push back in i had to turn it back and forth for it to go back in

If you pull it out too far, the shift forks inside can fall apart, and it won't want to go back in again.
Another risk is losing the captured spring under the rod. It has a spring on each end, but only one end holds the spring to the rod, the other end just has a spring in a hole with the shaft over it. With the shaft pulled out, the spring is free to fall out.

With the 5th housing off, you should be able to push that rod in a bit and feel it want to spring out some. It might not feel too springy as the forks will be binding it, but if you feel just a little, then it means the spring is still captured.

what i dont understand is with the fifth gear housing off it shifts perfectly

The housing might be hitting the 5th fork, or the 5th fork tube needs adjusted again... if the fork tube at the 5th gear area is moved, it moves all the forks in the trans.
Did you do a 5th swap before installing it or anything, or was it a working trans that hadn't been opened and was just installed in your car for the swap?

what i meant about sliding the rod with the spring into its place, i was talking about how the spring has its place to go when you put the cover back on,

You'd be surprised at how many trans I open with bent up springs there on top of that rod... people don't get the spring in the hole when they start the housing back on and they mangle that spring as they tighten the bolts down.

Verify the trans is actually shifting into gear. Have someone move the shifter, make sure it selects. If not, op the linkage off at the trans (one pinned rod and a ball/cup connection) and manually select a gear. Make sure it selects all the gears and that the selector moves in and out and twists as it should. You should hear the gears select inside.
Check each one, make sure it goes in and out of each gear.