Here is the scenario:

I'm sitting at a stop light and when I engage 1st gear (fully releasing clutch) I hear a loud clank as if something dropped to the ground. I come to a complete stop and and attempt to engage again. Same noise. Every gear I go through, same sound. Felt like the shift linkage and is rubbing against something and now causing vibration around the whole car while in drive around 3-4 (not exceeding 40mph).

So, I get home and start searching for any clues to the problem. Don't thrash me for this but this is a noob question. I check underneath the car and notice that I can see the inside of the trans meaning I can I see the pressure plate exposed. By the way, it is an 2.0L a20 tranny in a 97 gti. I have no idea what the problem could be but have included some pics of what I was asking about the trans. Any suggestions or thoughts would be great. Thanks.


I can email photos based on request since I am having issues posting a url image.