Hi all, need some help on this. I have recently bought a 1300 Mk 2 Golf 4-speed in great nick, except for the fact that on investigation I found no oil in the gearbox. Without thinking too hard (read: at all) I tipped some in only to have it drop out of the bottom - not the drain plug but out of the gap where the housing meets the base of the engine. Of course, within a few miles the clutch started slipping where the little oil that did remain in the box has seeped through to the plate.

I see that clutch kits are about £55 at German and Swedish which I can handle, however...

...the garage gleefully informed me that it would be about £450 to 'split the box' and replace whatever seal is at fault, which I have a hard time believing - at the same time I don't want to get involved in the innards of a gearbox as such.

A friend has a B reg Mk 2 Golf laid up in their barn and has offered me parts. I realise that 4 and 5 speed boxes are not interchangeable, so I need to check that the donor car is 4 speed, however what I need to know is: if the donor car is a 4 speed 1.05 litre (or even a 1.6 litre 4 speed) rather than a 1.3 litre, will the box fit my 1.3 litre car?? They cannot find any documents on the car so I can't check that way.

I would be really grateful for any advice - or links to any reliable advice, concerning both suitability and the work involved - for instance has anyone found it possible to remove a Golf Mk2 gearbox by lifting it up rather than jacking up the car, hoisting the engine and dropping it downwards - as Haynes insist is necessary...

Cheers!