Stuck in gear

[moizeau]

Got in the van (Dispatch 2010 1.6 HDi 90 16v for those that don't know) this morning and the gear change seemed a little vague. 12 miles away from home, pulling up at a junction and it wouldn't come out of 3rd, got it to a layby, turned it off, poked my head under the bonnet, tried again and and it flicked into neutral. Got first, then second......then no further, came home in 2nd. It's not the clutch because on the downhills I could coast with the clutch depressed to get above 20mph. I'm currently dismantling things, fuel filter, air filter and about to do the wheel arch liner to see if it's it's something as simple as one of the con rods has come off or got wedged somehow. There is very little movement on the gear stick. It will move into a sort of neutral but no further but goes back into 2nd.
Any ideas please while I'm having fun on the front garden.
Cheers

[moizeau]

Slight update. Found this stuck where the cables clip onto the gearbox mechanism.

Jiggled the mechanism about to get it out, checked the gears without the engine running, no problems.
Went for a drive....got stuck in 2nd again. Turned the engine off and it came out back into neutral. Went for another drive missing out second, no problems. There may be another foreigner in there or maybe the foreigner has caused wear on a cable clip but no idea why this would only affect 2nd?
The gearbox has sometimes been vague going from 5th to 4th ever since I've had it 15k miles ago.
Or is this sounding more sinister? I've read it could be the syncro but this has never happened (not even close) before this morning.
The gearbox oil was changed a couple of thousand ago when I inadvertently pulled the driveshaft out when trying to knock the CV off to change the boot. I'll ask my mate what the spec of oil is that he gave me but he does loads of clutches etc. so if he uses the wrong spec I wouldn't be the first person.
Cheers

[moizeau]

Update, sometimes fine, sometimes it wants to stick but if it's given a quick flick (not a hard push) it comes out of 2nd.
Any ideas chaps?