Date:         Mon, 17 Apr 2000 11:58:56 EDT
Reply-To:     Gary McEachern <glmce@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Gary McEachern <glmce@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Shuddering clutch fixed / New tranny bad!
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Hi
Thanks to all who provided helpful input regarding the problem I was having
with my clutch and transmission.

I solved the problem with the shuddering clutch. It turned out the flywheel
surface and clutch disk got contaminated with grease or oil. I cleaned the
flywheel and replaced the disk and all is well with the clutch.

I bought the tranny I used from a local used auto parts salvage yard. As it
turns out the tranny I bought appears to have a bad 3rd gear syncro so I
need to get another. It shifts smooth except for the grind upshifting and
downshifting into 3rd. Doubleclutching doesn't seem to help. I replaced the
fluid with 3 quarts of Valvoline 90W gear oil. I planned to replace the
fluid with Redline MT90 when I could determine that it was a good tranny.

The good news is the shudder is gone and the replacement tranny doesn't pop
out of gear or make a lot of noise. The bad news is I need to do another R&R
on the tranny once I locate another one.

Gary

----------------------------------------------------------
I am in the process of replacing the tranny in my new Westy. I have three
problems I hoped to address while replacing the tranny.
1.) A noisy transmission(loud whine)
2.) Pops out of first and second gear.
3.) The van shudders when starting out in first gear.

I hope the new tranny will address the noise and popping out of gear. As for
the shuddering, I initially suspected that the motor mounts might be bad or
that the clutch or pilot bearing might be shot.

The motor mounts look OK and don't appear to be torn. The rubber on the
tranny mount, on the other hand, is torn/seperated from the outer ring. Upon
removal of the tranny I found what appears to be a new sachs clutch and
pressure plate. The pilot bearing looks OK to me. The flywheel is a bit
discolored toward the center area where the clutch contacts it but looks OK
on the outer area. The inner area has brown and blueish splotches which I
suspect indicates overheating.

My questions are:
1. Could the torn tranny mount cause the shuddering?
2. Could one of the tranny problems be causing the shuddering?
2. What does the flywheel discoloration indicate?
3. Am I overlooking something else that could cause this problem?

Any input on this problem would be greatly appreciated.


Gary

Gary McEachern, Reading Ma.
'90 Westy
'84GL w/ Super Sunroof (for sale)
'87GL Wolfsburg Weekender (for sale)
'75 Spitfire

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