Date:         Tue, 9 Dec 2003 06:30:33 +0000
Reply-To:     Michael Snow <slowmachine@COX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Michael Snow <slowmachine@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: 5 SPEED TRANS'
In-Reply-To:  <045001c3bcd9$ec55b1b0$202a1fd8@computer>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Ben wrote:

>Listers,
>Does anybody have any thoughts or experience with the "094" transmission currently advertized by Vanamania? These are supposedly shipped over from Europe and will readily fit into any vanagon giving a more "usable range of power"????????????
>Ben
>'87 GL
>'89 Vanagon Westf
>
>

The 094 5 speed is fantastic in the diesel vans, lowering the cruising
RPM and closing the distance between the gears.  It greatly imporoved
the driveability of my '82 diesel Westy.  For the gas vans, especially
the 2.1, it doesn't seem worth the expense to me.  The overall gearing
in the highest gear is virtually identical.  However, a friend of mine
just brought his '84 Westy to Italy for three years.  The original
tranny was suffering 3-4 slider failure as he left.  He had a 5 speed
installed in Italy and considers it to be an improvement with his 1.9
and fully loaded camper.

FWIW, I've seen the transmissions in Vic's (Vanmania) shop.  Most of
them look like they could be rebuildable cores at best.  With that in
mind, you could rebuild one with a higher ring/pinion ratio and drop
your cruise RPMs.  It still sounds like too much money to me for very
little meaningful gain.

Mike Snow
1982 Westfalia diesel
1986 GL
1987 Syncro GL