Date:         Mon, 11 Oct 2004 11:28:16 -0700
Reply-To:     Tobin Copley <tcopley@SFU.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tobin Copley <tcopley@SFU.CA>
Subject:      Re: trans main shaft removal ??
Comments: To: Mfgavia@AOL.COM
In-Reply-To:  <85.18503fc5.2e9b078a@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

On Sunday, October 10, 2004, at 02:45  PM, Mark Fitzsimons wrote:
> I need some advice on trans main shaft removal from a diesel and an
> aircooled
> vanagon transmission.
>
> The bell housing is removed from the transmission, the circlip is off,
> the
> reverse gear slides to the rear.............
>
> .........now how do I get the main shaft out?  It doesn't seem to
> "screw out"
> like Bentley says it will!


Assuming that you have the transmission placed on its nose (with the
input shaft pointing straight up in the air), what you need to do is
this:

1) reach down and grab the gear that is located at the base of the
input shaft,
2) slide it up (towards the end of the input shaft) an inch or so,
maybe a *bit* more,
3) then and only then will you be able to "unscrew" the input shaft.

The base of the input shaft in splined, as is the "upper" end of the
shaft (the removable portion of the shaft).  The gear at the base of
the shaft is free to slide up and down the shaft, once the circlip is
removed.  In its usual (circlip installed) position, the gear covers
*both* parts of the input shaft (that is, the part that unscrews and
the part that the removable section screws into).  Thus, when
circlipped in place, the gear keeps the shaft from unscrewing by
carrying the load through the splines.

When you try to slide the gear up after removing the circlip, you may
notice two things.  First, there isn't a whole lot of room in the case
to reach down and grab the gear.  I have very long fingers and rather
slender hands, so I can do it.  If you have a child at your disposal,
this would be a perfect time to make use of the short person.  Lacking
slender hands or an exploitable child, you may use a long
dental-pick-type tool to hook the underside of the gear.  The second
thing you may notice is that the gear will not slide up very far before
striking the large cast metal piece of the differential in the centre
of the transmission.  There are two cut-away sections in this large
piece; rotate the transmission by hand until the cut-out section lines
up with the shaft.  There will be *just* enough room to slip the gear
up past the cut-out section.  You may have to push the shaft away from
the cut-out section with modest pressure to help it clear.  Each time
you manage to squeak the gear further up the shaft, try to unscrew
(c-cl) the shaft.  Once you get the gear up high enough, the shaft will
unscrew easily like Bentley says.

Installation is, as they say, the reverse of removal.

Hope this helps.

T.