Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:46:12 -0500
Reply-To: TJ Hemrick <x53gunner@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: TJ Hemrick <x53gunner@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: vanagon Digest - 19 Jan 2005 (#2005-58)
In-Reply-To: <7787925174059124542@unknownmsgid>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Joy,
I'd say your 1st gear syncro is failing. Their is a set of teeth on
each gear (commonly called the dog teeth) that go along with the
syncro assembly that handles all the power transfers from the shafts
in the tranny. If it stays in gear if you hold it in first or it
slips out more under load then it's definitely the syncro. I'm sure
Dennis or Daryl will correct me if I was way off base. You could milk
that tranny for a long time. Being a vanagon I'm sure they'll be a
time in the future that for some other reason the tranny may have to
come down or be very easy to take down and then I'd do it unless you
just can't get the van to stay in gear. It won't get any better,
that's for sure.
TJ
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 22:58:52 -0500
From: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Subject: another tranny question (was RE: out comes the tranny (again)
Hmm, Warren's compliments made me think I should ask you a question too,
Dennis! Or anyone else, of course.
My transmission works, but I think it's on its way out. It won't stay in
first gear. I put it in first, start driving, and then within fifty feet or
so it usually slips out of first into neutral. By then I can usually shift
into second, so this is not a problem. And it's been doing it pretty much
as long as I've had the van and doesn't seem to be getting worse. I don't
have trouble with 2nd through 4th.
Is this the symptom when transmissions fail? I've never had a car whose
transmission failed. Could it keep doing this for decades and I wouldn't
have to replace the tranny?
Today I was driving around Philadelphia in snow and ice. Traffic was moving
around 10 mph, stopping all the time. I had a lot of trouble getting
Matilda started - I'd put her in first and she just wouldn't move. If I
could get her in second she'd move a bit better, but sometimes I'd be
sitting there when the light changed green just waving my hands to urge her
on through the intersection. I think she was sliding on the ice, though
mostly not enough that I could see or feel it. It was really cold out
(okay, not by Canadian standards!). Do dicey transmissions behave worse in
snow and ice? Or could my problems starting up once I'd stopped simply have
been because I was sliding more than I realized?
Joy
****************************************************************
Joy Hecht
and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon
For musings about life and the vanadventures:
http://users.rcn.com/jhecht/gypsy