Date:         Tue, 7 Feb 2006 10:54:46 -0500
Reply-To:     Christopher Gronski <gronski@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Christopher Gronski <gronski@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Lost ALL gears, then they came back
Comments: To: Curtis Long <jclong@jps.net>
In-Reply-To:  <43E8ADAB.5000601@jps.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Curtis,

I saw this in the back of gowesty's catalogue. This is actually what I
suspected, but I wanted to get an unbiased opinion from the list.

Chris

On 2/7/06, Curtis Long <jclong@jps.net> wrote:
> Chris
>
> This sounds exactly like the 3rd & 4th gear slider problem.  All
> Vanagons have this dreaded problem just waiting to happen.  It happened
> to Both of my Syncros.  The original slider had square cut notches and
> would most certainly crack at the corners of the notches.  VW replaced
> them with a rounded notch when they would rebuild the transmission, but
> in my case, even that one cracked, leading to a destroyed 4th gear.
>
> Darrel (or Daryl) of AA Transaxle here near Seattle is one of the best
> at repairing this but it requires a full rebuild at near $2,000 if the
> Ring and Pinion gear is in good shape.  He uses a newer and stronger
> rounded notch slider that has never broken.
>
> Here is a photo attached of my broken rounded notch slider next to a
> broken stock square notch slider.
>
> Eventually, the transmission will be locked in whatever gear you are in
> when the slider comes apart or you will shear off a gear like I did in
> my 90 Syncro..  Get it fixed NOW while you can still move the Van.
>
> Good Luck,
> Curt Long
> Maple Valley, WA
>
> 87 GL Syncro Westy
> 90 GL Syncro Westy
>
>
>
>
>