Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:55:18 -0800
Reply-To: aatransaxle <daryl@AATRANSAXLE.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: aatransaxle <daryl@AATRANSAXLE.COM>
Subject: Re: Should I replace my transmission?
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
All of us rebuilders have these issues from time to time. Its the nature of
the beast when dealing with 20+ yr old trannys and vehicles unfortunately...
Using the custom gear sets, we have some occasional noise from 3rd or 4th
gear sets that don't seat well together unfortunately. (about 1 in 30 or 40
I would say) They are a courser cut of teeth to be stronger, but are not as
quiet as the factory weaker teeth. No way to tell till they are in the
gearbox and runnin down the road. Most seat in after 5K unless they are
driven hard right out of the barn and put away wet.
Daryl of AA Transaxle (doin well so far)
425-788-4070
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Daniel - Turbovans" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 3:36 PM
Subject: Re: Should I replace my transmission?
> fwiw, there is a modest vw shop in my area, that had a GW trans shipped to
> them a couple of years ago, , they installed it, it was bad right away.
> Had to send it back.
> Glad 'your' bad one was apparent right then, and not a week or a month
> later.
> Do they buy core transmissions ?
> Glad you're on the road successfully.
> Scott
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Williams" <sbw@SBW.ORG>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 5:04 AM
> Subject: Re: Should I replace my transmission?
>
>
>>I just drove about 800 miles from Los Osos, California, to Lehi,
>> Utah, enjoying the blessed quiet of a rebuilt transmission installed
>> by GoWesty. But it was expensive.
>>
>> With all due respect to the excellent suggestions and vendors on this
>> list, I decided to go ahead and have GoWesty do the work, primarily
>> because I already have a relationship with them, but also because I'm
>> full-timing in my van and traveling on a fairly tight schedule, and
>> they were able to do the job in less than one day.
>>
>> I described the whine I heard here and you all responded very helpfully.
>>
>> At 11:01 AM 11/6/2009, aatransaxle wrote:
>>>Sounds like a pinion bearing failing. In the short run, it usually
>>>is no big deal ... If let go, it will eat up the ring/pinion ...
>>
>> I don't have the full core report yet, but they did tell me the ring
>> and pinion was "bad."
>>
>>>That in addition to the likely cracked 3/4 hub issue they all
>>>develop tells me its time to put your mind at ease and bite the bullit
>>>...
>>
>> I'm glad I did. Thanks for the encouragement.
>>
>>>Mine are $1095 exchange for the rebuild plus a $400 core deposit (
>>>in case the R&P is actually bad already.) Rougly $80 shipping each
>>>way ... A week or a tad less out typicaly this time of year.
>>
>> GoWesty charged $1,400 plus $750 core charge. That's a big
>> difference, and I'm not qualified to judge whether there's any reason
>> to pay more. I had my reasons to use GoWesty, but I feel extremely
>> fortunate that there are so many great suppliers still supporting our
>> vehicles!
>>
>> Interestingly, GoWesty took a couple of extra hours to finish the
>> job, because the first rebuilt transmission they installed had a
>> "noisy fourth gear." They were apologetic that the job wouldn't be
>> finished before lunch, but I was on the road by 2 pm. They told me
>> they keep two rebuilt stock transmissions on the shelf, along with
>> several five-speeds, syncros, and with custom gearing. It speaks
>> well of GoWesty that they had another transmission in stock, so there
>> was little delay. But a little unsettling that one of their rebuilds
>> turned out to be bad out of the box. What if someone had paid to
>> have that bad transmission crated and shipped? That would have been
>> very disappointing.
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