Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:39:37 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: hard shifting question
In-Reply-To: <698001.91341.qm@web35601.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Your problem may not be in the transmission or the clutch system at all.
You may have mechanical shifter linkage problems. I have been through
some of this, and ultimately rebuilt the entire linkage system from the
front to back. It made an enormous difference. Personally, if there
are any shifting problems and the shifting system has never been rebuilt
- I would recommend doing so. Then, if you ever have any more problems,
you know most assuredly that they are internal - clutch and/or
transmission related - something that requires a pretty significant bit
of labor to R&R. To completely rebuild the external shifting system from
front to rear is not that expensive, and boy does it make a difference.
After my tranny seemingly locked up in reverse, and cost me doing an art
show that I had prepaid all my non-refundable entry fees for - I decided
to rebuild my system on my 88GL. It was worth every nickel - and it
demonstrated it was not the transmission itself causing the problem.
A note on maintenance - there is a lot of talk about fractious these
vans are with mechanical problems. They are often allowed to be run down
by the PO and never get the right maintenance. The result - any new
owner gets a vehicle that seemly breaks down every few miles
(facetious). Truth be told, these van's are very reliable - IF you get
ahead on preventive maintenance and stay that way with the van. They
are old - the newest - 1991 models - are now 19 years old or 20 years -
depending on how you count Vanagon age - and they have wear and tear.
But nearly all the parts that could break and leave you on the side of
the road at midnight on a dark and stormy night halfway between
Somewhere, USA and Nowhere, USA - can be replaced with new or
re-manufactured parts - and if that is done over time and timely - these
vans will run pretty nigh on forever with little trouble. My current van
- a 1988 GL - I got in 1997. Over time, I have rebuilt it from front to
rear - externally, ie, everything underneath including the engine. Only
twice has it left me stranded. Once was a biggie - the engine blew up
requiring a new engine, and once I got an oil pressure warning light -
and it turned out to be a belt broke and it hit the oil pressure switch
by the crankshaft main pulley and broke it. I didn't figure out what the
problem was until I got it home on a tow truck. The rest to the problems
gave me fair warning in advance and they were taken care of. So, the
vans are reliable. Just take care of them and fix stuff as soon as you
get symptoms. That way you don't get stranded. They are after all - just
machines - but machines with soul.
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
most david wrote:
> Hi all. I haven't posted for a while, as my vanagon's been trouble free. I'm a little concerned about a hard shifting condition that appeared suddenly yesterday with my '87 (manual trans, 197K miles). Here are the symptoms:
>
> 1. By hard shifting, I mean that the stick feels hard to move into all gears. While shifting has never been a one finger deal (like in some small cars that I've tried), it's noticeably harder than it was the last time I drove. It can feel quite a bit harder to shift when very cold outside, and it had been sitting for a few days, but the temperature yesterday was at least 40 degrees.
>
> 2. Though it feels hard to shift in all gears, there are no unusual noises or performance issues when driving. The clutch feels good (slave cylinder replaced recently).
>
> 3. The hard shifting can be felt with the engine off as well as on (moving or still moving through the gears).
>
> The clutch has around 15,000 miles on it. I've had the vanagon for 40,000 miles and 10 years, and the tranny fluid has never been changed. While it may not be relevant, a couple of days after the new clutch slave cylinder was installed, I noticed dripping on the ground in that vicinity. My mechanic said that, coincidentally, a leak had developed at the rear main seal.
>
> Given these symptoms, do y'all have any suggestions regarding what to do/check? I recognize that changing the tranny fluid might be a good idea in any case (and current thinking on fluid choice - traditional versus Redline, for example, would be very helpful for me), I'm thinking that old fluid wouldn't be the source of the rather sudden problem that I'm describing, though I'd love to be wrong. I've searched the archives a bit (and I've been on this list since 1995!), but I don't recognize this particular symptom. I've had clutch parts go bad with other symptoms. I've heard of 3/4 problems and problems with shifting only while driving/engine on.
>
> Thank you all for any suggestions.
>
> David
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