Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 16:15:10 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Auto Transmission advice
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It's not hard to change ..
about like replacing an engine..
you need at least a good floor jack, jack stands, and a smooth hard flat
floor to work on.
you might also just contract with some local shop to R & R yourtrans ..
it's perhaps a couple hours or a little more to remove it ..
like 3 hrs max for someone who knows what they are doing ..
and about that to install the new one back in.
Though what I find is that projects expand , if you are really trying to
actually take good care of the vanagon ..
you notice the inner CV joints are dry and don't have enough grease in them
..so you gotta do that ..
and if you did that, you wonder about the outer CV joints that havn't been
thought about in years and years ...and ..
oh look..that original throttle cable is lookin' might tired ....really
should have one of those too ..
and so on.
btw ..
there is a ball pivot at the aft end of the throttle cable ..
it's at the top of a lever on the side of the trans..
way up in there where you can barely see it ..
if that ball pivot rusts so it can't pivot..
I beleive that can affect shifting.
no one even knows about that spot in 'regular shops' as far as I know ..
I'd sure be checking that if I were you.
also ...to really be able to care for and understand your vanagon ..
you or someone has to be able to really get under it properly ..
like up high enough of solid jackstands or on a lift ..
you can't really care , fix, or understand them well without gettting them
off the ground for many serivce inspecions and operations. If you don't
get it off the ground ..you can only access about half the areas that need
care and understanding and service.
and sadly ...most vanagons are not really serived , lubed, and adjusted.
People can go to shops, and spend big bucks on new engines, clutches,
starters, CV joints etc. etc. etc. ..
but nobody is going to really dig in an fuss over minor things that make a
huge difference ..
like say...on a manual trans vanagon ....bleeding in new clutch hydraulic
fluid..lubing the pivot point on the clutch pedal that's hidden up in there,
and is a bare metal-to-metal pivot point , that wears if not given some
attention ..
as far as I know there isn't anyone to do a myriad of very affective small
things like that ..unless it's you the owner, or me ..
shops can't ...they are not smart enough to do many small serivce items like
that. There are dozens of places that could benefit from simple caring
attention ..that will greatly benefit any vanagon.
and you can't just leave ATF in an auto trans forever ..
some servicing needs to be done.
there is also a seperate area for the differential .someone needs to get
under there and check the differential gear oil now and then.
Fixing a vanagon when it breaks is a horrible way to take care of it.
and guess what ..if someone actually really took care of a vanagon ..not
many things on it will break , or very, very seldomly.
They are not 'service-free' vehicles. They benefit greatly from smart,
careful , attention to details. The typical vanagon to me, needs about 300
spots lubricated on it...many of which have never been done since they built
it in Germany. Durn shame...it's so rewarding to give a moving part a shot
of spray lube and see it smoother and better than it's been in years.
Many people only just drive their own vanagon ..so they have no idea how
stiff the shift linkage is,
for example. There's lots of that ...things that need attention and the
owner/operator does't realize it.
And you can not count of most shops to fuss over those little things for
you. It's well outside of their ken, but vanagons love that kind of
detailed attention. Most really are just parts changers ..
not 'fine tuners and artists' at this. I just want to see these fine
vehclies be all that they can be, and be safe and rewarding to drive, and
reliable and long lasting for their owners.......is where I'm coming from.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Lapp" <carrothospital@GOOGLEMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: Auto Transmission advice
> Thanks for all the advice, guys. I'll have to look up the procedure on
> replacing it. I've barely touched the trans on this thing. I'm going to
> try
> to ride this old trans out a little longer, since it only feels like it's
> just starting to go. We'll see how long I can make it...
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 5:06 PM, Jack R. <jack007@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> And, make sure you check the fluid level after driving it 100 miles or
>> so!
>> Do not overfill!
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>> Of
>> Roger VanTill
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 4:46 PM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: Auto Transmission advice
>>
>> Get a rebuilt from German Transaxle and swap them out. Easily done on a
>> weekend. No more worries.
>>
>> On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 2:40 PM, Peter Lapp
>> <carrothospital@googlemail.com>wrote:
>>
>> > All,
>> >
>> > I think it may be about that time to start being concerned about my
>> > transmission. I've had a small leak in it for a while that I keep an
>> > eye
>> on
>> > and refill when needed. It would usually start slipping once it got
>> > low,
>> > but
>> > now it seems like sometimes it slips when the level is fine. Could this
>> be
>> > a
>> > sign of needing a rebuild?
>> >
>> > I was considering buying another auto trans, replacing my current, and
>> then
>> > selling the old one. Since my van is my only vehicle, I can't afford to
>> go
>> > without it for the time it would take to have my current one rebuilt.
>> >
>> > Do you guys have any suggestions on what to do, and maybe where to find
>> > a
>> > not-so-expensive auto trans? I'm not even sure of things to watch out
>> > for
>> > when browsing ads, so any tips would be great. I think I still have
>> > some
>> > time left on it, but we'll see.
>> >
>> > Oh, and the trans has about 130k on it.
>> >
>> > Thanks!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Peter
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Peace out, sauerkraut.
>> Roger
>>
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