If you can make the gear shifter move with load in 3-4th gear then there is a pretty good chance the main shaft is moving back and forth due to a bad main bearing or the gear carrier housing is pounded out. The 3-4 gear sit on the input shaft. Now if the input shaft is moving enough, as you load either 1st or 2nd gear the angle of the gears will also move that shaft. Well, if the shaft is moving as you are trying to engage the clutch guess what, you will get a clutch shudder or chatter. If the clutch isn't slipping or badly dragging drive as is until you can deal with the transmission.

Dennis

-----Original Message----- From: Roy Nicholl [mailto:RNicholl@NBNet.nb.ca] Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 5:37 PM To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: Pending clutch replacement

Thank-you Dennis, et al.

After the first of you mentioned it, it does make more sense to remove the tranny in the vanagon - particularly given the nuisance of disconnecting the cooling system {the cooling system on my '66 is much easier to manage ;) }

There is slop in 4th gear . if you are driving along with your hand resting on the shift and take your foot off the fuel feed, the shift will move 1 - 1.5". Movement is not noticeable in any of the other gears. Perhaps I should run this a little longer and start shopping for a replacement tranny.

I will try to find a Luk clutch kit. It was mentioned in response to my question today - and I have read elsewhere - that I should use the diesel pilot/needle bearing as it removes the need for the felt seal. Does this also necessitate using a different flywheel (one without the groove for the felt seal)?

I've not seen any external signs of fluid leaks, but I presume the crank seal may be a candidate (the engine also has ~235,000 kms and the vehicle sits all winter and a fair amount last summer).

The local mechanic is up to the task - an originally factory trained VW mechanic who came to Canada in the late 60s and as been working on VWs for 50 years. I've used him for a long time. In my early air-head days he was very helpful in showing me how to do things. I'll confirm with him that he has a flywheel and clutch shaft on-hand in-case it is needed.

I'll eventually be replacing the Hyena with a diesel Atlantic or California (I've looked at 8-10 in the past couple of years, but missed the one I found that had a good good body yet) as the primary adventure vehicle. A friend of mine converted his 87 to a 2.2 Subaru engine over the winter, - it's pleasant to drive and gets better milage - so that may be the eventual fate of the Hyena. I presume, I'll want a rebuilt tranny at that time.

> On 11-May-2016, at 16:50, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote: > > On the Vanagon clutch replacement is usually done by removing the transmission. Shudders or chatters can be caused by contamination of the friction surface or pressure plate/flywheel. Since the vehicle was sitting this could include rusting. Rusting will usually wear off. Since it is a morning thing I would also be looking for fluid leaks and operation of the clutch hydraulics. > > Clutch chatter could also be caused by other things including worn transmission parts, pilot bearing, release bearing of the clutch operating arm having bad bushings or being worn flat where it contacts the back of the release bearing. Check that your choice of shop can handle any of these scenarios so you don't end up paying for trans removal twice. > > For a basic clutch job you should be looking at about 5.5 to 6.0 hours labor plus extras such as flywheel, crank seal, and those clutch shaft and operating parts repair. > > Most of the true Sachs clutches come from Mexico. The China brand clutches are bad news. I prefer the Luks myself. Success will be the details and choice of parts especially seals and the felt ring for the input shaft-pilot bearing. > > Dennis > > >> Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 13:58:12 -0300 >> From: RNicholl@NBNET.NB.CA >> Subject: Pending clutch replacement >> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM >> >> When I pulled the Hyena ('88 Westy WBX) out of storage last Saturday, I felt what I though might have been a little clutch shudder on the way home. I experienced a shudder twice more this week - first thing in the morning after the Hyena had been sitting all night. >> >> The van has ~@235K on the clock and, as far as I can tell from the records I inherited, the clutch has never been replaced. I'm guessing the actual clutch replacement is similar to my '66 Westy, but the disconnecting and reconnecting of the engine's "tethers" is a much more involved. >> >> Given my work schedule over the next month, I'm going to have to pay to have this done if I plan on being able to take the boy camping this summer - he's been playing in the Hyena every day since it came home - and that likely won't be cheap. If I'm going to shell out a very wince-able amount of cash to have the old, snarly-but-good, local guy swap the clutch, I may as well use the opportunity to upgrade to a clutch that will (should?) last longer. >> >> I looked at an OEM (Sachs) clutch kit last autumn - because it was for sale locally - but it was stamped as made in China (not Germany). I know parts quality coming out of China can be hit or miss, are the Chinese Sachs bits of the same calibre as those made at home (Germany)? I have yet to find a Canadian supplier of the Luks clutch kit {I've read there are two Luk clutches - a "regular" one and a "heavier" one intended for syncros?} or a Kennedy replacement clutch. >> >> Are there other candidates I should consider?