Date:         Thu, 11 Apr 1996 09:20:28 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Alan Yamada <AYAMADA@nwtel.ca>
Subject:      more '84 vanagon questions (long)

it's me again...
thanks for all the info on the '84 transmission, i'm a little leary of
taking the whole transmission apart, looks REAL simple in the Bently 
manual, but, hmm, some little voice keeps telling me not to mess with
it.

RE. Tim Smith's words on the 091 and the 091/1
i'm not sure which one i've got. it LOOKs like the 091/1, in that the 
selector shaft is removed by taking off the cover on the driver side, and
sliding the thing out (after removing the linkage)

i'm aware of the dates of manufacture, but the PO had some work done:
the engine was "rebuilt" at about 150,000km because the accelerator pedel
stuck at full throttle, and the engine seized after the person driving
watched the temperature gauge hit the ceiling. (the van was in neutral, and
not going anywhere) or at least that's the story the PO gave me (or course,
it wasn't him that killed the first engine, i think he said it was his wife)
SO, if i look at the engine, it looks like the '84 (the difigant?), but the
engine code on the block is an "MV..." which is the 2.1l engine of the 
'85 (dijet?)...

first question: does the 1.9l engine fuel injection and computer work with
                the 2.1l engine? ("work" being a relative term)
second question: does the 2.1l engine work with the transmission from the
                 1.9l engine ("work" being, you get the idea)
third question: has anyone tried shipping a transmission from california
                to the yukon (Canada)?

after i get over the phobia that touching the van will result in a $2000
part spontaniously breaking, i will scrape the goo (hypoid oil + road dirt)
off the transmission so i can read the codes...

read on for more good humour

this reminds me of the time that my front heater core was leaking, so i
started tearing the thing apart, following the Bently manual the whole
time, until i got to the part that said something like:
"drill out the shear bolts on the steering column..."
those things are so you don't get impailed when you are driving sooo fast in
you Westfalia, that you rear end something.
so i look at the shear bolts and think, hmmm, if there was ever a time i
should get a profeshunal to fix this thing, it must be now.
man was THAT expensive, had to remove the WHOLE van interior (slight 
exageration) to get to the heater core!!!