Jill, What maybe happening to your trans is that the clutch hub for 3rd and 4th gear was known for cracking. When they crack they will shift around on the shaft which can lead to it popping out of 4th gear. I will gladly give you more information if you want but in a nutshell this is more than likely what is causing your problem there. As far as 2nd gear goes I suspect that these are the old style syncro rings. These rings were not the newer 'moly' coated style and can cause difficult gear engagement. Also, since you stated that a GM and not a VW dealer did the orginal rebuild they may not have installed the correct gear oil. The biggest mistake that people make is to use a petroleum based non-GL4 product. Your trans should only be filled with either the factory G50 synthetic or either Redline or Amsoil GL4. The other gear oil weights contain sulphur compounds that can react with the brass syncros and cause premature wear. Bottom line is that if your trans is popping out of 4th and is difficult to shift into 2nd then it will have to come out and be disassembled/inspected and the correct new parts installed. Keep in mind that I am diagnosising by the internet and there is a slim chance that something else could be causing your problem. (But I doubt it) Todd Hill VolksWerks Transaxles Olympia, WA |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.