Date:         Fri, 20 Aug 1999 03:15:55 -0700
Reply-To:     Otmar Ebenhoech <Otmar@EVCL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Otmar Ebenhoech <Otmar@EVCL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Replaced Diesel Engine with Honda Civic
Comments: To: Javier Saenz <gordita70@HOTMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <19990820061717.45104.qmail@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 11:17 PM -0700 8/19/99, Javier Saenz wrote:
>Hello fellow list people,
>
>    My diesel in the new camper that I bought broke.  In search for another
>engine I found another Vanagon that had been converted to a Honda Civic car
>engine.  It looked to be in good shape but was sitting on the ground in the
>wrecking yard.
>    I was able to purchase the motor and adapters for a fair price and put
>them into my camper.  However my friends I am having one major problem.
>    I go to do my first test drive and the camper goes BACKWARDS in all the
>gears but R.  And goes forward in R.  What did I do wrong?
>   Is there anyting I can do without pulling the motor out again?  Do I just
>get some big mirrors and put red light where the headlight is and some big
>lights on the back and drive it this way?

Go get the transmission out of that same Vanagon!
Somehow they've managed to flip the ring gear in it.
It's well known that Honda engines turn backwards.  I didn't know there was
room to flip the ring gear in a 091 tranny, then again, maybe that its why
it was at the wreckers. Otherwise, The Porsche 914 tranny turns that way
and may work just fine.
No matter what you do you will be loading all the grears and thrust
bearings the wrong way, but it's been done in old bug trannys a lot with
good results.

 -Otmar-
82/86 Stretch Vanagon Westfalia Syncro GTI. "Power of two"
http://www.evcl.com/strvan/strvan.html
Several EVs (Electric Vehicles)
Electric Vehicle Components Ltd. (650) 494-9255