I've got a couple questions here = about my 85 GL's transaxle. I may be looking into rebuilding my tranny in the = next year or so, and my only indication is that it tends to crunch, grind, or = thunk into second gear, and some times I almost have to force it into = second. Other times it works perfect. It usually does this when cold, but = even after it has had a chance to warm the tranny fluid, it will still grind = in every now and then. How easy is it for somebody to rebuild this = transaxle? Do I need a Bently or a Haynes to do this? If so, where can I buy one? I do have a bit of wrench turning experience on marine = diesels. How much am I looking at for a typical rebuild? Also, I think that = I am still running the factory clutch @ 130k mi (still seems strong though, = no creep with the clutch pedal down, and no slippage with my foot off of the clutch). How many miles can one expect out of these, and how much = to replace/ rebuild one of these? Any tips? I was also thinking = that if I was to rebuild the tranny, why not throw a locker out of a Synchro = into my diff. Can this be done? Even though my van is 2wd, I still = like going off road.

-Aaron Mckay

&nbs= p; = ; mckayaa@oit.edu
= &= nbsp; &n= bsp; college student in mechanical

&nbs= p; = ; engineering at Oregon Institute of Technology
= ; = '85 vanagon GL

PS: This old girl of mine has left = me stranded three times since I bought it from the original owner just over a year = ago (blown water hose, bad half shaft, battery problems). I lucked out = all three times, because I was just a few miles from home. Now that my = commute home is 266 mi, I don't look forward to that happening again, so I am = starting to subscribe to the preventative maitenence philosophy.