Another thing that is cheaper than rebuilding your
tranny, is RedLine MTL.  I used it in my Scirocco that
was crunching through the gears, and while the
shifting isn't perfect, at least it's not painful.
Maybe get you another 20-30K down the road before the
rebuild...

I'd do the linkage first tho.... Replace all the poly
/ plastic and rubber, lube thoroughly, align it...
that fixed a problem I had with the tranny violently
disengaging from first gear under load.

My .03 (inflation doncha know)

--- Ed Carroll <ecarroll@MAINE.RR.COM> wrote:
> Jamie -- Your thoughts on the shift linkage are
> right on in  my experience.
> Not that they're certainly the cause, but for the
> labor, you may be able to
> avoid the expensive parts solutions; that is, the
> linkages are a good place
> to start. Check not just the connections and good
> lubrication, but check the
> bushings where the shift rod passes through the
> frame member. If you have a
> good manual, check every linkage illustration
> against the actual hardware
> setup on your van.
>
> Here's the basic thought to keep in mind: Your shift
> lever travels through
> maybe 6 to 8 inches, the actual working end beneath
> the floor moves much
> less; this smaller motion is transferred to a
> four-foot-long steel rod,
> which then actuates (I believe) an even smaller
> range of travel at the
> transmission. It doesn't take much going out of
> whack before the shift lever
> simply isn't putting the shift fork at the
> transmission in the right places.
>
> Unless you can convince yourself that the problem
> lies within the
> transmission, I think it's worth the work even to
> tear down the linkage,
> clean it up, re-install and adjust it; you would do
> much of that with a
> new/rebuilt tranny project anyway.
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> Ed Carroll
> 87 Weekender
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jamie Ayotte"
> <jayotte@DESTEFANOARCHITECTS.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 3:49 PM
> Subject: tough shifting... pilot bearing?
>
>
> > hi.  this is three days in a row that i have
> posted questions to you
> all...
> > and here's another:  after researching the
> archives i've come up with a
> > conclusion that scares me.  i've always worked on
> my own cars and
> vehicles,
> > but never anything that seems so involved as
> dropping a transmission...
> > now, the problem is that i have tght, loud
> shifting in all gears.  by loud
> i
> > mean that it sounds like the shifter is just
> rubbing metal on metal- in
> > other words, it doesn't seem to be internal- now,
> does anyone think that
> the
> > problem could be as simple as getting under the
> van and greasing the sh*t
> > out of everything connected to the shifter... OR
> am i gonna have to cry
> > myself to sleep tonight trying to muster up the
> cohones to drop the
> > transmission?  also, when i do drop it, what else
> should i change?  as i
> > don't think i will want to do that again for a
> while?
> >
> > thanks,
> >
> > jamie
> >
> > 86 westy
> > 78 vespa
> > 98 golden retreiver- syd (who is my second set of
> hands on this one)
> >

=====
Mark
84 Rocco
87 Westfalia
96 Rockhopper Comp (commuter)
98 Yeti AS-R XC (freeride)
01 Schwinn Fastback Ltd (in progress)
http://student.fortlewis.edu/~mwmages

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