I had transmission noise on my 82, I describe the noise as "it sounds
like a transmission, only much louder".  I could hear it churning very
loudly from the driver seat.  I didnt pay much attention and drove for a
few thousand miles.  Then I changed the oil and noticed about an inch of
shavings on the drain plug.  Being concerned, I drove about another 100
miles, then changed the oil again.  The plug had already collected
another inch of shavings and I noticed much more in the oil; it had a
"metallic" look to it.  Thats when I exchanged the transmission.  The
rebuilder (Rancho Performance) described how to check the ring/pinion on
my core before shipping it to them; thats primarily what they are
interested in.  Thus; check/change your oil and dont drive it until it
fails because you could render it un-rebuildable and loose your core.

dr

amcginn@MICROWEB.COM wrote:
>    before a 2,500 mile trip there was no audible sound from the transaxle.
> but after, there was, a sort of low moan in all gears. there was fresh oil
> in the transaxle before the trip and, following the trip, a mechanic said
> the oil was still up to snuff.  the transaxle has about 25,000 miles on it
> and it took almost 10 years to register that many miles since this westy has
> sat most of the past decade. when you start hearing such sounds, are we
> looking at an inevitable breakdown or is it just, well, normal for that
> mileage?  how many miles can one reasonable expect from an '82 transaxle?
> one transmission rebuilder suggested starting with vw-brand synthetic oil to
> see if that soothes the moan. or can one reasonably just live with it? any
> thoughts appreciated. thanks. art mcginn, san fran