I developed a problem over the winter with the rear of the westy being
covered with oil with what appeared to be a corresponding drop in engine oil
level.  I kept the engine oil topped up, but, at highway speeds especially,
the oil mist to the rear must've been nasty for tailgaters.  I had a
shuddering clutch when I bought the van but the clutch didn't slip any until
after the oil leak showed up.  Then it only slipped when under greater than
normal load.

Anyway, I found an oily mess in the clutch housing ... but not on the engine
side of the flywheel where I expected to see it.  The transmission's
mainshaft is badly scored where it rides in the pilot bearing and I'll be
replacing the shaft and seal.

All but one of the flywheel bolts came out without a problem, but one was
really buggered up to start with (looks like someone tried to remove it and
gave up).  No way was an Allen driver going to grab in this one.  Well, a
Craftsman "Bolt Out" #12 did the trick.  By the way, instead of a flywheel
lock, I just inserted a Phillips head screwdriver through one of the
pressure plate holes ... through the hole in the engine case and it did the
job nicely.

I found the pilot bearing to be intact.  All the rollers were in place but
not well lubricated.  The felt washer and its retainer were missing which
brings me to a question.

Can a felt washer be fabricated to do the job of the original?

Thanks,

Mike
Houlton, Maine
'85 Westy 4 spd
'84 7 pass auto