Thanks Shawn.  darryl also believes that the longer I wait the worse,
which only makes sense.  i guess those purdy alloys will have to
wait...

Steve

>On 1 Jan 2070 at 23:46, Stephen Edwards <welfarewrkr@IGC.ORG> wrote:
>
>  > I suspect that the "new" 91 GL 4-speed I just picked up needs a
>  > transmission.  It runs very nicely but there is that whine that is
>  > noticeable as you go up through the gears; also there is very little
>  > travel on the clutch, suggesting that it's a long time since that was
>  > done  (the clutch is also very heavy to operate, not sure what that
>  > means), and - most strangely of all - it seems to be quite possible
>  > to shift into reverse when you meant to go from third into second.
>
>The reverse issue could be just a linkage adjustment.
>As for the whining, I drove my '88 for a few years with this noise.
>When I switched to Redline MTL, the noise became more apparent due
>to thinner oil (but it shifted better!). After maybe 25k kms, I was
>worried enough that I took it in and had the transmission opened up.
>All the bearings were replaced, but I recall the big mainshaft
>bearing as the one responsible for the noise (it's the most
>expensive one). A year and only 10k kms later, my ring and pinion
>starting making noise. I took it back to the same shop, and finally
>negotiated replacement for parts only, since I thought if the R&P
>was due to fail, they should have known 10k kms earlier. (Either
>that, or something they did caused it to fail, I don't know which).
>In any case, I now have my suspicions that driving it with a noisy
>bearing(s) for seveal years may be contributed to the R&P failure
>due to metal particles in the oil. I also wonder about the Redline
>MTL, since many say that MT90 should be used, even though MTL does
>meet the spec (it is 70W80, MT90 is 75W90, the spec is 80W *or*
>80W90, so it is not really clear. I plan to use MT90 from now on.)
>In any case, if you are concerned, I would drain the oil and see how
>much metal is on the drain plug magnet. Keep the oil and let is
>settle for a week or more, then pour off to another container and
>examine the sediment left behind. Not knowing how old the oil is,
>this may not tell you much, but it could also say a lot if there is
>a ton of particles on the magnet. (the sediment will be non-magnetic
>stuff from the syncros mostly). If the magetic particles are large
>flakes, then I would be concerned - this is what I saw when my R&P
>failed - metal was flaking off the faces of the gears.
>Also, if you plan to keep the van, you should probably deal with it
>sooner rather than later, as it won't go away - ie: at least take it
>to a reputable shop for an opinion.
>I'm sure others, like Darryl at AA Transaxle, can give you more
>technical advice, this is just based on my experiences, which are
>pretty limited compared to others here... :-)
>
>
>--
>Shawn Wright
>I.T. Manager
>Shawnigan Lake School