I've also had the nut that holds the linkage to the tranny on the other end
of the shift mechanism come loose.  Also had the bolts that hold the
injector pump bracket to the block come loose.

Bottom line - I don't think there's any bolt on a diesel Vanagon that can't
rattle loose - especially over the course of 20+ years!!

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
Shawn Wright
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2005 8:40 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Stupid shifter tricks...

I decided to take our new '82 Diesel Westy on a more challenging test run
today, before heading out in a few weeks, so I chose the local mountain
viewpoint, a steep 7km gravel climb. The shifter had been acting a bit
strange on the last drive, requiring a push down to get into 1st. I made a
mental note to fix that before the trip. Nearing the top of the hill, the
shifter
got really strange, requiring a push down for 1st and 2nd. At the last and
steepest climb, I couldn't pull it in 2nd, so I went for 1st, and smashed my
hand into the dash as the shifter either broke or came detached. I was half
way up, and a truck was coming down at me... so I rolled all the way back
down.

Dropped the spare and found the bushing/bolt sitting on top of it. Now I
know where the mystery nut I found on top of the spare last week came
from! I had to get my daughter to wiggle the shifter while I felt around for
the hole, and jammed the bolt back in. Then I managed to find a spare nut
to fit and put it on finger tight. It made it to the top and back, but I
need to
check if the nylon bushings shown in Bentley are still there. I suspect they
fell out on the road.

So if your shifter starts to feel weird all of a sudden, don't ignore it, or
you
may be in for a surprise!

ps: The van did well otherwise, temp climbed to about 2/3 gauge from the
normal 1/2 way mark, but stayed there after 10-15 minutes of steady 2nd
gear climbing.

Shawn Wright
http://zuiko.sls.bc.ca/~swright
'85 Jetta TD (retired)
'85 Jetta D
'88 Westy 2.1L
'82 Diesel Westy