I do not agree about your r&p failure. I'd say the cause of your r&p
failure was incorrect pinion depth or (More likely) backlash after
replacing the bearings. Did you re- set the depth with a pinion  depth
setter? The book says you need to I never have, but do set the backlash
and check for contact pattern.
I would concurr about the syncro scratching that Greg is experiencing..
Synthetic oil and careful speed matching whil shifting will make the
grinding much less. It will last that way for a VERY long time if you
are gentle with  shifting.

Al Brase

Shawn Wright wrote:

>On 1 Apr 2005 at 21:20, greg crone <l_levi1@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>
>
>
>>I've got an 85 westy that has a slight grind when
>>going from first to second. If I wait 2 or 3 seconds
>>it doesn't happen...only if I try to shift right away.
>>Is this the onset of the fabled vanagon syndrome?
>>
>>
>
>No, just standard 2nd gear syncros wearing out, very common on any manual trans.
>Drain the oil, and get 3-4 qts of Redline MT90. It will make a difference, possibly
>enough that you can go for years more before needing to rebuild. However, if you
>find large chunks of metal on the magnet, as opposed to fine metal powder, then you
>may want to consider a rebuild sooner. My ring & pinion failed soon after I replaced
>all the bearings in the transmission. I suspect all the metal from failed bearings (slow
>failure over several years) accelerated wear on the highly stressed ring and pinion.
>
>My '85 Jetta trans ground 2nd gear at 200k. I switched to Redline, and it still shifted
>great at 480k! I have tried many other gear lubes, and Redline is by far the best.
>Shawn Wright
>http://zuiko.sls.bc.ca/~swright
>'85 Jetta D
>'88 Westy 2.1L, soon to be 1.6TD 5 speed
>'82 Diesel Westy
>
>
>