So here I am. First time removing a Vanagon tranny.

At one point in my life, I did my own work maintaining
my cars, learning and living the whole time, but it
has been a long time since then. Now I have to wonder
if I should be doing this....... ;)

Inbetween helping bro with renos on new place and
waiting for parts for clutch housing, I manage to
rebuild my clutch housing and perform various other
work on my van. No real issues except for tapping new
threads for pivot bolt. So now it's time to get the
tranny back in.

Cut to.....

Me. On my back or side, uttering cursory curses under
my breath (children within earshot) while wrestling
tranny onto jack in a confined space. Finally I
balance that act, and launch into a highly modified
Jane Fonda/Suzanne Sommers Thigh Master workout,
trying to guide the tranny while pumping up floor jack
with right leg. Quickly I give up quiet cursing and
use my "OUTSIDE VOICE" to cuss (children will learn
those words some day....), manage to get tranny onto
engine, put on a couple bolts, and bolt the forward
tranny mount to frame. Now comes the funny part. Har
har har!

Prior to doing all this, I questioned whether or not
there were washers on bolts holding clutch assembly
onto flywheel. "Well of course there are" I thought.
So I look at the Haynes manual..... no washers shown.
"huh" ...... "ok". No washers with bolts in parts
tray. So on goes clutch assembly and tranny.

Then, while cleaning up/hiding tools in van, I find
one of my parts containers which amongst other things
contains 6 washers. &!!#$%!!!!!! ...... "flip flip"
through Bentley....... $$#!@*&!!! You know the rest.

Lessons learned? Consult more than one manual if
available. Keep related parts with each other. Trust
your instincts/memory. i.e. at the time, I remembered
using washers on various cars for clutches. Why not on
a Vanagon?? Now I have to get back under, do the
modified work out, twice, and try not to scare people
with my tranny tourrette tantrum.

The upside? Well at least I realized there were
washers missing. Even with Loctite, those bolts may
not have stayed in ...... yeesh.

Cheers,

Neil Nicholson.
1981 Air Cooled Westfalia.

http://web.mac.com/tubaneil

TUBA TUNE OF THE DAY!

http://web.mac.com/tubaneil/iWeb/Site%205/Tuba%20tune.html

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