Posting this in case someone out there is having similar issues:

Replaced my front manual transmission mount on my '88 Wolfsburg this Friday, about a 10 minute job....but with the results I'm seeing, I'd have gladly spent 5-6 hours! I feel like I'm driving some sort of sports car (though I still drive like a grandpa - hey...I drive a Vanagon and a 300D...what do you expect?)

Wow, if any other relative-newbies out there (like me) are having shift problems that seem to be OK when you first start out in the van, and then get bad after driving a few miles - take a minute and at least look at the front transmission mount to see what shape the rubber's in. I didn't really think to look at it, but discovered it last week. 

I think what was happening is that my transmission would essentially settle into the correct alignment over night so shifting out of the driveway was great. Then, after a few miles of stop and go, it would wiggle out of position. I would notice that when I let the clutch out, the shifter would kick back a bit - same thing if I gave it a little gas, or even took my foot off the gas. That should have been an instant clue, but I was looking more at the transmission to engine connection and completely overlooked the front mount.

The rubber meets at 3 points on the mount - 2 of my points were severely cracked...the third showed a 1/4" gap!

Great timing too! We're heading on our first long family trip in the van this Friday - Bozeman, MT to Los Gatos, CA - I would have hated to make the wife, kids, and dog push/pull the van into the station had the transmission ripped loose completely.

-Ben

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