Hi Ken,
If you don't get her going, send me a p-mail.
I've got a good use auto tranny
I can let go reasonably.
best,
John

-------------- Original message --------------
From: aatransaxle <daryl@AATRANSAXLE.COM>

> If I bemember correctly from 10 yrs ago...there is a plunger unit that sits
> right above the valve body...If that fails, all the van will do is lock up
> in Rev..or feel like it because the plunger (can't think of its real name)
> holds pressure to keep the Rev clutch pack disengaged. If it leaks, the van
> will feel like its trying to go into rev all the time.
> I know this info is scetchy, but it is a very easy fix if thats the case..
> Daryl of AA Transaxle
> (425) 788-4070
> aatransaxle.com
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stuart MacMillan"
> To:
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:49 PM
> Subject: Re: Replaced auto tranny doesn't work. Advice needed!
>
>
> > Ken,
> >
> > It's toast. Slippin' & slidin' is the end, and usually it's reverse that
> > goes first since it is the lowest gear and demands the most from the
> > clutches and the highest pressure from the pump. You can either take it to
> > a
> > transmission shop (www.german-transaxle.com is a good one), or have the
> > kids
> > rebuild it, if the instructor is willing to tackle that. You will need to
> > buy them the parts and a Bentley manual. They will have two junk boxes to
> > work with and could maybe get one working unit out of them for you!
> >
> > Stuart
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> > Ken Taylor
> > Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:14 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Replaced auto tranny doesn't work. Advice needed!
> >
> > After my 1990 Vanagon Multivan sat unused for about a year because of an
> > automatic transmission failure, I finally found someone in my area with a
> > used auto tranny from an '86 Westy for sale. The auto shop at the high
> > school where I teach installed it for me under the guidance of the auto
> > shop
> > instructor, who is a former VW mechanic.
> >
> > Sadly, it's still not usable. Now, when I put it in reverse, it feels as
> > if
> > I'm trying to back over an enormous speed bump. It backs up very
> > slightly,
> > but stops, seemingly as if it's trying to back over something far too
> > steep.
> > Yet, if I put it in reverse and don't apply pressure on the gas pedal, it
> > will roll backward slowly but freely.
> >
> > The former owner of the transmission, who has since moved out of the area
> > (meaning that I'm on my own with this problem), seemed like an honest
> > young
> > man who claimed that it came from a Vanagon that he owned and that it had
> > worked fine when he removed it.
> >
> >
> > Could there be another explanation other than the transmission not working
> > correctly when I purchased it? What would be a next step in diagnosing
> > the
> > problem?
> >
> > Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.
> >
> > Ken
> > Western Washington