check the magnetic drain plug and see how much metal is on it.......
 ( a half inch diameter ball of fine metal particles is normal actually )
Once in a while you'll see a tiny piece of gear tooth......
I had one, high miles working 4 speed........I removed the magnetic drain
plug,  it had lots on it........
I put it back in, and it grabbed another spoonful of metal pieces !
350K kilometers is over 200,000 miles.
Perhaps rebuild it before it's too late ?
I recently send an 87 4 speed in for rebuilding.
it worked well but was noisy in all gears.
they gave me 150 bucks or so core credit for it - said it was unrebuildable.
so..........maybe it's time for a good used one for you.

you converted an air-cooled van .........got the DK trans in it that's stock
?
I had one of those laying around I grabbed for 100 bucks in a pick n pull
junk yard, or maybe it was 50 bucks.......
it was noisy but worked ok........but made noises.
I think I got 250 bucks core credit out of it.
Not every tired vanagon transaxle is rebuildble. I'm hearing about a lot of
shot ring and pinions.
there's not a lot you can do for a tired transaxle,
except change the gear oil, drive it nicely, keep linkage lubed and
adjusted,
or replace it, or rebuild it.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "neil N" <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 10:33 AM
Subject: "Clucking" noise from Tranny?

> Hi all.
>
> This is for a stock air cooled tranny likely with high KM's (nothing
> in PO's receipts about it). Maybe 350K + KM"s? I have to take time
> putting it in reverse, (I may need to bleed clutch) but otherwise
> tranny drives fine.
>
> With a quieter engine, I now hear a noise coming from the tranny.
> Likely a noise that's been happening for a while.
>
> When I gear down to 2nd at slower speeds, I hear a soft "cluck cluck
> cluck" etc. Not a hard noise but a soft "clucking". Pretty sure it
> happens in all forward gears and is relative to engine RPM's.
>
> New CV's and rebuilt clutch housing have less than 20K KM's on them.
> Clutch/pilot/flywheel are new.
>
> Any thoughts as to what this sound is from? (i.e. what to anticipate
> failing in tranny)
>
> Thanks for any insights,
>
> Neil.
>
> --
> Neil Nicholson '81 JettaWesty "Jaco
> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
> http://web.mac.com/tubaneil
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/