the last time i dealt with taking the slave lever arm off this is how i
did it, after messing around with it quite a bit trying to massage it off.
with the trans on the bench i made a small sheet metal heat shield that
sort of slipped behind the slave arm.  in between it and the transmission
case.  i then got out the oxygen-acetylene torch and heated that slave arm
a nice dull to bright red.

that burned and melted all the cute little plastic bushings and sleeves
that the throw out bearing fork rides in.  however as i remember it the
arm came off and was saveable.  i ordered all new bushings much to the
annoyance of the FLAPS.  when you put that arm back on the shaft do
yourself a favor and put anti-seize on the shaft.  that helps it come
apart easier the next time.

jonathan

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009, mark drillock wrote:

> I live where vehicles don't rust. The notion of that lever easily
> popping off is foreign to me too. I'm sure some do but seldom the ones I
> need to remove. I have used prybars/hammers, pullers after welding on
> tabs, propane torches, sawsalls, etc.
>
> Mark
>
> Ken Wilford wrote:
>> I agree with Dylan, that shaft coming off here in the rust belt is very
>> iffy.  I have had ones not want to come off with pullers, etc and I had
>> to cut the shaft off of get it off then put a whole new actuator shaft
>> in (remove transmission).  The end of the shaft is super soft and so if
>> the arm doesn't come off easily any thing you do to it will mushroom it
>> and then the arm will never come off without more radical surgery.  I
>> wish you could just pull the clip and slide this thing off by hand.
>> Maybe out west where things aren't as rusty this is an option but not
>> where I'm at.  It is easier to undo the engine carrier and drop that
>> down an inch or two to get some room.
>>
>> Ken Wilford
>> John 3:16
>> www.vanagain.com
>>
>>
>> dylan friedman wrote:
>>> The big if is IF you can remove the clutch lever from the shaft.
>>> I am 50 50 on removing that part.
>>>
>>> dylan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: Sam Walters <syncrosam@GMAIL.COM>
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 7:27:13 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Manual trans replacement
>>>
>>> From:  "Tim King" <tking_ms@h...>
>>> Date:  Mon Oct 1, 2001  2:57 am
>>> Subject:  Re: [Syncro] Time to change out the slave
>>> cylinder...(another removal tip)
>>>
>>> ADVERTISEMENT
>>> Hey Folks, I've got a slave tip that will save you some time on this.
>>> Brent, sorry I didn't see this earlier, but just got back into the
>>> country. (Three weeks in France. Boy French vehicles have come a long
>>> way. We had a diesel Renault Laguna that was frankly sweet. Only saw
>>> about five vanagons the whole time, but many many other delivery-style
>>> vans.) Anyway, I digress...
>>>
>>> I got a tip from Daryl at AA transaxle that makes removing the slave
>>> on a syncro a snap. Basically, you just remove the slave bracket from
>>> the tranny by removing ONE snap ring then the clutch lever.
>>>
>>> 1. Move slave shaft/boot off clutch lever ball. If your slave is
>>> totally shot, you can usually just push the slave cylinder shaft/boot
>>> off the ball on the clutch lever. If it's a good slave (say you are
>>> just R and Ring the tranny), you may need to open the bleeder to make
>>> it easy to remove. Just lever it free, then let it hang free.
>>>
>>> 2. Wiggle the clutch lever off the shaft. If it's been there for a
>>> while, you may need some liquid wrench or something, but it should
>>> come off by hand.
>>>
>>> 2.5. Unbolt bracket supports and hose retainers from tranny (above CV
>>> shaft).
>>>
>>> 3. Pull the bracket and slave off as one unit.
>>>
>>> 4. Pull the unit down under the van (you put it on ramps, right?) and
>>> work on it where you have access to it from both ends and room for
>>> standard wrenches. You may need to remove a couple of the hose clamps
>>> holding the hose to your tranny to give you more slack.
>>>
>>> 5. Bolt on new unit and install in reverse.
>>>
>>> 6. Pressure bleed system and hit the road.
>>>
>>> Using this method takes about 30-40 minutes total, assuming you are
>>> using a pressure bleeder like Brent recommends.
>>>
>>> Note: I'm not sure if it's syncro specific -- I think it requires the
>>> flexible plastic fluid lines of the syncro, something my 83 vanagon
>>> was lacking.
>>>
>>> Have fun. This tip from trannyman extraordinaire Daryll at AA
>>> transaxle makes a drag of a job a LOT easier.
>>>
>>> Tim King
>>> Seattle, WA
>>> 87 Syncro Westy
>>>
>>>     ----- Original Message -----
>>>     From: Brent Christensen
>>>     To: Syncro@yahoogroups.com
>>>     Sent: Monday, October 01, 2001 5:31 AM
>>>     Subject: Re: [Syncro] Time to change out the slave cylinder...
>>>
>>>     Well, I did the nasty deed and replaced the slave cylinder
>>> yesterday morning.  Not all that bad, really.  Dr. Rainer's tip sheet
>>> (which I have left attached to this e-mail) was very helpful as a road
>>> map, but I would offer the following additional advice to anyone
>>> planning this job:
>>>
>>>     First, having a pressure bleeder made bleeding the system a
>>> 5-minute one person job.  If you don't have one already, run out and
>>> get one.  I have a unit called an "Eezi-bleed" that I bought years ago
>>> for an Austin Healey - about $30 and it is pressurized by a tire (I
>>> use a wheelbarrow tire with about 25 psi in it).  A quick search
>>> turned them up at http://www.aep.bigstep.com/Eezi.htm
>>>
>>>     Secondly, a 13 mm  "Crows foot" at the end of a long 3/8"
>>> extension worked WONDERS for removing the pesky rear bolt (the one
>>> towards the reat of the van).  Forget trying to do it with box
>>> wrenches, unless you have a "super stubby" like Snap-On makes, or you
>>> are willing to make your own by cutting it in half and grinding the
>>> stub smooth.  Another ideal tool would be a 13 mm "distributor wrench"
>>> but I was not able to find one, and don't even know if they are made
>>> in 13 mm.
>>>
>>>     Removing the Slave cylinder entirely from the topside is possible,
>>> and I would submit, easier.  In fact, if you are lucky, you could do
>>> it without ever crawling under the van at all.  The trick is to undo
>>> the banjo fitting at the slave cylinder, which is a bit tricky if you
>>> have thick fingers.  You have to force the short coolant hose back far
>>> enough so that you can back the bolt out from the banjo nut.  Be
>>> prepared, as all the fluid will then leak out from the system, which
>>> for me was nothing, since the slave had failed and dumped all its
>>> fluid already.  (Also, having a pressure bleeder, I was not worried
>>> about introducing air into the system).
>>>
>>>     The most difficult thing about reinstalling the new unit (which I
>>> did as an entire assembly - shaft, boot and cylinder) is getting the
>>> nuts started.  When you drop the slave in place, the rod rests against
>>> the clutch's throw-out arm (or whatever you want to call it).  This
>>> means that the unit wants to sit about 5 mm above its mating surface
>>> unless you apply some force, which then compresses the spring inside
>>> the cylinder (which is still empty of fluid).  Once the rear nut is
>>> started by hand (I used a 13 mm combination wrench slipped in
>>> underneath the bolt head to hold it in place, which is tricky) you can
>>> crank it down about 1/2 way by pushing the slave down against its
>>> mating surface and rotating the nut with your forefinger and middle
>>> finger.
>>>
>>>     Once the slave is secured like this, you can start the forward
>>> bolt from underneath (you have to do the rear bolt first, since the
>>> only way to put it into position from underneath is to use the hole
>>> that the slave cylinder fits into).  Start the nut by hand, then reach
>>> in with a long extension and "wobble socket" or 13mm socket on a 3/8"
>>> knuckle.  With a wobble socket, there is sufficient clearance - with a
>>> knuckle + socket it could be pretty tight.  I was able to completely
>>> tighten the forward bolt this way after reaching underneath and
>>> placing a box wrench around the head of the bolt and  resting against
>>> something.    A couple more turns on the rear bolt head with the
>>> crow's foot and the cylinder was in nice and snug.
>>>
>>>     Next comes the banjo fitting, which was surprisingly easy to get
>>> back on.  I pulled back the aforementioned hose and gently started the
>>> bolt with a couple of fingers twiddling at it until the threads
>>> caught, then tightened it down with a 17mm open end wrench.  Tightened
>>> it up and then fit a small plastic tube to the bleeder screw, running
>>> it down to an empty brake fluid can propped in the engine bay.
>>>
>>>     Next, I fitted the pressure bleeder, attached the wheel barrow
>>> tire, and then went back and opened the bleeder screw.  I stood and
>>> watched the bubbled dribble out of the system while I opened my first
>>> beer (when was the last time you did *that* while bleeding a hydraulic
>>> system?).  After a couple minutes and no more bubbles, I checked the
>>> pedal.  No pedal, so I pumped it slowly about 10 times and turned the
>>> bleeder on again by reapplying the air pressure from the tire.  About
>>> 30 seconds later another batch of bubbles came out, so I shut
>>> everything down, cleaned up, and tool it out for a test drive,
>>> everything working beautifully.
>>>
>>>     Total time for job:  About 2 hours start to finish,  not including
>>> setup and cleanup.
>>>
>>>     Brent Christensen
>>>     Santa Barbara, CA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>     >
>>>     >
>>>     >Removing the Clutch Slave Cylinder
>>>     >----------------------------------
>>>     >
>>>     >1. Even though the clutch slave cylinder is held by only two
>>> bolts, it's
>>>     > a bear to remove. First thing you should do is to apply generous
>>>     > doses of WD40 or similar to the two bolts. And since, if mounted
>>>     > correctly, the bolts are sitting there with their heads down and
>>>     > their shafts up, the best way to apply the WD40 is from the engine
>>>     > compartment. And while you are there, also remove the tiny rubber
>>>     > cap on top of the bleeding valve of the slave cylinder before it
>>>     > might get lost in the process of the removal.
>>>     >
>>>     >2. The flexible hose leading to the clutch slave cylinder is
>>> attached to
>>>     > the frame of the van by two clamps. Remove both these clamps from
>>>     > the van.
>>>     >
>>>     >3. The front bolt holding the clutch slave cylinder is best
>>> removed from
>>>     > below the van with a 13mm socket on top of a long extension
>>> while at
>>>     > the same time holding the nut with a 13mm wrench. The shorter that
>>>     > wrench, the better. The real problem, however, is the rear bolt.
>>>     > Push up the rubber boot protecting the push rod for the clutch
>>> lever
>>>     > as much as possible. This way you are then able to access both ends
>>>     > of the rear bolt from the engine bay. Sneak in a 13mm wrench in
>>>     > order to hold the head of the rear bolt and remove the nut using
>>>     > another 13mm wrench. Again, the shorter this wrench the better, and
>>>     > a flat box wrench is probably suited best, because it will fit
>>> every
>>>     > 30 degrees.
>>>     >
>>>     >4. When the two bolts are removed dive under the van again, pull the
>>>     > push rod out of the rubber boot at the lower end of the slave
>>>     > cylinder and also gently pull the rubber boot from the slave
>>>     > cylinder. If necessary use a small screw driver to convince the
>>> boot
>>>     > of letting go. Finally carefully find a path between tranny, fuel
>>>     > tank, slave cylinder mounting bracket, half axle, coolant and
>>> exhaust
>>>     > piping, and maybe some other things to bring the slave cylinder
>>> down,
>>>     > so it will hang on its hose right below the tranny.
>>>     >
>>>     >5. In order to minimize the loss of brake fluid you should now
>>> remove as
>>>     > much brake fluid from the reservoir in the instrument cluster on
>>> the
>>>     > dash as is necessary to lower the brake fluid level below the hose
>>>     > entering the reservoir from the right. This way opening the hose at
>>>     > the slave cylinder will not drain the reservoir any more.
>>>     >
>>>     >6. To disconnect the hydraulic fitting at the end of the hose
>>> from the
>>>     > slave cylinder you need something to catch the hydraulic fluid
>>> still
>>>     > in the hose, as well as a 17mm box wrench, a piece of wood, and a
>>>     > hammer. Put the box wrench on the head of the hyraulic fitting in
>>>     > such a way that wrench and slave cylinder form a rather flat
>>>     > triangle, cylinder to the left, wrench to the right, and the
>>> head of
>>>     > the hydraulic bolt pointing towards you. Place this triangle on the
>>>     > piece of wood and then carefully hammer on the eye of the wrench,
>>>     > flattening the triangle even more and thus loosening the bolt of
>>> the
>>>     > hydraulic fitting. Be prepared to catch the brake fluid which now
>>>     > starts oozing out. Remove the hydraulic fitting altogether and make
>>>     > sure not to lose the two copper washers sitting on the hydraulic
>>> bolt
>>>     > on either side of the hydraulic eye. Drain the rest of the brake
>>>     > fluid from both, the hose and the slave cylinder (push the piston
>>>     > back manually).
>>>     >
>>>     >
>>>     >The Slave Cylinder Repair Kit
>>>     >-----------------------------
>>>     >
>>>     >The slave cylinder repair kit contains
>>>     >
>>>     > - a boot for the push rod
>>>     >
>>>     > - a main seal for the piston
>>>     >
>>>     > - a cap for the bleeding valve
>>>     >
>>>     >
>>>     >
>>>     >Repairing the Clutch Slave Cylinder
>>>     >-----------------------------------
>>>     >
>>>     >1. Place the slave cylinder in a vise, bleeding valve down. As
>>> you can
>>>     > see now, the piston is retained by a circular clip sitting in a
>>> grove
>>>     > in the slave cylinder. However, that's not the regular C-clip you
>>>     > can remove with the corresponding pliers. Rather use a small screw
>>>     > driver and a hammer and drive the screw driver between circlip and
>>>     > slave cylinder at the side oposite the gap in the circlip, at the
>>>     > same time pushing the piston slightly back with one finger of the
>>>     > hand holding the screw driver. This will push one side of the
>>>     > circlip down while the other end will go up allowing you now to
>>>     > easily remove the circlip.
>>>     >
>>>     >2. Next push the piston down the slave cylinder, close the
>>> opening for
>>>     > the hydraulic fitting with your thumb, and then suddenly remove the
>>>     > thumb so the piston will shoot up and half way out of the slave
>>>     > cylinder, where you now can easily pull it out altogether. Remove
>>>     > the spring from the rear end of the piston and then remove the old
>>>     > seal by simply using a srew driver and pulling the seal over the
>>> rear
>>>     > end of the piston (it's elastic enough).
>>>     >
>>>     >3. Dry the piston as well as the inside of the slave cylinder and
>>> then
>>>     > use finest emery-cloth to remove any residues from both,
>>> cylinder and
>>>     > piston.
>>>     >
>>>     >4. Next, pull the new seal over the rear end of the piston. Mind
>>> that
>>>     > the upper and lower edges of the seal have different outer
>>> diameters.
>>>     > The greater outer diameter points to the rear end of the piston,
>>>     > where the spring is attached. Put spring and piston back into the
>>>     > slave cylinder, push the piston down a little, and insert the
>>>     > circlip.
>>>     >
>>>     >5. Now turn the slave cylinder in the vise upside down, so that the
>>>     > bleeding valve is pointing upwards. Again apply some WD40, then use
>>>     > a 7mm wrench to screw the valve entirely out of the slave cylinder.
>>>     > Clean the valve, in particular the little hole near the pointed
>>> end,
>>>     > then reassemble the valve and close it tightly.
>>>     >
>>>     >
>>>     >Installing the Clutch Slave Cylinder
>>>     >------------------------------------
>>>     >
>>>     >Basically undo all the steps you did before to remove the slave
>>> cylinder
>>>     >in reverse order. However, mind a few things:
>>>     >
>>>     > - Put one of the copper washers on the hydraulic bolt, then the
>>>     > hydraulic eye, then the other copper washer. Then screw the
>>>     > hydraulic fitting into the slave cylinder. To tighten the bolt,
>>>     > again form a flat triangle with the slave cylinder and a 17mm box
>>>     > wrench. This time, however, the box wrench is at the left side,
>>>     > the slave cylinder at the right, and the head of the hydraulic bolt
>>>     > is again facing you. The rubber boot should not yet be installed.
>>>     > Before you fasten the bolt by placing this triangle on a piece of
>>>     > wood and striking the eye of the wrench more or less gently with a
>>>     > hammer, make sure the orientaion of the hydraulic hose is roughly
>>>     > perpendicular to the slave cylinder and downward.
>>>     >
>>>     > - Top off the brake fluid reservoir in the instrument cluster and
>>>     > bleed the system. The bleeding valve is easily accessible now with
>>>     > the slave cylinder just hanging below the tranny, and you can also
>>>     > easily check for any leaks (if the slave cylinder is leaking at the
>>>     > hydraulic fitting you probably forgot to insert one of the two
>>>     > copper washers).
>>>     >
>>>     > - Install the rubber boot (but not yet the push rod) at the
>>> lower end
>>>     > of the slave cylinder and -- folding the rubber boot against the
>>>     > slave cylinder -- persuade the slave cylinder to go up above its
>>>     > mounting bracket again. Insert the rear bolt from below and screw
>>>     > on the nut a few turns only. Then insert the push rod between the
>>>     > clutch operating lever and the slave cylinder piston, press the
>>>     > slave cylinder down against its mounting bracket, insert the front
>>>     > bolt with its shaft pointing up, and screw on the nut. Fasten the
>>>     > front bolt from below using a 13mm socket on a long extension and a
>>>     > 13mm wrench to fix the bolt, then fasten the rear bolt from the
>>>     > engine bay using two 13mm wrenches. Place the rubber cap on the
>>>     > bleeding valve.
>>>     >
>>>     > - Pull the lower end of the rubber boot down the push rod until it
>>>     > sits in the small grove at the lower end of the rod. Attach the
>>>     > two clamps to the frame that are holding the flexible clutch hose.
>>>     >
>>>     > - Test the operation of the clutch: pull parking brake, put the
>>>     > tranny into first gear, step on both, the brake and the clutch
>>>     > pedal, and then start the engine.
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>