Huh. that is great news, it makes me suspect that the noise may be coming
from my cv joints. the axles don't feel loose, but they were visibly worn
last time i serviced them, which was before driving from florida to alaska,
so they were on my short list anyway. what does it usually sound like when
they start to go?

-bob

On Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 7:06 PM, Daryl Christensen <daryl@aatransaxle.com>wrote:

> That little piece is half of a shift fork guide...The fork rides in several
> of those widgets and have 4 little bearings in each. Usually means a slider
> is hanging up and stressing the fork and its guides..May just be a bad
> guide
> too, as they do crack and can spit out a piece without any other issue.
> Not good, but not horrible as far as trannies go.
> The noise is of more concern as a bad bearing takes other expensive parts
> with it..Can you say ring & pinion And big dollars in the same sentence??
> Takes some special tools to do one of them there buggers, so beware of
> anyone without them diving in...
> Daryl of AA Transaxle
> 425-788-4070
> "On the cutting edge of Old technology"
> 86 Syncro Westy with a Zetec in the trunk
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Robert Downes
> Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 2:24 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: 5sp trans woes
>
> so, i started hearing a hum that got louder as my speed increases, and then
> gets quieter around 45mph. i thought maybe my CV joints had reached a
> breaking point? hoped that my transmission, which was rebuilt not toooo
> long
> ago by a PO, did not decide to spontaneously bust itself. i decided to
> change the trans fluid, and when i took out the magnetic plug...there's a
> piece of stamped metal and a single ball bearing stuck to it. the ball
> bearing was maybe 4mm,here is a picture of the metal
> piece<http://imgur.com/V15Vi.jpg>.
> i could not identify which bearing this might be from in the bentley
> diagram. the van still runs fine, just makes noise. do i need to tear the
> thing apart? i'm in Alaska for the summer, and if this is going to have to
> be done, i should probably do it pretty soon, but if i can make it south to
> civilization this fall on what i've got, i'm sure i'd end up saving some
> precious summer work dollars.
>
> basically, i've been trying to drive it alot to see if i can make it fail.
> i
> work for a tour boat company and i could probably talk our mechanic into
> helping me tear it apart, he's familiar with vanagons...what do you guys
> think?  what is the best source in the northwest for parts? tell me what i
> need to hear, list.
>
> thanks in advance
> -bob
>
> PS, while this message was pending, i've learned that this transmission is
> somewhat rare, the code is DX, it's the 5 speed diesel trans.
>
>