Testing this morning after overnight about 60 degrees outside.  Start
it up and it will immediately engage reverse but nothing happens when
shifting into D, 2 or 1.  Let it idle in P and tried D every 30
seconds.  At 2 and a half minutes it engaged D, and immediately drove
fine.  It does seem like a valve or something is sticking when cold
and once it starts moving it works properly.

Edward

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
>Edward Maglott
>Sent: Saturday, September 11, 2010 10:40 AM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: semi-urgent auto transmission question
>
>Got my 86 van back a week or so ago after a transmission rebuild that
>has been a saga.  I will cover that in more detail at some
>point.  The short version is that the rebuilder had the van twice,
>and for a long time both times.
>
>When I got it back a week ago the trans was working better than I've
>ever experienced in a vanagon.  But then I've only had basically worn
>out transmissions in mine.  So over the 100 miles or so I've driven
>it since I got it back, it has developed a problem when cold.  Today
>I start the van, let it idle about a minute and back up my driveway,
>which is uphill.  Fine.  Put it in D and hear/feel nothing.  Step on
>the gas and it revs freely up to about 2500 then the van takes off
>with a thud.  For about the first block, it felt like it was maybe
>slipping or was in 2nd gear instead of 1st.  After that it drove
>normally, but the shift points seemed a little lower than before.
>
>I think this symptom has to do with the trans not properly developing
>pressure when cold?  I've had the slipping in R when cold symptom
>before this rebuild so I'm a little surprised it went up the driveway
>so well in R and then didn't engage D.
>
>Checking the fluid level, it seems a tiny bit high.  Probably about
>1/8" above the top mark based on checking it hot, many times, and
>parked on different "level looking" places to try to get a good
>reading.  Could this be a factor?
>
>I was planning on taking  a trip for about a week in the next few
>days.  Probably 1000 miles or less.  I can deal with the symptoms I
>have now but don't know if it will get worse or damage something
>inside worse.  Opinions?
>
>Edward