Hi Craig,

That raises a question; what is the configuration of the Bostig flywheel /
crankshaft end? Does it have a a plain bearing like the original 1.9 / 2.1,
or does it have a ball or roller bearing for a pilot bearing?

Dave Milo

On Sun, Nov 6, 2011 at 7:41 AM, craig cowan <phishman068@gmail.com> wrote:

> This bus is being pulled off the road in the spring and parted out.
> Hopefully, If I can get my new '90 on the road and inspected soon, this
> will happen sooner than later. I have no intention of removing the engine
> or the transmission from this bus, and putting them back in.  Step one of
> "when this bus is done" will be taking the zetec to move to the syncro, So
> I can't justify taking it out to replace a part (or parts) on speculation
> and putting it back in.
> I'd rather bike everywhere all winter.
>
> My concerns were with the pilot bearing, but if that's what's going.....
> why is it intermittent?
> If the clutch hydraulics, same question?
>
> -Craig
>
>
> On Sun, Nov 6, 2011 at 1:24 AM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <
> scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
>
> > I like that one ..pilot brg.
> > I worked on a vanagon with a bad pilot brg ...
> > it matched these symptoms..
> > sometimes OK, other times not.
> >
> > On a good portion of the vanagon waterboxer clutches I take apart, I find
> > the felt dust seal for the pilot bearing  missing . Clutch dust helps the
> > little needle rollers turn to dust in a few years.
> >
> > there is a metal ring pressed into the center hole of the flywheel. It's
> > there to retain the felt seal.
> > Shops or people send the flywheel to a machine shop ..
> > the machine shop removes that ring to machine the flywheel, then forget
> > about it.
> > The tech putting it back together doesn't notice that, or know about it.
> > So .....no dust seal.
> > Thus .......short pilot bearing life.
> >
> > there is a way to fit a diesel vanagon pilot bearing, which as a built in
> > rubber lip type seal.
> > Some material needs to be removed, by a machinist, on the crankshaft side
> > of
> > the flywheel, just a few thousands since the diesel pilot brg sticks out
> of
> > the crankshaft hole just a tiny bit.
> >
> > and yes..
> > good call on deal with it soon if it is a pilot bearing gone south ( and
> > not
> > hydraulics or some other thing going on ) ....since the trans input shaft
> > itself is a bearing surface..
> > a cheapness VW has used since the very first VW bugs in the late 40's .
> > On better cars like volvo or subaru, and most japanese cars..
> > the nose of the input shaft is not a bearing surface, and instead just
> > sticks into the middle of a whole self-contained sealed pilot brg.
> >
> > so you do want to preserve the nose of your input shaft for sure, and
> deal
> > with it soon, if it is the pilot brg.
> >
> > scott
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "pickle vanagon" <greenvanagon@GMAIL.COM>
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2011 6:57 PM
> > Subject: Re: Transmission Woes
> >
> >
> >  I think this should be a failed/failing pilot bearing.
> >>
> >> This would effectively prevent the clutch from ever being truly
> >> disengaged,
> >> regardless of how well the clutch itself is working mechanically.
> >>
> >> It means that with the engine off *and* the wheels stopped, you should
> be
> >> able to shift fine, but with either moving at a speed very different
> from
> >> the other, shifting requires very good rev-matching.
> >>
> >> Being able to start with the clutch depressed is consistent with this,
> >> since the failing pilot bearing can provide much less resistance than an
> >> engaged clutch.  It's enough resistance that the synchromeshes can't
> cope
> >> with, but not so much that it prevents the engine from starting.
> >>
> >> If this is what it is you want to avoid driving more with it failed
> >> because
> >> you'll eventually mess up the shaft where it rides on the pilot bearing.
> >> (Only time spent with the clutch pedal down counts against you.)
> >>
> >> Might as well replace the clutch while you have the transmission out (if
> >> you look around, there's some oil seal people like to replace at the
> same
> >> time too), but my money is on the little pilot bearing.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 9:21 PM, craig cowan <phishman068@gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>  I have longstanding history of random transmission issues. Here's
> what's
> >>> up
> >>> this time.
> >>>
> >>> While driving today, I came to a stop light and put it in neutral.
> When I
> >>> went to get going again it simply would not go into first (or second
> >>> gear).
> >>> Several tries and some rev matching of the engine finally got it and it
> >>> ran
> >>> fine for maybe 40 shifts. Then it did it again, won't go into any gear.
> >>> That seems to me like it's a clutch related problem.
> >>> So, I went and bled the clutch. It seems to have bled fine. There wan't
> >>> really any air in there but the fluid coming out was shockingly dark.
> >>>
> >>> There is fluid in the transmission, i tired to add some and sure
> enough,
> >>> it's full up (with good clean fluid, only a year or so old).
> >>>
> >>> It seems to come and go pretty randomly.
> >>>
> >>> I have tried pumping the clutch when it does it and can't really tell
> if
> >>> this makes a difference or not. I have noticed though that When it does
> >>> it,
> >>> if I shut the engine off I can put it into a gear then fire the engine
> >>> right back up just fine in gear (clutch in) and then it will work and
> >>> shift
> >>> as needed. This seems to conflict in my mind with the idea that the
> >>> clutch
> >>> is bad, or else it would have lurched when cranking in gear right?
> >>>
> >>> Any thoughts?
> >>> This is an '85 vanagon GL that I turned into a Westfalia years ago,
> then
> >>> recently turned back into a 7 passanger. It has a BOSTIG zetec engine
> and
> >>> recently had a break line fail to rust (making me think a clutch line
> >>> could
> >>> have started leaking...).
> >>>
> >>> -Craig
> >>> '85GL WESTY-7passanger
> >>> ZETEC in the back
> >>> '87 SUNROOF Syncro Westfalia
> >>> '90 GL
> >>>
> >>>
>