I didn't get these most recent emails until after I put it back together.
I didn't sand down the mating surfaces but I did clean it very carefully
with brake cleaner.  I think I did a reasonable job applying the sealant as
I had a very thin and consistent bead squeezed out all around when I
tightened the parts together.

With the oil slinger my housing was widened out enough that I had trouble
getting a good press fit even peening like that guy in thesamba thread
does, *and* using a brand new oil slinger (courtesy of Ken at Vanagain).
This trick to expand out the disc part sounds like it might have helped
though.

What I did was sand the mating surfaces of the slinger and the housing with
coarse sand paper and used a considerable amount of JB Weld, and then
hammered it in and sat it on a hot radiator for a few hours to harden it
enough to feel comfortable reassembling.  I'm not filling the transmission
until tomorrow morning so it will have fully hardened by then.

I also rounded out the fork arms carefully (erring on the side of
under-doing it, since I don't currently have any clutch chatter.)

Thanks so much for the help guys!  Engine goes back up tomorrow.

On Mon, May 14, 2012 at 11:18 AM, Daryl Christensen
<daryl@aatransaxle.com>wrote:

> 3 things�****
>
> 1. Grey or Black or whatever color..RTV has worked fine for us (and for VW
> for that matter) for 20+ years as a primary sealant  Scott�Transmissions
> don�t get so hot and don�t create pressure like an engine does. RTV seals,
>  gives and fills little divots on these 20 + yr old creatures and gaskets
> eventually seep. We flat file the surfaces as well after cleaning.****
>
> ** **
>
> 2. Take the hat shaped slinger and turn it so the �brim� of it is pointing
> up and is supported so the rest is hanging down in a vise. Then we hammer
> it to expand the brim (not the rest of it) so it has a tighter fit in the
> bell housing. Hope that makes sense..Then use the JB and pound it into the
> housing. I figure the JB will harden and help keep the slinger in place
> with the new seal pushing down on it while its drying.****
>
> ** **
>
> 3. Even out the forks on the crosshaft as long as the difference is
> slight. We round them off and even them up on most every one as they do get
> worn uneven most times. And never use a gold colored crosshaft..They are
> very soft and junk.****
>
> ** **
>
> Daryl of AA Transaxle****
>
> 425-788-4070****
>
> "On the cutting edge of Old technology"****
>
> 86 Syncro Westy w/Turbo Zetec in the trunk****
>
> 90 Doka Tristar w/2.5 Subie****
>
> ** **
>
> *From:* pickle vanagon [mailto:greenvanagon@gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Sunday, May 13, 2012 6:31 PM
> *To:* Daryl Christensen
> *Cc:* vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
>
> *Subject:* Re: removing input shaft seal****
>
> ** **
>
> When I took the bell housing off today I found the oil slinger was
> completely loose.  I guess it's good I took it off!
>
> My plan is to fix it in the way suggested here:
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=342440
>
> I will try to look back at the pinion teeth and see what I can see.
>
> I looked carefully at the clutch fork for the uneven wear that sometimes
> occurs.  I can see that the wear is a little bit uneven, but just a
> little.  How much unevenness should I tolerate?  Is sanding down the less
> worn one to match a reasonable alternative to replacing the fork?
>
> Just one more question... should I do anything to the mating surfaces of
> the bell housing/transmission other than clean them?  I.e., is some very
> light sanding a good idea?
>
> Thanks again!!
> Wes
>
>
> ****
>
> On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 2:12 PM, Daryl Christensen <daryl@aatransaxle.com>
> wrote:****
>
> If you are brave..look closely at the pinion teeth way back inside and see
> how its wear pattern looks...Nice and shiny is what you wanna see.****
>
>
> Daryl of AA Transaxle
> 425-788-4070
> "On the cutting edge of Old technology"
> 86 Syncro Westy w/Turbo Zetec in the trunk
> 90 Doka Tristar w/2.5 Subie
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> pickle vanagon****
>
> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 10:13 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: removing input shaft seal
>
> Ok guys thanks for the advice.
>
> Ill remove the bell housing and use RTV.
>
> Other than the oil slinger, is there anything else easy I should check
> behind the bell housing?
> Thanks again!
> Wes
> On May 13, 2012 11:13 AM, "Daryl Christensen" <daryl@aatransaxle.com>
> wrote:
>
> >  Don't worry about the gasket..We haven't used them for years and
> > always use RTV instead. Just pull it off if that's your preference and
> > do it the easy way. Also you can check to see if the little slinger is
> > still solidly in place as a loose one will cause leaks.
> > T o repl the seal with the bell hsg on, you will need a seal puller to
> > pry it out and then a longish tube that will go over the length of the
> > input shaft to tap (hammer) it back in.
> >  Any time you have to put in a seal and cant see the rear side after
> > its installed, you should put some grease in the back cavity where the
> > little spring is at to keep it from popping out from the force of the
> hammering.
> >
> > Daryl of AA Transaxle
> > 425-788-4070
> > "On the cutting edge of Old technology"
> > 86 Syncro Westy w/Turbo Zetec in the trunk
> > 90 Doka Tristar w/2.5 Subie
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> > Behalf Of pickle vanagon
> > Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 6:25 AM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: removing input shaft seal
> >
> > How hard is it to remove the input shaft seal on the transmission
> > without removing the bell housing?
> >
> > I realize the bell housing is easy to remove but I don't have a gasket
> > for it and can't really afford to wait for one to come in the mail...
> >
> >
> > Thanks for any tips!
> > Wes
> >
> >
> >
>
> ****
>
> ** **
>