Folks,

A question here...

I got a call from a guy this morning who has an '85 Vanagon
with a problem.  *He* says his transmission (3rd gear) is
bad.  Do I know anyone who will work on it?  I ask what
happened to it.  He says he was driving along, smoke began
coming out behind him and from that point on he couldn't go
over 35 and into 3rd gear.

The officially-sanctioned VW dealer in the area "doesn't
work on them--farms it out."

Are there any circumstances under which a manual
transmission will smoke (except after sex)?  I'm just having
trouble believing that this is anything but a blown engine
that won't give enough power to keep the thing going in 3rd.

Someone offered the guy $500 for the whole van...will pick
it up today.  The guy just wants a clue, what would tranny
work cost?  Is it worth more than $500?  Any ideas?

-Jim Bryant