As you were describing your trans shifting problems, I was all set to say
sounds like the syncronizers.  Until you mentioned that the clutch doesn't
completely free up the trans,  it still seems to be slightly engaged.

I had a similiar problem, and first tackled the slave cylinder.  What a bear
to get the old one off (hard to reach a nut) but I did and put a new on.  It
may have helped some, but maybe I wanted to believe that.  Anyway awhile later
the trans started losing fluid (watch it drip rapidly when hot).  When I took
the trans out to replace the input seal, I noticed the pilot bearing in the
flywheel/crankshaft was non-existant.  With the bearing gone the input shaft
wobbled around and destroyed the input seal.  I now attribute the poor clutch
action to be the input shaft binding up a little in the self destructing
needle bearing.

My tranny was getting hard to shift between 1 and 2 in cold weather.  Of
course that is minor since it is now seized with an apparent syncronizer
breakdown!!

Kerry  '86 syncro
kstanley@cas.org
------
      you wrote:
>From: Steve Hoge <steveh@emu.com>

=========================================================================
Date:         
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         
Subject:      Suspicious Syncro Shifting Symptoms

>On my '89 Syncro (95K miles) the shifting has actually gone beyond the
>suspicious stage - I really should have said "Sh*tty Syncro Shifting
 ....
>1) Since I got the van in October, it's sometimes been just a tad
reluctant to downshift into 2nd or 1st (hard to find the "slot"), but
I've never any problem upshifting.
.....
>depressed.  A few times the van has actually begun moving slightly as
the engine starts up, as if the clutch pedal is not really depressed all
the way...