From: <Vanadiesel@aol.com>
   Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 15:11:03 EST
   Mime-Version: 1.0
   Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
   X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 230
   Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
   Content-Length: 2019

   Hi Martin,
           Thanks for your response. The clutch seems to be releasing properly. No
   differently than it has since I've gotten the van. I've gotten a couple of
   other posts, one suggesting a clutch that's coming apart and three that feel
   its a bad pilot bearing. What do you think?

If the grinding you mentioned before is when the clutch is released
(ie pedal pressed down) then the pilot bearing is the likely
culprit.

VW Part nr is: 056 105 313 C

Should cost you $4-6 at a FLAPS or a bit more at VW.
Pulling the tranny is not that hard.

1/ Jack up the van
2/ Unbolt CV's shift linkage and clutch and starter cable.
3/ Break loose the bell housing bolts but don't unbolt.
4/ Put a garage jack under the tranny. unbolt front
mount. Lower until tranny can be pulled.
5/ Support the engine independently of the trans (using wood blocks
or whatever, there is a special VW tool for this but that is hardly
necessary)
6/ Unbolt bell housing and pull the tranny forward.

If the pilot bearing is really seized it will be hard to
pull the trans off. You just have to try to wiggle and pull
until the input shaft comes out. Be careful not to pull
so hard so the input shaft breaks in the tranny instead.
(it's just screwed in with a small screw so it can wiggle
a little bit)

Usually takes me an afternoon in the driveway to do this.

Hope that solves your problem. If not let me know. There
are some more test you can do.

Good luck,
Martin
--
Westy 1.9l Turbo Diesel
Quantum 1.6l Turbo Diesel

Martin Jagersand                 email: jag@cs.yale.edu
Computer Science Department             jag@cs.rochester.edu
Yale University

        Slow down and visit the VW diesel Westy page:
          WWW: http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/jag/vw
-------------------------------------------------------------------