Hello,

wigley@SAN.RR.COM writes:

<<  Rather significant whine from the rear of vehicle, increases
in pitch when  velocity increases, independent of gear. Inaudible
at low speeds, quite audible at moderate speeds, ....>>

I agree with Darrell Boehler's suggestion of a bad ring and pinion
set with the above description.   The input shaft is not supported
by bearings but by the coupler with the mainshaft.  The rear caged
needle bearings on the mainshaft rarely need replacement but the
large front ball bearing gets swapped out on all my rebuilds.  About
half do have some life left in them but at the cost of a rebuild why
take chances??   And Darrell is correct in that bearings tend to
rumble rather than whine when they go 'south'.

<<...numbers like $1700 for everything (new clutch, blah blah) >>

Sounds about right...transaxles are in the $950+ range for a high
quality rebuild  (and shipping if not available locally), then the new
clutch assy. will add some, you might need a motor mount or
some other misc. part, then labor and tax will also add to the final
bill.

<< Is the proper thing to bite the bullet? >>

Depends on how much you like this van and could you replace
it with a good running vehicle for the amount that will be required
for a rebuilt transaxle installation.

<< Find a (good) used transaxle in a junk yard?  Does one in fact
get what one pays for in this regard? >>

Good luck and yes.  The good used ones out of junk yards are
the ones that I would use as a base for my rebuilds.

-Todd Hill
 VolksWerks Transaxles
 Olympia, WA
 360-412-0948