Hello, Jim. If your diesel vanagon has a 5 speed now, the air cooled
tranny is not what you want. The linkage is not the same at all. 4 speed
diesel models use the same linkage as air cooled vanagons. 5 speed
diesel vanagons have the newer linkage, same as a waterboxer. The
differences are easily noted with a quick look.

Mark

Sally Lecrone wrote:
>
> I'm concerned that the ring and pinion in the gas air-cooled vanagon is
> to
> high for my turbo diesel 1.6.  After looking at Helmut's gearing charts,
>
> I think all the diesels used gearing that isn't that high.  If I'm
> reading his chart right, it looks like a turbo diesel engine setup,
> which was probably offered in Europe, ran a 4.83 gearing in the
> transaxel.  The ideal setup for me, since I have a 5-speed gear box in
> my westy with 5.43 gear ratio now, would be to install the ring and
> pinion with that ratio.  The 1.9 water boxers used gear ratios like
> that.  I'm planning on using this van to travel the country and to
> Alaska when I retire and since I'm putting on a fair amount of highway
> miles, I was hoping this would be a good gear ratio?  Do you know anyone
>
> out there who has put the air-cooled gear box in a turbo diesel and if
> so, how does it work out?
> Jim Lecrone