TheSamba.com :: View topic - air-cooled vs. water-cooled Vanagon transmissions

Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:50 am

OK, I know I can find this in the Bemtley, but I don't have access to it right now, and I'd like to find the answer as soon as I can, so here goes:

Will a transmission from an '83 air-cooled work as a drop-in replacement for an '85 water-cooled Vanagon?

Thanks,
Ed in CT

Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:57 am

Looks like I found my answer- Bus Depot lists one trans for '76 and up Buses and the air-cooled Vanagon and another for all water-cooled Vanagons.

Ed

Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:56 am

Bus Depot is not correct here. Bays and AC Vanagons do not share the same transmission. I don't know when VW started with the 091-1 tranny that was used in the WBX vanagons.

Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:25 am

Well, they do say to specify the year when ordering, so maybe they group the Bus ones together with the air-cooled Vanagons because they sell them for the same price.

Ed

Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:33 pm

The late Bus and air-cooled Vanagon trannys are based on the same unit but the Bus uses a nose shifter and the air-cooled Vanagon a low side shifter. The rebuild cost is the same and one can be converted to the other during rebuild. The waterboxer tranny is a nearly totally different unit and more costly to rebuild, sharing few parts with the older tranny.

Mark

erdonline wrote: Well, they do say to specify the year when ordering, so maybe they group the Bus ones together with the air-cooled Vanagons because they sell them for the same price.

Ed