TheSamba.com :: View topic - Freshly installed AAZ with DK trans problems

Mon Jun 29, 2015 10:34 pm

Hi All,

I wish that I had closely documented, in my threads here, the entire process of putting this thing together. It's been many years since I pulled my 82 diesel into the garage and began tearing it apart. It was a few years of working on and off on the body before I even began the mechanical work. I'll post some more pictures soon.

Anyway, the van is finally running and driving! There have been lots of little issues and one big one. The transmission, which I bought used (with fingers crossed) pops out of first and second gear when I'm coasting, turning corners, or when I left off the throttle quickly. I've been working on the linkage, but it doesn't seem to help. I'm sure the splined sleeve connection is right - if I move it one spline in either direction I can't shift properly. My Bentley tells me the only other adjustment is between the two plates at the base of the shifter and according to that, it's good. (the holes are aligned)

The middle bushing above the fuel tank is gone (of course), and it's NLA, so I made a bushing out of a piece of a plastic cutting board, which I bolted to the sheet metal the rod passes through. This really improved the shifter feel, but didn't fix the problem.

I don't have any problems shifting and the transmission seems fine otherwise. I haven't yet tried disconnecting the linkage and putting the trans in gear by hand to isolate the transmission, but I can do so tomorrow.

In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions?

I've been thinking that when I put the diesel input shaft on the DK trans, I may have over-tightened it. I know I didn't go crazy tightening it, and I may have left it lose, but it's possible that I tightened it more than it was originally.

Also, I am in the process of replacing an axle seal. The gear oil, which I replaced before I installed the trans, ~200 miles ago, has a very metallic look. I don't think I've ever seen lightly used gear oil before, so maybe this is normal, but it's worrying me. I can try to post some pictures tomorrow.

Thanks a lot ya'll. There's no way I could have made it this far without the help of this community.

Mon Jun 29, 2015 11:21 pm

mostly just a note of commiseration. i had just rebuilt my engine around this time last year and it started getting stuck in 3rd. i reluctantly sent it off for a rebuild (German Transaxle) and they shipped back a rebuilt one, so my turnaround was about a week, and my wallet lighter by a bit.

hoping it is just a linkage issue. any whining or other noises coming from it?

Mon Jun 29, 2015 11:37 pm

No whining or other unusual behavior, but I'm surprised by the amount of fine particles suspended in the gear oil. No big chunks on the drain plug magnet. I'll post a picture tomorrow. Again, I've never seen gear oil 200 miles after changing it, so maybe this is normal. I know very little about transmissions.

Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:56 am

I have an AAZ in my 82 as well. The DK stays in gear but there are no syncros into first (have to come to a stop first). It also whines the warmer it gets.
My plan is to do a 5 speed swap once the funds are amassed.

In my opinion this tranny is barely adequate for the AAZ in both ratios and strength - especially if the engine's been modified. If it were rebuilt well it could be great for many miles. Mine was tired when I did the swap and the new power just finished the job.

I have doubts that linkage is the issue but the price of a rebuild warrants checking every avenue for sure.

Tue Jun 30, 2015 6:24 am

Since it pops out of both first and second, I would try this. Disconnect the shift linkage at the transmission. Shift it at the transmission into first gear and take it for a test drive. If it pops out of gear, you know that it is internal.

When you accelerate and decelerate a vanagon, the engine at the pulley end moves up and down quite a bit. If the transmission stays in gear with the test above, it is possible the engine is moving enough to "pull" it out of gear. Test first and report back. I added a torque limiter, not for a shifting problem, but to control the up and down movement.

Tue Jun 30, 2015 9:52 am

to add to what rsxr is saying, you may also check the engine mounts carefully and the front transaxle mount.

Tue Jun 30, 2015 10:20 am

Thanks for the replies. I'll test it with the linkage disconnected today. But first, it seems like I have another problem: the axle seal I bought is different (smaller) than the original. Again, it's a DK transmission. An internet search revealed two different seal types. Did the early trans use a different seal?