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timvw7476 Samba Member
Joined: June 03, 2013 Posts: 2200 Location: seattle
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 12:44 am Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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The 091 trans is the "good" one for a vw bus.
There are a handful of reasons it would lose all gears, and most
of the answers are parts priced between $3.00(hub flange circlip)
and $45.00(cracked selector rod holder, if you can find one).
IF you are a sane bus driver who hasn't been hauling gravel out of a quarry
for the last 10 years, it's going to be a cheap fix, not a full rebuild. |
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Wildthings Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50337
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 2:43 am Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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getmyvwontheroad! wrote: |
And can anyone tell me what part the AXLES play in this? What's their purpose and what do they do? How could this prevent me from going into gear? |
As mentioned the axles transfer the power from the transmission to the wheels. No the axle themselves, either the shafts or the CV joints, are not apt to fail, but the bolts that hold the CV joints to the flanges on the transmission on one end and the stub shaft on the other are very apt to fail if not tightened correctly which few are.
The failure of the CV bolts doesn't prevent the tranny from going into gear, but it prevents the tranny from being able to transfer any power to the wheels. Kind of like pedalliing a bike with the chain having slipped off the front sprocket. Pedal all you want and nothing is going to happen because no power is being transferred until the chain is put back on. |
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getmyvwontheroad! Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2015 Posts: 122 Location: Texas
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getmyvwontheroad! Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2015 Posts: 122 Location: Texas
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Wildthings Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50337
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 6:04 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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I would suggest buying an Idiot Book plus a Haynes or a Bentley from Amazon or some other sources. We are not talking much money here. I have all three plus a lot of other odd little manuals that cover specific areas better than the above. |
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1967250s Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2007 Posts: 2137
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 6:45 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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Yep, sounds like the bolts c.ame loose. If one side comes loose, guess what? No go! Fairly easy fix, though you may have other issues due to the axle banging about. Most likely, tranny is fine. Good time to have everything checked for tightness. _________________ '72 Elm Green Deluxe |
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getmyvwontheroad! Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2015 Posts: 122 Location: Texas
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 2:35 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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Looks like yall saved me from spending way too much on having to buy a transmission or someone to come look at it. Here's what I found. If I am not mistaken this is a cv joint? The one on the drivers side looks busted and the passenger side looks to be in tack. Here's some pics. This is surely the problem correct?
the one on the passenger side is the last pic, seems fine compared to the driver side. So I guess the next step is to change it out? Is it fairly easy? _________________ Setting up shop from a 77 VW Bus
http://lifessweet.bigcartel.com/product/let-s-go-there-tee
http://lifessweet.bigcartel.com/product/let-s-go-there-tee
Check out the page and give us a follow!
http://www.instagram.com/lifessweetclothing |
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Tcash Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011 Posts: 12844 Location: San Jose, California, USA
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 3:09 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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Cannot tell from the pictures. But The cage looks deformed.
Block the front wheels
Put it in first gear
Jack up that wheel and put a jack stand under the frame
Try and turn the wheel
If the wheel turns but the axle (shaft) stays stationary the cv joint is stripped.
That is your problem.
Good luck
Tcash |
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getmyvwontheroad! Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2015 Posts: 122 Location: Texas
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Tcash Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011 Posts: 12844 Location: San Jose, California, USA
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getmyvwontheroad! Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2015 Posts: 122 Location: Texas
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getmyvwontheroad! Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2015 Posts: 122 Location: Texas
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Tcash Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011 Posts: 12844 Location: San Jose, California, USA
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 4:14 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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Axle are the same length on a standard trans.
It would be best to take the one from the shed aprt and clean and re-grease it.
At least grease the cv's before installing it.
Tcash |
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Wildthings Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50337
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 7:06 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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It looks like your one CV pulled apart. Is your bus raised above the stock factory height? If so you may need longer axle shafts and CV that are rated to work at steeper angles.
I would not install your spare CV without pulling it down, cleaning it fully, and checking it for excess wear. Several sites have good instructions on doing this. You may be able to even reuse the one you have now, but will have to find a replacement cage in good condition to do so. A thorough inspection of your present joint and axle would be in order no matter what.
The bolts for the CV joints need to be super tight in order to not give problems. I really recommend using the Vanagon torque spec of 33 ft*lbs as VW didn't raised the torque on almost identical parts when they build the Vanagon just for jollies, they recognized there was a problem with the bolts coming loose on Bay buses and fixed the problem by raising the torque spec. |
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getmyvwontheroad! Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2015 Posts: 122 Location: Texas
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:42 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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So I got it on and it's running again. I cleaned them up and added grease as well. Also tightened them real good. So with that fixed, does anyone know what could be causing my vw bus to die out!? It'll start up and drive, but sometimes if I'm at a stop sign or start to slow down (lower than 10 mph) it'll feel like it wants to die out. To keep it running I have to push the gas or pump pedal sometimes!? Any ideas? It started to do this like 3 weeks ago, but ran great before that. _________________ Setting up shop from a 77 VW Bus
http://lifessweet.bigcartel.com/product/let-s-go-there-tee
http://lifessweet.bigcartel.com/product/let-s-go-there-tee
Check out the page and give us a follow!
http://www.instagram.com/lifessweetclothing |
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Tcash Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011 Posts: 12844 Location: San Jose, California, USA
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getmyvwontheroad! Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2015 Posts: 122 Location: Texas
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Tom Powell Samba Member
Joined: December 01, 2005 Posts: 4855 Location: Kaneohe
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 2:06 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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getmyvwontheroad! wrote: |
So I got it on and it's running again. I cleaned them up and added grease as well. Also tightened them real good. ... |
Did you use CV grease? Did you use new retaining bolts, the correct new washers, and torque them to the correct VW specs?
It appears the axle and CV joints you took off was a replacement. The flange on the boot cover doesn't look OG. It is also missing the moon plates.
The axle that you found in the shed appears to be OG, but some of the balls don't look shiny. This CV might have had problems, hence the replacement.
The shed axle has the moon plates and you will need to use them and new retaining bolts and the correct new washers on any installation. Is there a torn boot on the shed axle?
Your failure on the road was very possibly due to the incorrect replacement of the CV joint or boot. i.e. old or wrong washers, old bolts, no moon plates, incorrect torque. Doing it wrong again will result in another failure.
I would suggest a lot more book reading and searching on TheSamba to learn about care and maintenance for your VW and/or professional or VW experienced help and guidance.
Aloha
tp
Last edited by Tom Powell on Sun Dec 13, 2015 2:59 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Wildthings Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50337
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 2:07 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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getmyvwontheroad! wrote: |
Thanks for the reply, so I changed the spark plus about a month ago and I'm assuming they're still "good" , the thing I haven't messed with is the distributor or timing. I'm not sure how exactly I would set the timing on my 77 vw bus (fuel injected). And what does setting the timing do? |
The timing is set by loosening locking clap and rotating the distributor. You want to set your timing a full mechanical advance verses by the books spec, as the book spec assumes that everything works as well today as when it left the factory, which can be quite the assumption. What you want to see is 28-30* BTDC @ 3500+ rpms.
You will need a timing light to set your timing and if you buy a new one it will come with instructions on how to hook it up. More info can be found on Ratwell.com or by searching here on Samba, Busdaddy has a pretty good write up on how to go about it. |
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Tcash Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2011 Posts: 12844 Location: San Jose, California, USA
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 2:17 pm Post subject: Re: 77 vw bus won't shift into gear! |
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The text in Blue in my previous post are links. Click on them.
Good luck
Tcash |
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