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Pchill2 Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021 Posts: 410 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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I think you've gotten angular and linear velocities mixed up in you math.
What you should end up with is a mathematical proof that 1=1. _________________ 87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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Sodo Samba Member

Joined: July 06, 2007 Posts: 10606 Location: Western WA
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 1:29 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Pchill2 wrote: |
I think you've gotten angular and linear velocities mixed up in you math.
What you should end up with is a mathematical proof that 1=1. |
I’ll have to think about that. I tried to omit angular velocity.
The conclusion cannot violate “1 turn = 1 turn”.
I agree this is mathematical, and likely available somewhere on the web. But I gotta head for the woods currently, and hoping someone can find the math.
I cannot ‘perform’ a mathematical proof but perhaps can “follow” along.
This notion goes “against the grain” but appears feasible by observing used shafts. I can hardly believe I could be “the pioneer” of this discovery. I expect that Germans did the math back in the 1930s.
I can see that the 4th gear idler race is the most polished, shiniest race on an old shaft. As expected …. since 4th gear sees the most “area under the curve” (heaviest duty).
And it doesn’t make sense the race can burnish to the highest mirror polish....
between it's two states..... of
“stationary loaded needles (in 4th) ”
.vs.
“no-load idling (in 1st, 2nd, 3rd)”.
Logically, the loaded needle rotating (mechanical precession) under load would produce a mirror polished bearing race.
I've made a statement that says the cage rotates at 1/8.33th the speed of the locked gear. Which seems outlandish. I think it's feasible that it rotates but my gut feel is it rotates a lot slower than the "432 RPM".
My gut feel is the difference in rotation would be relative to "slop/39.80mm".
I do not have an accurate measurement of the slop.
Lets guess the slop is 0.2mm
thus----> 0.2/39.8=.005
.005 x 3600rpm =18rpm (which I wouldn't mind either, anything but 'stationary!!)
^^just thinking out loud^^
Thats my gut feel what the needle cage rotation should be based upon.
I can't dig into it for awhile PLUS need to let it rest a little - maybe it will come while I'm out in the woods.
I'm like a pig in the mud, I enjoy this. I need someone to tell me where I’ve gone wrong, or help from a big brain to take this farther.  _________________
'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
Last edited by Sodo on Thu Sep 07, 2023 4:33 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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E1 Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013 Posts: 8234 Location: Westfalia, Earth
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 4:17 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Thank You for all the efforts, Tom!
Enjoy the campout! Today’s Day 3,700 for us! _________________ 1984 Westfailure/2.1 Digijet/5.43 Ring & Pinion/Peloquin/D-rated BFG KO2s
AI has spoken to further illiteracy, to steal, to cheat, and to replace humans
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere." — Colin Chapman |
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Howesight Samba Member

Joined: July 02, 2008 Posts: 3395 Location: Vancouver, B.C.
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 4:55 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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I'm at home today fasting in preparation for tomorrow's colonoscopy. Therefore, today and tomorrow will be the only two days you guys literally cannot tell me I'm full of shit.
Here's a question for Sodo and others:
Have any of you seen 4th gear needle bearing damage or wear that was fatal to the transaxle? Similarly, have you seen fatal wear on the mainshaft and/or the inside diameter of 4 gear? The reason I ask is that I am not aware whether, in addition to mainshaft bearing failures (and swarf from the 4th-gear-mainshaft bearing interface), the brinelling (of either flavour) is a problem now needing to be solved.
If so, my first thought would be using a plain bearing or bushing in place of the needles, but only with pressure lubrication. _________________ '86 Syncro Westy SVX
Last edited by Howesight on Thu Sep 07, 2023 5:10 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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E1 Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013 Posts: 8234 Location: Westfalia, Earth
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 4:58 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Sure we can, we just may be wrong.
Good Luck tomorrow.. and my comment to Tom applies to every post you, too make here. Not sucking up, there’s no gain in that anyway.  _________________ 1984 Westfailure/2.1 Digijet/5.43 Ring & Pinion/Peloquin/D-rated BFG KO2s
AI has spoken to further illiteracy, to steal, to cheat, and to replace humans
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere." — Colin Chapman |
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Sodo Samba Member

Joined: July 06, 2007 Posts: 10606 Location: Western WA
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 5:53 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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What is fatal? Is a rebuild that lasts only 20k fatal? Or however short, was it actually 20k of new life?
Is a noisy gearbox fatal while it still works? Is it fatal if your wife kills you for the noisy van? How many times has that happened to you (and by some measure, you survived ) ? Good luck tomorrow with that stainless steel devil 😈.
I don’t think this is something we can simply "flush" .
I think we want to find the cause of the brinnelling and erosion regardless of the relative fatality. Incidentally the thrust erosion increases the gear float, and can wear the keystone off the engagement dogs, risking popping out of gear. (I think). Gearbox builders (better ones) are bummed when one comes back early with brinnelling on 4th. Whose fault is it and who buys the new gear & shaft - builder or customer? Gear $300-400, shaft $600-$1000.
And what is the cost of a forum thread?
All that said, your Q (who cares?) is a valid question.
I’m pulled over off the freeway, grinding on this needle bearing precession thing. I thought vectors would get me there (1=1etc) and sketched it, but nothing useful came of it yet. Perhaps it was helpful to illustrate the needle roller thrown outwards, following the gear bore. Irrelevant, but one thing I’m resolute upon. . _________________
'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
Last edited by Sodo on Wed Sep 13, 2023 8:15 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Pchill2 Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2021 Posts: 410 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 7:34 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Sodo, was your main bearing fit loose when you had these failures?
The measurements I asked for could tell you a lot about what is causing this failure.
If the diameter of the damaged area is larger than the diameter of the bearing race, you have eccentric rotation equal to the difference of the two measurements. I’m curious about the exact measurement but any confirmation is better than none. _________________ 87 Syncro Westy
Honda K24 swap |
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AndyBees Samba Member

Joined: January 31, 2008 Posts: 2610 Location: Southeast Kentucky
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 7:47 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Howesight wrote: |
I'm at home today fasting in preparation for tomorrow's colonoscopy. Therefore, today and tomorrow will be the only two days you guys literally cannot tell me I'm full of shit. |
I hope all goes well for you and the test results are all good.
I took a Stool Sample to the Lab yesterday. I hope to receive a good report in a day or two. I've had my share of colonoscopies down thru the years.
Sodo wrote: |
This is another FLAG to change break-in oil early and often, and certainly DO NOT depart on a long trip on a NEW trans UNTIL after the magnet 'comes clean'. Like 100 miles, 200 miles 500 miles etc. And why a gearbox must be assembled in a "clean room", with ultrasonic parts cleaners, and anal clean-room procedures, etc
---->Not your dirty old garage where your angle-grinder reigns supreme etc. |
Well, that first transmission I built was done in the worst of conditions, comparatively speaking. But, it has probably stood the test of miles (88k) and time (11 yrs). Recently, as a hobby and for the locals, I’ve built a few under far better circumstances that I expect to last for many miles as they don’t have a Big Engine pushing them.
Sodo wrote: |
What is fatal? Is a rebuild that lasts only 20k fatal? Or, however short, was it actually 20k of new life?
Is a noisy gearbox fatal while it still works? |
Fatal is paying big bucks for a rebuild failure in a few thousand miles regardless of the reason. But, since this Thread is, in part about Big Engines possibly being the problem, well, some these issues will not apply to most Vanagon owners. However, I think most of us cringe thinking our engine is going to beat down our newly rebuilt transmission in a few thousand miles, big engine or not. I’ve owned Vanagons almost 40 years. The first was an 83 Air-cool which I semi-moth balled it in 2005, with over 220k miles on it. It still has the OE oil in the transmission. So, when I built my transmission for the TDI, I never had a clue about all these things in this Thread and many of the other Threads I’ve stumbled onto related to this discussion.
The worst noise in my transmission come from the Single Mass Flywheel (TDI engine related). I finally went with a DMF which, as you know, will only fit in a Diesel Bell Housing. The DMF reduced noise tremendously. But, my poor hearing doesn’t help with sounds others may pickup on. I did hear the whine from the beginning in 3rd & 4th which is there today, only worse.
Sodo wrote: |
I don’t think this is something we can simply flush.
I think we want to find the cause of the brinnelling and erosion regardless of the relative fatality. Incidentally the thrust erosion increases the gear float, and can wear the keystone off the engagement dogs, risking popping out of gear. (I think). Gearbox builders (better ones) are bummed when one comes back early with brinnelling on 4th. Whose fault is it and who buys the new gear & shaft - builder or customer? Gear $300-400, shaft $600-$1000.
And what is the cost of a forum thread? (Nothing...)
All that said, your Q (who cares?) is a valid question. |
I agree. It will be beneficial to all of us to identify the causes. I do believe there is more than one cause (not just a Big Engine). And, a solution(s) must be part of the find.
I for one, appreciate the work you're putting into this endeavor.
I might add, most of the big ticket items for upgrading and a simple rebuild (if there is one) have increased in price from 25-50% during the last two years (according to my receipts). _________________ '84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI, two trips to Alaska, 2014 & 16. 1989 Tin-top unmolested.
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine, seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003. 1975 Bay hopeful. |
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Sodo Samba Member

Joined: July 06, 2007 Posts: 10606 Location: Western WA
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2023 10:13 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Pchill2 wrote: |
Sodo, was your main bearing fit loose when you had these failures?. |
No the mainshaft bearing was tight in its bore.
The bore was sleeved. Dangit I’m “away” from my parts for a few days, can’t measure anything.
Andy ——>Yes a small engine can be pedal-to-the-metal in 4th “for hours” too.
But it is more likely to have to downshift too. Whereas the big engine does not. And the big engine driver is proud of rarely having to downshift.
Whenever the gearbox is still in 4th gear - after the gear (internally) has dried up - the erosion commences. These events add up.
Every time you introduce lubrication to 4th, you stop that “erosion event” and it has to start over again, drying the gear before the erosion can 'commence'.
The premise of this post (and video) is that the Vanagon transaxle has a known lubrication problem at 4th gear, and periodic decels can help. It identifies a “driving style” that can be incorporated to extend gearbox life—-> at the bottom of the first post.
How often to decel? I don’t know. 5 minutes? 15 minutes? It would be interesting to (find a way to) know when 4th gear goes dry.
But the takeaway is: don’t be disappointed by downshifts. Downshifts have to be 10x better for lubricating 4th than a short decel. Your vanagon gearbox has a 4th gear lubrication defect so ..... smile when you downshift . _________________
'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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Sodo Samba Member

Joined: July 06, 2007 Posts: 10606 Location: Western WA
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2025 11:23 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Sodo wrote: |
Thus the cage is rotating at 15/125 of shaft RPM.
>>>>> At '65mph' the cage is rotating 432 RPM. |
Got it. I used ChatGPT for the first time today.
It was frightening, actually, how quickly it guided me into clarifying the desired result of my query.
At 3600 RPM; appx 65mph in 4th gear, the needle bearing inside 4th gear rotates at minus-23 RPM even though 4th gear is locked to the shaft.
This is caused by the bearing "clearance".
I used an estimated "50 microns" bearing clearance to get the "23rpm".
The 4th gear bore center, and the mainshaft center are "off" by 50 microns, which causes a precession.
This 23rpm needle cage reverse rotation prevents false brinnelling. Over time, this slow reverse rotation burnishes the mainshaft surface to a mirror-finish.
Bedding-in trash in the oil, especially the lumpy new trash
(not yet rolled flat into flakes by circulating thru gears and bearings thousands of times.)
can 'chock' the needle bearing
and stop this (beneficial) 23rpm.
Then as oil depletes from sustained 4th gear thrust, false brinnelling commences.
Moral of the story....
If you have a NEW rebuild, change your oil early and often before gong on a long trip that may have you holding sustained thrust on 4th gear for long periods.
If you MUST drive a new trans long-distance, choose 40-50mph roads where you shift often between 3rd & 4th gears.
And think of a way to change the oil enroute. _________________
'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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AndyBees Samba Member

Joined: January 31, 2008 Posts: 2610 Location: Southeast Kentucky
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 6:45 am Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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I rebuilt a transmission for a guy several years ago. About three years and 12k miles later, it began jumping out of 4th gear.
When I took it apart I was amazed at the amount of "sludgy black" coating on everything inside. I have no clue what spec of oil he had used or how many times it had been changed.
I put the gear stack/carrier in my jig.
None of the shift-forks were loose or out of adjustment.
As I was finishing reassembly and placed the shifter end of the transmission on was when I noticed the problem. The external shift lever had been installed incorrectly. Although there is supposedly only one way for it to slide onto the splines, it had been installed about 15 degrees out of proper orientation. (He gave me the back story on why it was installed incorrectly. )
Anyway, my point is, agreeing with Sodo about how important it is to change the oil in a newly rebuilt transmission .......... change it often the first 5k miles. And, as Sodo has suggested, save that oil and let it settle for future use.
Side note: Somewhere in my photos, I have an excellent pic of a "mirror polished" 4th gear main shaft journal. Found it.
Note: it my look as if there are some imperfections, but it is totally blemish free.
_________________ '84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI, two trips to Alaska, 2014 & 16. 1989 Tin-top unmolested.
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine, seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003. 1975 Bay hopeful. |
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dougnlina  Samba Member

Joined: January 19, 2016 Posts: 293 Location: San Francisco, CA
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 8:29 am Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Here are a few photos from the tear down of my Syncro Tranny. The transmission had about 90K on a rebuild and was making noise for about 600 miles before I could swap a different transmission in. This is in a 1.8T engine heavy westy van but with trans oil re-circulation, filtering and cooling. For the "early years", I did not understand the 4th gear scenario and I would put it in 4th on cruise control and happily go along without the occasional downshift to get some oil on the 4th gears face.
Classic photos of 4th gear face wear
The noise issue was apparently the pinion bearing starting to tear itself apart (cage ripped open to see journal) I really almost completely screwed the ring and pinion but it somehow survived this.
_________________ "Grover" a '87 Syncro Poptop 1.8T
"Olive" a '60 Ragtop Beetle (retired) |
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1988M5 Samba Member

Joined: January 23, 2016 Posts: 843 Location: Tucson, AZ
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 10:36 am Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Get ahold of this guy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXJKdh1KZ0w _________________ 1991 tin top GL
2002 Winnebago Vista. VW VR6 24V Eurovan front clip powered class C 21' RV.
Some BMWs. |
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Sodo Samba Member

Joined: July 06, 2007 Posts: 10606 Location: Western WA
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 10:40 am Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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AndyBees wrote: |
"sludgy black" coating on everything inside. |
My theory is that degraded grounding across the gearbox case blackens the oil early. Electricity makes Fe2O4, which is a black powder, and its mildly abrasive too. Its magnetic, and piles up as black mud on the drain magnet. Which crowds the magnet's ability to hold onto steel. The electricity craters the bearing races though, ruins the bearings, ruins gear faces too. When cratered, then steel starts chunking off.
Electricity that can't get across corroded bolts and thus diverts thru the internals is bad news. Those who would spend $100 on gear oil would be far better off spending $15 on proper grounding FIRST. Running electricity across the gearbox case is a risky proposition, and we don't NEED it. Use direct copper.
----------
As the interface between the 4th gear and mainshaft bearing dries,
resistance drops at that interface, beckoning more current to cross the mainshaft bearing,
enroute to the forward transaxle ground.
DougnLina, I have wondered if steel braided rear brake hoses would beckon wayward amps across the pinion bearing, R&P, CVs, & rear wheel bearings.
But "electrical assault" is a different subject to the oil-starvation that happens at the 4th gear/mainshaft bearing interface.
Andy, did you disassemble the mainshaft bearing & look at the races?
I would like to see a 12,000 mile mainshaft bearing.
I have been surprised by the pock-marks from the break-in trash
that you can see with the naked eye, on low-mile bearings.
DougnLina thanks for the pics of the mainshaft/4th and the cruise control + oil-pumped data point/pics.
I don't see the 'red hematite' on your 4th gear and bearing thrust surfaces. Can you see it in real life?
It's feasible that if the red hematite is only visible on a 'tight' mainshaft bearing.
With that much pinion bearing wear,
do you recall if the gear lever moved in your hand in 1st/2nd gear?
Is this false brinnelling from the idler bearing needles or just oil?
Can you catch a fingernail on them?
False brinnelling is another likely problem caused by oil starvation.
It's exacerbated by oil contamination if the chunks stop the needle bearing from precessing. _________________
'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb
Last edited by Sodo on Yesterday 9:29 am; edited 4 times in total |
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zerotofifty Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2003 Posts: 3682
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 4:04 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Given the cost of a transaxle, Id not save the old lube for reuse after the contaminates settle, That me thinks is false economy. Use fresh lube. _________________ Sorry About That Chief.
Give Peace a Chance.
Words to live by. |
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dougnlina  Samba Member

Joined: January 19, 2016 Posts: 293 Location: San Francisco, CA
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 8:18 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Sodo wrote: |
DougnLina thanks for the pics of the mainshaft/4th and the cruise control + oil-pumped data point/pics.
I don't see the 'red hematite' on your 4th gear and bearing thrust surfaces. Can you see it in real life?
It's feasible that if the red hematite is only visible on a 'tight' mainshaft bearing.
With that much pinion bearing wear,
do you recall if the gear lever moved in your hand in 1st/2nd gear?
Is this false brinnelling from the idler bearing needles or just oil?
Can you catch a fingernail on them?
False brinnelling is another likely problem caused by oil starvation.
It's exacerbated by oil contamination if the chunks stop the needle bearing from precessing. |
I see nothing red, all shades of grey. The shift lever did not move much if at all when going on/off throttle. The transmission initially started making a faint bit of noise (slight gravelly sound idling near the front of the box) but then we took a roadtrip and found ourselves fighting hellacious headwinds across New Mexico that just seemed to push the sound into being "this transmission telling you its time" noisy.
I noticed the brinnelling but did not know what to think of it or remember to ask the rebuilder what it was all about. I can feel it but it feels more like light impressions than anything you can get a fingernail to hang onto. You probably have a better idea where this comes from than I do... _________________ "Grover" a '87 Syncro Poptop 1.8T
"Olive" a '60 Ragtop Beetle (retired) |
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GoEverywhere Samba Member

Joined: December 13, 2020 Posts: 850 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 9:06 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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You all aren't giving me the warm fuzzies about running my 091/1 behind my built out turbo subie
Honestly though, I've been pretty impressed how well its held up but I know its on borrowed time. I'm super curious to see what shape it's in when the day finally comes I pull it out. |
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AndyBees Samba Member

Joined: January 31, 2008 Posts: 2610 Location: Southeast Kentucky
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2025 9:52 pm Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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Sodo wrote: |
AndyBees wrote: |
"sludgy black" coating on everything inside. |
My theory is that degraded grounding across the gearbox case blackens the oil early. Electricity makes Fe204, which is black, and mildly abrasive too. Its magnetic, and piles up on the magnet. The electricity craters the bearing races though, ruins the bearings, ruins gear faces too.
As the interface between the 4th gear and main shaft bearing dries,
resistance drops at that interface, beckoning more current to cross the main shaft bearing, enroute to the forward transaxle ground.
But "electrical assault" is a different subject to the oil-starvation that happens at the 4th gear/main shaft bearing interface.
Andy, did you disassemble the mains haft bearing & look at the races?
I would like to see a 12,000 mile main shaft bearing.
I have been surprised by the pock-marks from the break-in trash
that you can see with the naked eye, on low-mile bearings. |
No, I did not disassemble the gear stacks. This was a DK transmission. After installing the gear carrier/stacks in the jig and everything shifted fine, that's as far as I went. I did remove 4th gear and inspected the main shaft journal as well as the bearing (a steel cage bearing from Weddle). Everything looked fine to me. Each gear shifted properly (snap, snap). I did clean the case and associated parts. Then, I put it back together and made the discovery that the external shifter had been put on incorrectly. The back story was that the nut came off while he was on a road trip but the shifter never fell out. He found a nut at a local hardware store and reinstalled the shifter incorrectly. I should have caught it before disassembly. But, it was good to look inside. (free labor on my part )
I'm going to contact him and ask about his grounding strap, etc.
Oddly, the DK that I rebuilt in 2010/11 for my TDI Vanagon looked basically clean inside after 90k miles (disassembled it last summer). I did change the oil numerous times. And, not knowing the importance, I installed an extra ground wire to the engine block near the starter because of starting issues early on with the TDI engine (long story that stretched out over 18 months which turned out to be bad grounding). So, that was obviously a good thing for my transmission. _________________ '84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI, two trips to Alaska, 2014 & 16. 1989 Tin-top unmolested.
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine, seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003. 1975 Bay hopeful. |
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4Gears4Tires Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018 Posts: 4081 Location: MD
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Posted: Yesterday 7:31 am Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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GoEverywhere wrote: |
You all aren't giving me the warm fuzzies about running my 091/1 behind my built out turbo subie
Honestly though, I've been pretty impressed how well its held up but I know its on borrowed time. I'm super curious to see what shape it's in when the day finally comes I pull it out. |
A 4th gear oiling plate was a really cheap add on when I had my trans rebuilt. I don't think if it fixes everything, Sodo probably knows, but I would have one put in every rebuild. _________________ '87 Syncro Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition
'85 Westy Sciuridae Domus Edition |
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GoEverywhere Samba Member

Joined: December 13, 2020 Posts: 850 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Yesterday 8:09 am Post subject: Re: Big engine + NOT downshifting.... damages 4th gear |
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4Gears4Tires wrote: |
GoEverywhere wrote: |
You all aren't giving me the warm fuzzies about running my 091/1 behind my built out turbo subie
Honestly though, I've been pretty impressed how well its held up but I know its on borrowed time. I'm super curious to see what shape it's in when the day finally comes I pull it out. |
A 4th gear oiling plate was a really cheap add on when I had my trans rebuilt. I don't think if it fixes everything, Sodo probably knows, but I would have one put in every rebuild. |
I'll keep that in mind if I stick with the 091/1. I'm really pushing it pretty far beyond what it was ever designed for so I'm looking at beefier transmissions options too. |
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