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kurt vonnagon Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2011 Posts: 195 Location: mechanicsburg pa.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 5:20 am Post subject: auto trans ? |
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I have a chance to buy a vanagon with auto trans. How bad are they? |
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bjrogers86auto Samba Member
Joined: March 26, 2009 Posts: 1375 Location: Halifax, N.S.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 5:46 am Post subject: transmission |
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Are they bad? No one told me. I have been driving one for 3 years and 36 thousand kms. I had a reseal done last spring. It works like a dream.
Brian. _________________ 86 Vanagon GL Westfalia 2.1
18 Nissan Frontier Pro 4X
19 Honda Civic Hatchback
A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin and Hobbes. |
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rcook52459 Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2011 Posts: 492 Location: PORTLAND ORE
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 6:54 am Post subject: |
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i like mine.i did put a gowesty trans cooler on it. _________________ 85 westy tiico conversion.auto trans triumph TR250 1980 Suzuki GS1000l |
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kurt vonnagon Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2011 Posts: 195 Location: mechanicsburg pa.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:14 am Post subject: |
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A friend had one. tranny went bad. Their was no fixing it. He didn't have much luck finding a used one at a reasonable price. He ended up scraping the van. gas mile's ? going up hill's ? resell ? Oh he did buy an other vanagon and swore he would never buy another auto |
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indytriple Samba Member
Joined: April 27, 2009 Posts: 710 Location: Brownsburg, Indiana
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:55 am Post subject: Re: auto trans ? |
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kurt vonnagon wrote: |
How bad are they? |
They aren't bad at all. In fact, for a 25 year old transaxle design, they're pretty darn bomb-proof. They were used in lots of VW and Audi applications for years and years.
Here's two articles that you should read:
http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=116
http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=305
To quote from one of these articles, "the AT offered in the Vanagon is wonderful. It is a very simple, robust design that VW/Audi has used practically unchanged for over 25 years, in a dozen or so different vehicle models. And, contrary to popular belief, the AT Vanagon will actually outperform a 4-speed Vanagon on highway grades, with the stock 80 hp 1.9 liter, or stock 90 hp 2.1 liter engine."
I have two, and I've never had a problem from either one. _________________ "See The Glass As Already Broken."
87 Vanagon Westy Auto Bostig
www.bluegrassbicyclecompany.com |
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r.e.wing_fc3s Samba Member
Joined: April 16, 2010 Posts: 591 Location: Vanagon Capitol USA: Bellingham, WA
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:54 am Post subject: |
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and if there are ever problems the trans can be disassembled with a flathead screwdriver and 10mm socket wrench. very straightforward. _________________ Reference Automotive: NW Washingtons Vanagon Specialist. (360)366-6965. referenceautomotive.com |
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purplepeopleeater Samba Member
Joined: July 23, 2005 Posts: 3117 Location: E. Washington
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 11:02 am Post subject: |
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I think they are better then the manual trannys |
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seanjenn Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2009 Posts: 722 Location: TAOS
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 11:20 am Post subject: |
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My 82 was an auto and it kicked ass.
A friend of mine has about 200k miles on his auto Westy, mostly put there by him. He's hard on his van, hasn't been nice to it at all. His auto tranny is still plenty strong. In fact, when taking off from a stop light, that goes immediately up hill, he can drive away from the rest of us. For a little while anyway, we usually catch up part way through the climb.
I do get better MPGs than he does. _________________ 1987 GL Sunroof
2.1 4 spd |
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ursaworks Samba Member
Joined: December 03, 2010 Posts: 127 Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 12:25 pm Post subject: |
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got one love it, I did put in an external cooler just to relieve my mind on the intermix of at fluid and engine coolant. runs great I am concidering doning an lsd for it this summer. _________________ 1987 2WD GL Automatic
Westfalia full camper
Vanistain engine |
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morymob Samba Member
Joined: November 09, 2007 Posts: 4683 Location: east-tn
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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My 3rd wbx was a '84 auto, rescued from a mostly vw junk yd, got some brakes on it and usual fluid changes. Drove 2 1/2 yrs , no troubles and i liked it better than the 4spds.Smooth shifting and would out run the 4 sp's from a stop. Someone wanted it more than me(cash in hand) so.......... |
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scottf3334 Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2006 Posts: 205 Location: Davenport, FL
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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There are 2 auto vanagons in my family. My 1.9 and my moms new 87 bostig
Autos fit the vanagon lifestyle for us.
All my other cars are manual, so when I get in the westy, time to just point and go. Nice relaxing drive.
Plus, when I'm in the mountains, no need to use the emergency brake, gas, clutch and foot brake to try to keep from drifting into the car that pulled 2 feet off your bumper at the stop sign(what Camry driver has any clue about manual transmissions?)
Never have done anything to either transmission other than filter and fluid changes.
If I had to chose between a manual vanagon and no vanagon, I'd be shifting. But if the choice was manual or auto, it'd be auto. _________________ 84 Westy
78 Super vert
87 Westy Zetec |
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indytriple Samba Member
Joined: April 27, 2009 Posts: 710 Location: Brownsburg, Indiana
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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ursaworks wrote: |
I did put in an external cooler just to relieve my mind on the intermix of at fluid and engine coolant. |
Did this in my Westy with the GW unit. Good investment with an A/T. _________________ "See The Glass As Already Broken."
87 Vanagon Westy Auto Bostig
www.bluegrassbicyclecompany.com |
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Popsvan Samba Member
Joined: May 10, 2010 Posts: 112 Location: Louisa, VA
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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I enjoy mine in an 82 A/C westy. Live in the hills of SE PA and it does well. _________________ Rory
Louisa VA
87 Westy Automatic |
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kurt vonnagon Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2011 Posts: 195 Location: mechanicsburg pa.
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for all your post . I just got back 200 mile drive. I did stop at every state park and cool place to see on the way back. Here is the deal 91 kind of a plane jane but has skirts the hole way around. Alloy Rims rims no chrome on window's and black trim. The good pretty much rust free i have owned a lot of bus's this one is dam good. Now the bad owner said someone stole the battery i brought my own. Didn't start it eurghed but didn't eurghed eurghed something's tight. It has bin painted two times . No start its a parts van to me. This is the craigs list link. If i can help. You can PM me with your phone number. Again thank you all Kurt. PS i didn't know how to spell eurghed but i think you know what i mean. http://winchester.craigslist.org/cto/2785939571.html |
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mtwrench540 Samba Member
Joined: October 25, 2009 Posts: 351 Location: monterey,va
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Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2012 8:31 pm Post subject: a/t |
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one of the best things you can do for your a/t is to have synthetic fluid due to it's much higher tolerance to temperature,check it out on google! amsoil has the highest rating but is pricy! i know from experieance on my 86,if temp out rose above 95 van no go till evening when cooler! dam i can't spell anymore! _________________ 87 wolfsberg,74 181w/1915 and lots of patina! learned to fix vw's from hot vw mag in 1964,VWOA instructor,DSM,69 to73,service mgr at different porsche-audi dealers etc,etc,now retired!!! first vw new 64,transplanted 356 eng in 65,400characters are not enough space!! |
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