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Syncro Jael
Samba Member
Joined: December 19, 2013
Posts: 2204
Location: Utah
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Jon_slider
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2007
Posts: 5091
Location: Santa Cruz, Crowdifornia
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 Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 8:13 am Post subject: |
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| VANGAUX wrote: |
We have a '91 Westy with stock engine and manual transmission...Daryl used Mobile 1 Delvac 75/90 synthetic (API GL-5) and it made a very noticeable improvement in noise at highway speed. ...
To quote Daryl from an email he sent me: "The oil I used was Mobil 1 Delvac 75/90 synthetic and it really is some magic stuff it seems."
A frequent poster on the Vanagon.com email list said..."Daryl's position was Swepco is only needed in vans running 150 - 200 horsepower and that lower power vans are fine with Delvac or possibly Amsoil but to not use Redline as the formula had been changed and no longer meets the requirements for our transmissions." |
Daryl had a bostig for a short time (140 hp), which he replaced with a Subaru 2.5 (165 hp)
One reason to use synthetic, is that it shifts easier when cold. Swepco 201 is more protective though (as Daryl says to use it in Vans with more than 150hp), and Swepco 201 shifts great once it reaches 75F in my experience.
Besides Daryl, here is another source that recommends Swepco 201 over Delvac, note the part that says "Swepco 201 is a better choice for... VW manual gearboxes"
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/756833-mobil-1-delvac-g50-lsd-option.html
"Mobil Delvac Synthetic Gear Oil, is the factory fill from Porsche on factory cars… We recommend this gear lubricant in G50 and later manual gearboxes (or any gearboxes calling for a GL5 lubricant) for both aircooled and watercooled Porsches without limited-slip differentials. Not a limited slip gear lubricant! Although also compatible with earlier Porsche gearboxes, Swepco 201 is a better choice for these gearboxes in our personal experience (including 901 and 915, as well as VW manual gearboxes)".
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My Soapboxes: Inflation; Handling; Gearing; Decoupling; Swepco |
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Jake de Villiers
Samba Member
Joined: October 24, 2007
Posts: 5911
Location: Tsawwassen, BC
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 9:07 am Post subject: |
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| Gizmoman wrote: |
Speaking of threadjacking (sorry Vermontgirl), but while we have all the tranny oil experts here . . . My rig's in my sig - I have Royal Purple Max-Gear 75-90 synthetic in the transmission. After about an hour of freeway driving with some long 3% grades, my fourth gear is getting quite noisy. Me thinks the added HP is killing the transmission, but would like to get some more miles out of it before a Rancho or other upgrade.
What oil would be best to add a bit more life? |
Daryl recommended Swepco 210 for higher power engine conversions like my 165 HP Subaru.
_________________
'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com |
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Jon_slider
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2007
Posts: 5091
Location: Santa Cruz, Crowdifornia
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Jake de Villiers
Samba Member
Joined: October 24, 2007
Posts: 5911
Location: Tsawwassen, BC
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syncrodoka
Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2005
Posts: 12006
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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This thread turned into a complete threadjack. If everybody who threadjacked here kicked in $5 for each of their OT posts we could buy the OP a rebuilt tranny. 
Someone set up a paypal fund and I will send my $5.  |
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childofthewind
Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2010
Posts: 763
Location: Eastern Sierra
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 8:26 am Post subject: |
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| syncrodoka wrote: |
This thread turned into a complete threadjack. If everybody who threadjacked here kicked in $5 for each of their OT posts we could buy the OP a rebuilt tranny.
Someone set up a paypal fund and I will send my $5. |
HA!! Love this.. and the idea of paypal funding my new tranny! (there are in fact people on here who have payed it forward, giving what they can to help me out in repair costs. This sort of generosity & kindness is dumbfounding, refreshing, and restorative of my faith in humanity.)
Anyway, I do realize I asked a "can of worms" question to begin with and thus expected this thread to spawn many tributaries.
I've gotten every voice of advice. Yesterday, a local reputable mechanic said there's no use in draining the tranny fluid if I can't afford to rebuild/buy used right now. (in my heart & mind it makes the most sense to rebuild but i'm still open to a decent used.) He, like some of you, said I might as well drive it until it no longer drives, keeping my AAA updated and not going on any super long trips. In some ways this does make the most sense to me -- only because I know I'm working my tail off all summer with no vacations until this fall (and that will involve flying, not driving) so if all I can do is drive to local mountains & the pacific for hiking and camping whilst saving for a rebuild, that will have to do. Of course I am aware that I'm at risk of the trans failing every time I drive Esther. I'm aware that the trans could give out on me in the most inconvenient (and unsafest) of places.
When I started this thread I wanted opinions and advice on what you have done or would do in my predicament. If I couldn't handle what you all truly think, etc, I would've kept quiet.
I am here to learn from you all. Every piece of advice is worthy. I've gotten it all including the "you're just an idiot girl who knows sh*t about working on these things, why even bother." Even that pitiful mentality is useful in its own right. I have unlimited brain space for these things but def a limited shop & tools capacity for it. That's most of my issues. I mostly rent and have a street to park in, with little to no storage for tools larger than what always stay in my van.
I'll keep this thread updated with what's happening.
Best,
VG
_________________
1987.5 wolfsburg hardtop; 2.1
“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote." - Melville |
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insyncro
Banned
Joined: March 07, 2002
Posts: 15086
Location: New York
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 8:47 am Post subject: |
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VTgirl, keep your head up.
Some of the "know it all posters" are misquoting and actually need to brush up on the info they keep posting.
I don't have time or the desire to reiterate the correct info any longer.
Go with what you can afford.
Many around these forums talk so much and actually have ZERO experience.
They are just reposting what others have posted....not always correct I might add  |
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Jake de Villiers
Samba Member
Joined: October 24, 2007
Posts: 5911
Location: Tsawwassen, BC
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 10:53 am Post subject: |
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| syncrodoka wrote: |
This thread turned into a complete threadjack. If everybody who threadjacked here kicked in $5 for each of their OT posts we could buy the OP a rebuilt tranny.
Someone set up a paypal fund and I will send my $5. |
That's a great idea - I'm in! Something like a Kickstarter or GoFundMe campaign. Or just email your PayPal address.
Go Luca!
_________________
'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com |
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childofthewind
Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2010
Posts: 763
Location: Eastern Sierra
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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Here it is!
I refilled with this because it's what I could afford & is within specs:
http://www.amazon.com/Sta-Lube-SL24239-GL-4-Multi-Purpose-Hypoid/dp/B000M8RYMC
And, a big warm thank you to Dampcamper for his help, time, & guidance this morning. I sure made a mess but got it done!
Now, tell me about that plug...
_________________
1987.5 wolfsburg hardtop; 2.1
“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote." - Melville
Last edited by childofthewind on Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:03 am; edited 1 time in total |
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crazyvwvanman
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2008
Posts: 9935
Location: Orbiting San Diego
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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To me that is a pretty typical amount of metal fuzz for a tranny that has gone a LONG ways on the same oil, even maybe still the original oil. What I do is grab the entire ball of fuzz with a clean paper towel. As scary as it looks on the magnet, once it is away from the magnet the clump of fuzz just falls into bits. Then I look at the bits to see sizes and shapes. If all of it turns into basically metal dust on the towel then maybe ok. If you can make out pieces of spring or teeth or chunks of anything, uh-oh.
What about the color of the drained oil. Was it just dark and dirty or did it have a metallic sheen from chewed up aluminum? A metallic sheen means uh-oh.
At this point I wouldn't worry much about what gear oil gets put in. The tranny has lived the better part of its life and no telling if it will go for years more or only months more. Assuming it was only fine metal dust on the magnet, I would run it and keep an ear on it. If this is your regular driver vehicle you should be able to tell if things start to take a sudden turn for the worse.
Mark
| vermontgirl wrote: |
....
Now, tell me about that plug... |
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7922
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| vermontgirl wrote: |
| I've gotten it all including the "you're just an idiot girl who knows sh*t about working on these things, why even bother." Even that pitiful mentality is useful in its own right. |
No, it isn't. Those type of remarks come from boys who never grew up, nor have any respect for car chicks. While it gives you and other women an even bigger drive to fix your/our own vehicles, it does nothing more than add noise to the conversation. That post of Turbo's should've been reported, and I'm sorry I hadn't opened this thread two weeks ago to see it (I've now removed it). Sarcastic and disparaging remarks towards the female gender I tolerate in the car world because it's simply a male-dominated realm; but when a girl is asking for help or guidance to fix a genuine car problem, that kind of crap doesn't fly with me. 
Speaking of noise, Luka has now replaced the gear oil. If y'all want to continue the gear oil debate, take it over to http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=366486 .
_________________
~Kamz 
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
 1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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Jon_slider
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2007
Posts: 5091
Location: Santa Cruz, Crowdifornia
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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| vermontgirl wrote: |
Now, tell me about that plug... |
you may also want to post it here
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=596332&start=20
and see a few other peoples plugs for comparison
congrats on your fluid flush, I hope your tranny continues to serve you well for at least another 10k miles so you can catch your breath between repairs
symptoms that would be warning signs of a worsening problem include
1. Increasingly difficulty when you shift into any gear, AFTER the transaxle has warmed up. Dont be confused by COLD shifting issues that go away once warmed up.
2. Changes in whining noise that the transaxle makes while driving, mostly what you can hear when going slow enough not to have highway noise drown out tranny noises. You may find your whining noise is greatest when decelerating, and you might choose to use slight positive pressure on the throttle to reduce how much time the tranny spends in whining mode.
3. Significant increase in vibration. Get into the habit of putting a finger on your shift knob, and developing a feel for your current baseline vibration at specific speeds and in specific gears. Example, 2nd@20mph, 3rd@40mph, 4th@60mph
Learn to distinguish vibration that is from the motor at different RPM, by developing a baseline feel with the van stopped in neutral. Rev to 1000, then 2000, then 3000, and even 4000 for just a couple of seconds, so you learn how much vibration exists from the motor alone, separate from vibration that happens when actually moving.
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My Soapboxes: Inflation; Handling; Gearing; Decoupling; Swepco |
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Dampcamper
Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2013
Posts: 788
Location: Rainy Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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| crazyvwvanman wrote: |
What about the color of the drained oil. Was it just dark and dirty or did it have a metallic sheen from chewed up aluminum? A metallic sheen means uh-oh.
Mark
| vermontgirl wrote: |
....
Now, tell me about that plug... |
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The drained oil was quite clear, properly light in color and had no metallic sheen to it and no discernable pattern of different colors in the pan. And it had a "nice bouquet" for gear oil, just the right amount of stinky. The van had been driven for a couple of miles just prior to draining so anything in there should have been stirred up into suspension in the oil. |
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Ahwahnee
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 9810
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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| vermontgirl wrote: |
Now, tell me about that plug... |
Pretty typical I'd say. Even the one from the rebuild I got from Daryl looked like that when I changed the oil after 30K miles. Seen plenty that looked much worse. |
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childofthewind
Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2010
Posts: 763
Location: Eastern Sierra
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 11:30 am Post subject: |
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hey, everyone. thought i'd give you an update since i've been quiet for a while (although have it be known i visit the samba daily).
i'm still driving with my old transmission and nothing has changed. it still whines and at times is a bugger getting into first but nothing super bad. i have a rebuilt fund set aside; hopefully along with my tax return i can proceed with a new transmission. i've had to fly back east a couple times this fall/winter since my dad was diagnosed with cancer so this has put a halt on all financial contributions to the tranny fund.
other than that, the van is running pretty well, with a couple minor issues lurking.. nothing out of the ordinary. 
i have my chains, snowshoes, portable heater, atlases, food, & beer all stocked in the van for cozy winter (short) trips. i hope you all have a great winter and thanks again for creating such a useful resource for me and my esther.
-luka
_________________
1987.5 wolfsburg hardtop; 2.1
“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote." - Melville |
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BlueGrasser
Samba Member
Joined: August 27, 2014
Posts: 562
Location: Sacramento
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 11:51 am Post subject: |
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| childofthewind wrote: |
hey, everyone. thought i'd give you an update since i've been quiet for a while (although have it be known i visit the samba daily).
i'm still driving with my old transmission and nothing has changed. it still whines and at times is a bugger getting into first but nothing super bad. i have a rebuilt fund set aside; hopefully along with my tax return i can proceed with a new transmission. i've had to fly back east a couple times this fall/winter since my dad was diagnosed with cancer so this has put a halt on all financial contributions to the tranny fund.
other than that, the van is running pretty well, with a couple minor issues lurking.. nothing out of the ordinary.
i have my chains, snowshoes, portable heater, atlases, food, & beer all stocked in the van for cozy winter (short) trips. i hope you all have a great winter and thanks again for creating such a useful resource for me and my esther.
-luka |
Be careful putting off a whining transmission too long. I bought mine with the knowledge that a rebuild was needed soon. It was leaking pretty bad, and whined as I went. I still drove it for a few trips, and thought, how bad can it be since it's still functional. When I took it in for the rebuild however, I learned that the whining was the slow death of the ring and pinion. It was totally unusable for the rebuild and ended up costing me a thousand dollars over the base rebuild cost. 
Oh well, at least I know I'm good for another couple hundred thousand miles now, and I no longer have to worry about the dreaded 3-4 slider sudden death syndrome.
Glad to hear you're still using your van throughout the winter. Be sure to wave as you go by if you head into the California mountains and foothills past Sacramento! 
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Going to where the grass is bluer...
1985 Vanagon Westfalia Camper with 1.8T |
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childofthewind
Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2010
Posts: 763
Location: Eastern Sierra
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| Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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well, it's not leaking.. not yet. it hasn't changed in months, since the initial episode (read the whole thread to learn more).
i bike to work 5 days a week and if i'm lucky, get out of the concrete jungle on one of my days off.
i just renewed my AAA premier. i'm not going too far away but know anything can happen anytime (life is a good reminder of that).
i'm really looking forward to a german transaxle rebuild come spring.
_________________
1987.5 wolfsburg hardtop; 2.1
“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote." - Melville |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16504
Location: Brookeville, MD
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boroko
Samba Member
Joined: September 11, 2012
Posts: 326
Location: S.W. Michigan
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| Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2014 5:43 am Post subject: |
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Vermontgirl,
Since you did the original oil change in June, maybe another is due. Now that you have a little time on it would be insightful. I know there is the cost of the oil and the inconvenience (and smell), but you would get a pretty good idea of the rate of wear. If you don't have the shimmer in the drained oil and the fur ball is not big, you may have some more time.
bo
_________________
'87 SyncroWesty: Smokey the Turtle, '85 SubiWesty: Chappie, '84 GTI, '86 GTI in full Rally trim,
previous: 2 Syncro tin tops, 2 Vanagons, 3 busses, 3 Ghias, 2 Jettas, a 411, a gas and a diesel Bunny and about 25 Beetles, one that only drove left. |
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