Hayne's manual confusion

[kvorhies]

I'm getting ready to replace the clutch on my vanagon, and have a few questions that the Hayne's manual leaves me confused on.

After I remove the transmission, will the throwout/clutch release bearing be visible?

The manual says that in order to gain access to the clutch assembly, I need to first remove the gearbox... Does it mean the transmission?

I'm confused by this because under the transmission section of the manual it shows the transmission as having three housings: Clutch, Gearbox, and Geartrain. It also says at the beginning of how to remove the clutch release bearing, that I have to remove the transmission, then at the end, to re-install the gearbox (gearbox, not transmission)

I would really appreciate some clarification because what I read about how to seperate the housings sounds way too complicated.

1981 Vanagon
2.0L FI
Air-Cooled
4-Speed Manual
2WD

(On a side note, the hayne's manual also says only to use grease from the VW dealer when replacing cv boots... Is this really necessary?)

[Racerrojo]

The trany is attached to the engine by three 17 mm nuts and one bolt by the starter. The bell housing holds the starter and trow out bearing and that what will separate the engine from the trany. the trow out bearing and bell housing stay with the trany. the clutch assembly. is attached to the fly wheel on the engine by six bolts.
_________________
Tight is tight... too tight is expensive!!!!


Too many vans and mostly all projects

[thatvwbusguy]

No need to use grease from the VW dealer for the CV joints. Any high quality grease that is labeled for use with CV joints will do fine. I have been using the Valvoline DuraBlend synthetic for a few years with no problems. Comes in 14.1oz tubes for your grease gun or 1lb tubs for general use.
_________________
Jay Brown
'85 Zetec Westfalia
Newmarket, NH


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[kvorhies]

Thanks everybody, I appreciate the help.

I thought it would seem strange for the cv joint to require a special "dealer only" grease, but I'm the type of person who would rather ask a seemingly obvious question, than make assumptions and potentially damage something.

[Wildthings]

You can pull either the transmission or the engine to do this job. Your choice should depend on what else you need to do while you have them split apart. I you have a lot of other work to do on the engine then pull the engine and not the tranny. The tranny is probably the easier to pull of the two, but not by all that much.

Gearbox and transmission or synonymous terms.

VW prices are so out of line when it comes to many parts and products that VW mechanics themselves don't use VW stuff but go down to the corner FLAPS instead to get what they need. The first and only time I ever when to a VW dealer to get CV joint grease the parts man went out and rounded me up several half used tubes of regular moly from the shop mechanics and gave it to me for nothing. At that time the VW stuff would have cost $10 a joint while a 14 oz tube of moly was probably two bucks and did two joints.

[Team WorldTour]

One thing you MUST keep in mind is this: the Haynes manual is a BRITISH publication. So you get terms like 'gearbox' 'spanner' 'boot' and 'bonnet'. It's a little confusing at first, but no worries, mate, you'll be alright.
_________________
1990 Feldjäger Syncro AAZ
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[kvorhies]

Thanks again. The confusion I was having with the terms "gearbox" and "transmission" is that in the instructions on how to replace the throwout bearing, it started by saying "remove the transmission" and ended with "install the gearbox." Basically my confusion was on the fact that they switched terms during the same instruction steps.

Especially since under the transmission section of the manual the transmission is always referred to as "transmission" while they use the term "gearbox" to describe the gearbox housing that is part of the transmission.

I hope that makes sense. Also, I've read on some of the forums that there are certain seals that are good to replace when working on the clutch. Could anyone clarify what those are? I think there's one directly behind the flywheel, but I'm not sure...

[MarkWard]

And technically it is really called a "transaxle". There is a seal behind the throwout bearing that you can replace fairly easily. The flywheel seal is a bigger job to do since you need to pull the flywheel off to gain access to the seal. If the back of the engine case is dry and you do not need to resurface the flywheel, you might be ok on your first time, not replacing the rear crank seal. If the clutch disc has worn to the rivets, then you will most likely have to have the flywheel resurfaced or replaced with a know good one. Other wise you can knock the glaze off of the flywheel clutch surface with some 80 grit sand paper or red scotch brite. You need to look at the pilot bearing as well. Pulling the engine or the transaxle is a lot of work. The recommendation to replace all wear items i.e. seals, bearings, etc is to save having to redo the job again sometimes sooner than later. So in the end it is your call. Good luck with the job. You will need a clutch disc alignment tool. Some clutch kits come with them. If you try to eyeball it, you may have an impossible task of getting the engine and transaxle mated up. Regards.

[Ahwahnee]

[kvorhies]

I'm going to inspect all of the parts before making any decisions on what I purchase. I'm not sure about the main seal though. What are the chances of it going bad shortly after I do the job if it's good now? Do they last awhile? The car had an engine rebuild in '99 and the clutch was replaced then, so I would assume it had a seal put in then.

Also, what makes the flywheel removal so difficult? It looked pretty straightforward in the instructions. The highest torqued bolt on the 2.0L engine's flywheel is 81lbs.

The clutchkit I'm getting comes with: Clutch Disc, Cover Assembly, Release Bearing, Pilot Bearing, Alignment Tool

Thanks for all the input! I know I'm rather full of questions.

[Team WorldTour]

[Wildthings]

[kvorhies]

Okay, I'll replace it then.

[msinabottle]

... which I did not write, although I tweaked it a bit:


The Idiots Guide To The Haynes Manual
For those of us that have ever used a Haynes Manual:

Haynes: Rotate anticlockwise.

Translation: Clamp with molegrips then beat repeatedly with hammer
anticlockwise.

Haynes: This is a snug fit.

Translation: You will skin your knuckles!

Haynes: This is a tight fit.

Translation: Not a hope in hell matey!

Haynes: As described in Chapter 7...

Translation: That`ll teach you not to read through before you start,
now you are looking at scarey photos of the inside of a gearbox.

Haynes: Pry...

Translation: Hammer a screwdriver into...

Haynes: Undo...

Translation: Go buy a tin of WD40 (catering size).

Haynes: remove small retaining clip

Translation: take off 15 years of stubborn crud, it's there somewhere

Haynes: Retain tiny spring...

Translation: "Sheeze! What was that, it nearly had my eye out"!

Haynes: Press and rotate to remove bulb...

Translation: OK - thats the glass bit off, now fetch some good pliers
to dig out the bayonet part. Didja disconnect the battery? <<<ZAP!>>>
That would be, 'No.'

Haynes: Lightly...

Translation: Start off lightly and build up till the veins on your
forehead are throbbing then re-check the manual because what you are
doing now cannot be considered as "lightly".

Haynes:remove drum retaining pin

Translation: break every screwdriver in your box.

Haynes: Weekly checks...

Translation: If it isn't broken don't fix it!

Haynes: Routine maintenance...

Translation: If it isn`t broken... it`s about to be!

Haynes: One spanner rating.

Translation: Your Mum could do this... so how did you manage to botch it up?

Haynes: Two spanner rating.

Translation: Now you may think that you can do this because two is a
low, tiny, ikkle number... but you also thought that the wiring diagram
was a map of the Tokyo underground (in fact that would have been more
use to you).

Haynes: Three spanner rating.

Translation: It's going to start out so, so well...

Haynes: Four spanner rating.

Translation: You are seriously considering this aren`t you, you pleb!

Haynes: Five spanner rating.

Translation: OK - but don`t expect us to ride it afterwards!!!

Haynes: If not, you can fabricate your own special tool like this...

Translation: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

Haynes: Compress...

Translation: Squeeze with all your might, jump up and down on it, swear
at it, throw at the garage wall, then search for it the dark corner of
the garage whilst muttering "bugger" repeatedly under your breath.

Haynes: Inspect...

Translation: Squint at really hard and pretend you know what you are
looking at, then declare in a loud knowing voice to your wife "Yep, as I
thought, it`s going to need a new one"! BTW, NAPA just closed.

Haynes: Carefully...

Translation: You are about to cut yourself!

Haynes: Retaining nut...

Translation: Yes, that`s it, that big spherical blob of rust.

Haynes: Get an assistant...

Translation: Prepare to humiliate yourself in front of someone you know.

Haynes: Turning the engine will be easier with the spark pugs removed.

Translation: However, starting the engine afterwards will be much
harder. Once that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach has
subsided, you can start to feel deeply ashamed as you gingerly refit the spark plugs.

Haynes: Refitting is the reverse sequence to removal.

Translation: But you swear in different places.

Haynes: Prise away plastic locating pegs...

Translation: Snap off...

Haynes: Refit 4 retaining bolts.

Translation: Yes you will have to find the one under the bench.

Haynes: Using a suitable drift...

Translation: The biggest nail in your tool box isn`t a suitable drift! The suitable drift is there--bent.

Haynes: Everyday toolkit

Translation: Ensure you have an RAC Card & Mobile Phone

Haynes: Apply moderate heat...

Translation: Placing your mouth near it and huffing isn`t moderate heat. How are you on the subject of 'propane?' Is the phrase 'Second Degree Burn' familiar?

Haynes: Index

Translation: List of all the things in the book bar the thing you
want to do!
_________________
'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence."

[kvorhies]

I've seen that Hayne's manual joke a few times... I find it disturbingly accurate

Unfortunately, I think the problem lies with my transmission now... Not the clutch.