advice on shop to rebuild transmission in SF Bay Area

[madspaniard]

Does anybody know of a good affordable place that will rebuild the transmission in the Bay Area? I'm aware of Buslab, those guys are good, just looking for other places to compare. The stock tranny is likely to fail me anytime soon.

Thanks

[j_dirge]

Check City Automotive in downtown San Fran. Does mostly VWs.. Lots of Vanagons
I was impressed with his shop. Very clean. And he did a thorough job on a tune-up for me.

I know he rebuilds WBxrs.. quoted me $4300.
Not too sure what he'd do about a transmission.

Another option is to buy a rebuild from GoWesty and have a local garage do the swap.

[regis101]

I hear good things about,

Ron's Transaxle
1009 Broadway
San Pablo
510 235 6263

There is also Long Enterprise in (?) Sebastapool.

Both quoted ~1300 for a full rebuild.
_________________
Peace, ~R

[RCB]

While your contemplating....contemplate Freds Garage in Redwood City.
Their Transmission re-builder only does transmissions and has for the past 20 or so years.
He is not a sub-contractor.. he works for Tom and John.
I had my motor completely rebuilt and my transmission totally rebuilt at the same time.
My 82 Westy is extremely happy with the work done on both rebuilds.
Freds Garage's phone number is 650-368-5343.
Best 2U,
Robert in San Francisco

[madspaniard]

hey, great info, thanks to all of you

[Jamos]

I've heard and read many great things about Long Enterprises:
http://www.longenterprises.com/

and about Fred's Garage as well...
although I've no personal experience with either.

I wonder how much Buslab would quote/charge for a rebuild?

madspaniard, your van must be getting into great shape, I always read about you replacing parts!!!
_________________
'86 Wolfy Westy Weekender
2020 Audi Q5

[madspaniard]

[dobryan]

If you have a good mechanic but need a rebuilt trans have your mechanic pull your trans and send it to Daryl at

http://www.aatransaxle.com/

Daryl is one of the best rebuilders and he backs up his work. Pulling the trans is quite simple so any garage should be able to do it if you can't. Check out Daryl's prices for a rebuild and add in your shops labor. Be careful of a local rebuilder who doesn't really understand the weak pionts of these trans. You can get a 'rebuild' that will have problems sooner than you'd like.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

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[ftp2leta]

[madspaniard]

thanks you two...

Daryl's website says..."Rebuilt Manual VW Transmissions with a 2 Yr Warranty". Mine is an automatic, I'll be calling them

[austinado16]

All of the 010 automatics (used in everything VW built until '92/'93) are defective due to the close proximaty of 2 internal shafts. These shafts generate so much heat that their oil seals fail. Once the seals fail, the transmission will start swapping fluid between the gear oil in the differential section and the ATF in the automatic section.

How the fluid is swapped depends on which seal fails first. Sometimes, the ATF gets pumped into the differential. So you'll have an automatic that is always low on fluid, with no external oil leaks. When this happens, the differential is destroyed because the gear set is running in 10w oil instead of 90w gear oil. If you don't catch the low fluid, the automatic will also be destroyed. If the transmission starts pumping 90w gear oil into the automatic, you'll have an automatic with gold colored fluid on the dipstick, and it will smell like gear oil. When this happens, the automatic is damaged from running in gear oil, and the differential is destroyed because it runs out of gear oil.

An updated set of high heat silicone seals were made, and that's what typically comes in the repair kit. So you can actuall pop the transmission out, seperate the automatic section from the differential section, replace the seals between the two, and put it back together. Fresh fluids in both halves, and you're good to go. You just have to catch it doing this before the damage occurs.

So keep synthetic in both halves, check the condition of each, often, and service both frequently.

"German Transaxle" in Bend, OR has been building transaxles for decades and their work is outstanding. They'll send you a trans, or a portion thereof (like if your differential section is all that's bad) and you send back your damaged unit. Greyhound bus, or FedEx Ground are both very inexpensive for stuff like this.
_________________
4 little pistons hammering themselves silly
__________________________________________
1970 Austin America
1966 Mercedes 250SE Coupe (sunroof & 4 on the floor)
1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel LX P/u
1986 Kawasaki Ninja 600R
1990 GMC 1/2ton 4x4 Suburban
1995 Audi A6 Quattro Avant

[madspaniard]

thanks a lot austinado,

the reason I started looking into rebuilding the tranny is what you just said..."Once the seals fail, the transmission will start swapping fluid between the gear oil in the differential section and the ATF in the automatic section". My local VW shop noticed this when I did a first general inspection. I've noticed myself an oil leak in the seal between the transaxel and the autotranny.

I have no gear slipping yet.Besides this oil leak, the only bad symptom I have so far is a hesitation to engage right off the mark when I start the van in the morning, I engage the automatic gear and the van doesn't move for a few seconds...torque converter? or maybe it is just a FI problem, like the AFM or the TPS? how can I tell this is a tranny or an injection problem?

[austinado16]

Easy to rule out fuel injection. If you can sit in park and rev the engine normally, it's not the engine, ignition, fuel injection or anything else.....it's the transmission not hooking up.

What I would do if this were in my driveway:
1) Drain the automatic and replace the trans filter, and clean the pan. Then refill with Motul ATF (Dexron Mercon).

2) Drain the differential and replace that gear oil with Royal Purple, or Redline, or similar synthetic.

3) Enjoy the van for month or 3 and then dump the trans fluid again, and put back more Motul......because the trans holds more quarts than what you are able to drain out during a service. And this will help you get the most amount of clean fresh Motul in there.

4) Continue enjoying the van, but start planning for taking the trans out, and replacing those failed seals.

Every single one of these transmissions failed like this, didn't matter if it was in a Rabbit, Jetta, Golf, Vanagon, Audi 4000/5000, Quantum, Convertible or Cabriolet. They all failed, and even the rebuilt units will fail the same way. There's just no getting around the heat that's generated in one concentrated location.

The reason why your transmission isn't hooking up when cold is probably because you're pumping differential gear oil into the automatic. There's no way those clutch packs and brake bands are going to grab when they are slimmed in a coating of 90w. Do the steps above and I think you'll have good results, and you may be able to milk that transmission along for years to come if you just keep the fluids synthetic, and fresh.
_________________
4 little pistons hammering themselves silly
__________________________________________
1970 Austin America
1966 Mercedes 250SE Coupe (sunroof & 4 on the floor)
1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel LX P/u
1986 Kawasaki Ninja 600R
1990 GMC 1/2ton 4x4 Suburban
1995 Audi A6 Quattro Avant

[madspaniard]

holy cow, thanks a lot, you da man!