SVX Vanagon Gearing

[JWPATE]

Time now to start preparing the gear carrier. The sole reason for searching out this new aluminum specimen was for added strength, especially here at the main shaft roller bearing.

Today I took the case section up to 240 F in an oven, while the gear itself had been overnight in the freezer. They went together nicely with a satisfying clunk as the gear race reached the shoulder at the bottom of its bore. Then the special reverse idler fixture went in, also while the case was still hot. No press was required but be sure to position the fixture so that when the cover case slips over the idle gear post, all the hold-down bolts will also line up with their threaded holes.

The object is to clamp that steel fixture between the case cap and the gear outer race. With that in mind, I didn't use any loctite as some pros recommend.

[JWPATE]

CAUTION: AFTER MARKET PARTS AREN'T ALWAYS TO OEM SIZES

I had the needle bearing and third gear in place on this aftermarket main shaft. Just as I was about to go over and press on the slider hub, I noticed that the gear didn't feel right.......it was loose.

Sure enough that third gear race at the end of the pointer is 34 mm where the originals are 35. Most likely, the race was done undersize, in order to have more meat in the gear itself, if needed. My third gear though is standard, at a ratio of 1.26, and with the standard bore.

The guy I bought the items from doesn't take calls on Friday, so can only guess for now. There was no mention of this when I was ordering the shaft and racing gears, but it looks as though an aftermarket third gear needle cage will be required.

The original bearing was 35x40x23.8. Now I will need 34x40x23.8, in order to use this thing.

Is it available? Yup, have located the aftermarket bearing, and it is on order. Dead in the water again for a few days.

[MarkWard]

Good Catch. bummer.
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☮️

[JWPATE]

It seems to me, that one of the great advantages of the 091/1 and 094 transaxles is their ingenious shifter arrangement. It makes these later boxes much easier to work on too. There is no shifter adjustment either required or provided for. The reverse fork is removed and replaced during overhaul, and the other two forks are welded in place on their respective rods.

Experienced guys will yawn and move on here, but if you are doing this for the first time, then I consider it to be well worth the time/effort to go through this drill. Set up the shifters as seen, and study how that shifter shaft and the three rods actually work. Until you do this, believe me, you only have a general idea.

I did manage to locate new-old-stock rod bushings, and have them in now. The old ones looked ok and I shall save them as spares.

[JWPATE]

The aftermarket needle rollers for third gear have arrived, and that is them on the right side. The OEM rollers are included for comparison. Both are the same length, of course, but the set on the right are twice as thick, to account for the undersize third gear race used on the aftermarket main shaft. Naturally, with the larger roller diameters, there will be fewer of them.

The OEM bearing is 35/40 and the aftermarket replacement is 34/40.

The aftermarket unit is all-metal in construction, and so that we can get it in place it is manufactured in a split case design.

With the third gear in place, we can now press on the 3rd - 4th clutch gear hub (also aftermarket). That snap ring in the photo is an always-replace item according to VW (and we are using all new snap rings anyway).

So both gear clusters are complete now. They seem to shift smoothly and finally I am ready to start building up the case.

[JWPATE]

Rig up some kind of pipe arrangement, so that the pressure will fall only on the inner race of that bearing, and press it on with all gear carrier components already in place.

It might be possible to get some of those shift rods in place later, like perhaps the reverse rod. I just didn't feel like experimenting here, and played it safe. Everything went in together.

Before going further, it is wise to check first that everything is in order. Here I am holding the pinion while turning the main shaft. I believe this check is referred to as checking for a "clean neutral". It is smooth, without any noticeable drag. So we move on.

Put on the special main-shaft securing ring. This is another of the "always replace" items, and this one is new.

Don't imagine that you should put this item in place by spreading it over the gear seen here. No, use a soft drift and come in from the side using the lug just left of the pencil in this image.

It will be a snug fit indeed. Still, I have seen instructions, which suggest that it is now best to then press the shaft back against the ring, but I cannot agree. The fit is already very snug, and using a press on that shaft end now, would place all its pressure on the ball cage. Such a move would be foolish in my view! If the dimensions are slack, then go back and replace the warn parts.

As it is.......we move on to the main event.

[purplepeopleeater]

Hmm, Looks good.

I either need to figure out what i'm sticking with powerplant wise or do some different gearing for my H6.

[JWPATE]

TWAS A NICE DAY TODAY.

The object here is to try and obtain as wide a temperature spread as I can do, between the pinion bearing and the bore it must fit into. So the bearing, along with the rest of the gear carrier, spent the night here with the frozen dinners.

The bore, along with the rest of the main case, spent the first hour and a half this morning here. The oven was set at 220F, and I took the case out when it was 210. Heavy gloves recommended.

You may have already guessed that the lady of this house is away for a few days. This business is probably best kept among us guys.

As the young fellows might say, that's a cool carrier.

When the main case was almost ready, I took the gear carrier out and fitted the paper gasket. Paint on side and put it in place. Then paint the other as I am doing here. I used Three Bond 1211.

When all is ready, check the position of that yellow paint mark we put on to locate the bearing cage correctly, check one last time that the shim washer is in place on the bearing cage and go for it!

I had wood blocks already in place to set the case on. QUICKLY take out the hot case, position it on the blocks, offer up the gear carrier carefully. Don't drop the shim and don't alter the position of the bearing cage. It went in just about all the way. For the last little bit, I went out to the press bed, which had already been set up for the job, also with wooden blocks. It took very little pressure to bottom out the bearing.

Then I moved it here and put in the case hex screws just snug enough to seat the gasket tightly. That aluminum is a great conductor of heat, as we all know. By this point in the exercise, I couldn't detect any difference in the temperature of the gear carrier, compared to the case.

This is what you want to see when peering into the differential end. Notice the bearing case threads are extended out far enough to take the full nut and its .2mm washer. The pencil points out the yellow dot used to line up the bearing before dropping it in.

So it is decision time, with regard to the pinion nut. On the right is an aftermarket chromoly version, developed for heavy duty use. The one on the left is an OEM product from FAG. I had ordered the heavy duty version early on, thinking I would go for all the strength possible.

Our favorite professional adviser though, Mr. Gears, has recently provided more information on this issue. It is not such a simple choice after all. The OEM nuts have been known to pop off, but only under really extreme conditions, which my Westy will never be exposed to. So I don't really need the heavy duty version. And there is no provision on the chromoly nut for peening in place, as there is on the OEM. On top of that, the chromoly nuts have been known to damage the threads on the bearing.

Probably I would have been better off sticking to the OEM retainer, but since I already have both, I decided to use the heavy duty nut. It is on now with blue loctite.

So that I can sleep tonight, I needed to check the pinion depth one last time...........just to be sure. All is well, and it is right where it should be.

[Bcoe]

Glad you made the right decision on that wide flange chromoly pinion nut.
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86 syncro tintop 2.2 suby, 86 syncro tintop stock,dune buggy 2.2 suby powered,dune buggy 3.1 gm. chaindriven dune buggy 3.1 turbo charged propane,dune buggy 1914 vw, Myers Manx tow'd,and the list goes on.

[JWPATE]

MORE LEARNING BY DOING IT.

Just reversing the order it came apart, leads me next to the shifter shaft.

The shift ball lever and its rubber dust boot were, like some of us, well beyond their prime. The lever can still be had from VW, and the dust boot is available aftermarket from several sources. In the foreground are the plastic sleeve which serves as a bushing for the shaft, along with the oil seal.

The little flange at the inner end of the bushing must mate up with a recess machined for it inside the shaft bore drilling. One can locate it with a finger, and it's on the side nearest the reverse gear cover.

Missing, in the photo, is a new O-ring for the spring cover. Thankfully it will not slow me down much, for I can add it later.

This 12 point socket in 13/16 made a good tool for getting the oil seal in squarely. It seats, with the face just below that aluminum surface.

The shaft itself will go in there in either of two orientations. And the shift lever is no help here, for it will also to on the shaft splines in either of two ways. What we must do is locate the slot shown here, and position the shaft with that slot facing toward the differential end of the case.

You will notice that the end of the shaft which must be forced through the rubber seal has both splines and a shoulder. Experiences teaches us to use caution least we damage a new seal.

I thought of using heat shrink for this, but this seemed quicker. Plastic tape, and tied up so it cannot easily pull away.

The shaft went through, hopefully without damage to the seal. But it did dislodge it from its seat. So fit the spring and cover at the other end, and find a way to reseat the seal.

The high heresy I am seen in the act of here was just the most expedient way I could think of. The socket would no longer work, so I tap it back onto place with the drift hitting only on the outer metal cage.

And now it is satisfying to shift through the gears (not reverse yet) and note the linkage does feel smooth and easy.

At the other end, fit the reverse-light switch, using a new crush washer. Then hang a reminder of the missing O-ring.

Next in order will be replacing the reverse gear arrangement. We start by deciding what adjusting washer will be needed for the pinion shaft reverse gear.

VW instructs us to measure the distance between the top surface of that C-clip and the face of the roller bearing cage, as I am doing here. The distance, taken at several points, averaged 29 mm. Subtracting the thickness of the gear itself left me with 4.3 MM. That is about an average figure, and just fell into range of the black washer, part number 091 311 379A. I have one so that is what is used.

To check that the correct adjusting washer was truly selected, one can now check the end play of the reverse gear, which should be from .2mm to .4mm. I highly recommend this final check as it represents the object of the whole exercise.

[JWPATE]

Finally satisfied that the reverse gear has the correct washer, it it time to press on the slider hub. The best way I think, is to balance the entire transaxle on a suitable fixture directly under the pinion head. That way, the shaft itself will take the full force of the press operation, with no unnecessary stress or strain on the case or bearing.

Press it right home against the C-ring already on the shaft, and then tap on another C-ring at the end of the shaft, as seen here.

Then the slider, together with its fork, can go on. The fork is fastened to the shift rod by that single hex screw. No lock washer is used, but I did dress the threads with blue loctite.

The reverse idler gear goes on next, then its needle roller cage and the thrust washer on top. (Very early 091/1 transaxles had a washer also under the gear, but that is no longer used.)

It is possible at this point, to very slightly shift the position of the idler post by tapping the end of that aftermarket bearing clamp we are using (ditto with the OEM arrangement). This may be needed to obtain satisfactory backlash between the three gears.

When finished, the flat on top of the bearing clamp (pointer end) should be parallel with the case edge.

While the main case uses dedicated dowel pins for alignment, the gear carrier used these little sleeves to ensure the cover cap is correctly in place. Whether you use a new case, as being done here, or one of the GW sleeved cases, it will be necessary to obtain a set of these sleeves.

Use something as seen here to tap them home, or just a soft hammer would do just fine.

One last look, and prepare to seal it up. Using Three Bond 1211 here, along with the paper gasket.

And that wraps it up for the transmission end. Just have to put the differential back and it is done.

[JWPATE]

So as to feel comfortable that nothing has changed, I put the differential back in and returned the adjuster to the marked position. The ring gear backlash is still right at .2 mm, so all is well.

From here on, I need the current running transmission to come out of the Westy, because I shall be using the input shaft and bell housing. They are both conversion items from RJES.

The new differential will require a little different sequence than the OEM because of its larger size. First the diff goes in without side adjusters, which gives another 1/4 inch or so wiggle room. Then the input shaft goes in, and finally the side adjusters and the oil plate.

[JWPATE]

So to move forward I need the stock transaxle off. I took the day disconnecting everything and pulling out the engine/transaxle as a unit.

It will be easier for me to work on it this way. Tomorrow I will pull the stock transaxle off and swap the RJES clutch housing over to the new transaxle. At least that is the plan.

[bosruten]

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'87 Syncro Weekender

[JWPATE]

Before pulling the bell housing off, it is best to protect the oil seal against damage from the clutch end splines. I am using heat shrink here.

It's also best to relieve the side bearing preload before taking off the clutch housing. This C/V hub was stubborn and had to be persuaded off with the VW puller.

With the housing off and on the bench, it is easy to clean the sealing face. Take off the thick stuff with a blade, then acetone will work well for the final cleaning.

On the stock transmission, I had just joined the housing using Three Bond 1211. I have a paper gasket too this time, and so will use it.

That plastic tool is the VW number for front wheel-bearing oil seals on the Vanagon. It works great here on the side adjuster seals. A thin wipe around the edges with Curil T will make for a good seal, and also help to slip them in place. Hand pressure is all that is needed here. They also get new O-rings around the outer circumference.

With the differential loosely in place, there is room to easily get the input shaft in, with its circlip to retain the collar sleeve. Then the side adjusters can go in to support the differential. We will tighten them back to their marked index settings after the housing is in place.

Finally, put the oil plate in and take one last look.

Perform the routine steps with the side adjusters and C/V hubs, and we are ready to offer it up to the engine again.

[JWPATE]

AND THE NEW ORDER OF THINGS.......

I can manage it OK out in the open like this. All fitted up and ready to go back in. Will have to wait a few days though, before I have time for it.

I did sort out today the reason why these late, all-aluminum cases have an oil fill hole on the main case. It relates to that VW note from years ago, in which we were instructed not to fill the transaxles right up to the fill hole, but rather only 15 mm below. The reason given was for better shifting? I never took that advice much to heart, because it was just so much easier to fill it until it runs out the hole.

The added fill hole on the new case is 15 mm lower than the old, so I used it, and again just filled until it started to run back out. It takes about a pint less than a full gallon, and it is filled now with Swepco 201.

[Landsailer]

I sense that soon this will be the end of another JWPATE thread as his immaculate project is almost complete. Sir, your attention to detail, cleanliness, expertise, photographic ability, and overall writing style have made your build threads some of the best on the samba. I will probably never stuff a 3.3 that I have rebuilt into my van and certainly will never rebuild my own transaxle; but with threads like yours, it seems almost possible that I could.

Might I add, all of this work is done wearing a sweater; a sweater which has clean sleeves. This may be the most fantastic feat of them all.

Thanks for posting.

[Destructo]

I just want to back everything that Landsailer posted above.

JWPATE, I beg of you to find something else to fix. This forum needs you!
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1985 Wolfsburg Edition Westfalia Camper Bostig conversion

Dude, where's your van?

[Franklinstower]

Going this far I assumed you would be installing a Peloquin TBD? Any reason why you are not?

Paul
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'89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug

[Zeitgeist 13]

If you look closely at the diff pic above, I think it's some sort of TBD type, though I don't remember if he's mentioned it before.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?