Syncro Transaxle rebuild: Part 1, Initial inspection / stand

[DanHoug]

those look pretty good but they really need to have the gear oil cleaned off them so you're looking at dry metal. kinda like every paint job looks good after a rain.
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[old_man]

I agree with above, other than being interesting and satisfying a curiosity at this point this all serves little purpose. Strip the entire thing down, clean the parts, inspect them, and then come up with a shopping list.

Measure the backlash, mark the adjusters, and tear into it.

In focus pictures are sometimes better than a video for showing questionable markings.

Hopefully you're having fun.

[jimf909]

Thanks for posting progress of this work. I recall following old_man's transmission rebuild thread and enjoyed watching the progress.
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- Jim

[syncro surf]

This is excellent - Thank you for doing this!!

[MuzzcoVW]

Hi Again. This is timely as I'll be tearing mine down tomorrow. I'll let you know how the 3D printed R&P adjuster tool works. FYI, one thing i found when it showed up is that it takes a 3/4 drive ratchet (that I don't have). Time to shoot to H.F.

[Sodo]

Yes a 1/2 to 3/4 adapter would be required.
But consider you'll need a real 3/4 breaker-bar for your rear axle nuts and it's only $10 more.....
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[MuzzcoVW]

[tjet]

That's a nice looking van. Was it originally from MA? I don't see any rust.

Also, the starter location on your trans is on the other side compared to mine. Is it for a diesel?

I plan to check the backlash today on mine. Will get a few pics.

[MuzzcoVW]

[tjet]

Too bad the syncro R&P is different, because I wouldn't mind having a 5.43 vs my 4.86 (& the need to swap the front R&P too)

[Sodo]

if no injuries, a low-mile OG 5.43 is good trading stock!
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[tjet]

I measured the backlash at several locations. From .007" to .008"

Not sure what the limits are.

[gears]

Backlash measurement on a used trans is typically a bit sloppy, but yours seems right on the money.
_________________
aka Pablo, Geary
9.36 @ 146 in '86 Hot & Sticky
'90 Syncro Westy SVX
'87 Syncro GL 2.5
https://guardtransaxle.com

[tjet]

Awesome, that's good to know.

I'm still going to get your 0.925 4th, and maybe a limited slip for it

And thanks again for the quick ship on your 3-4 slider hub.

[ALIKA T3]

To be a bit picky, that's not where VW measured and gave the specs for, so there's a slight discrepancy in your measuring spot.

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Silicone Steering Boots and 930 Cv boots for sale in the classifieds.
Syncro transmission upgrade parts in the Classifieds.
Subaru EJ22+UN1 5 speed transmission
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=416343
Syncro http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...num+gadget

[tjet]

Thanks for pointing that out, I can redo it, no problem.

So, match that angle in your drawing? How far down on the ring gear should I position the contact foot of the tool, or should I need to just match that angle?

[MarkWard]

I measure all ring gear backlash at the outside edge of the ring gear tooth. As long as you always measure at the same point. Used gears if in spec I will try to repeat the number. Something that’s say .020” out has something likely wrong. What is more important is that there is some measurable backlash new or old gears. Too tight is almost worse than too loose.
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☮️

[MuzzcoVW]

[tjet]

Link

[tjet]

On the chart above, the biggest variation was .002", and 12 had zero variation on the second reading.

Out of curiosity, I lined up the numbers to match the pinion rotations (highlighted yellow).

The biggest variation was .001, and 16 had zero variation.

I would guess the most accurate reading would be to spin the ring gear a number of times until it lands on the original pinion gear when I started.

Also on that video I posted, you can see a couple of errors when I accidentally "pushed" the ring gear too far.

As for the tool placement, that was the lowest angle I could get.

Edit: Lol - I misread Mark's reply. I thought he said he measures all ring gear teeth, like individual What else am I going to do on a Sunday?