2 Buses

[Amskeptic]

Bus is at AlwaysVW, it was hard to let go! But they confirmed the trans is at fault. First time in 14 years I have been Busless.
What will be done to fix this issue? I thought bad snychros were the reason for popping out, and these are new. Someone mentioned the gears get tapered and you can't see it, but that is what micrometers etc. are for.

Synchronizers just grip the gear to the synchro hub with sufficient force to . . . . synchronize the two to the same speed.
Then the slider is allowed to slip over the gear. Those "splines" can get beat up and allow torque to slide back out of gear. The keys are supposed to hold the slider in place when the shift is completed. They can be easily overpowered once the teeth are damaged, and, as importantly, when the shafts are allowed too much axial movement. That is where that bearing plate modification helps to hold the shafts from spooling back and forth.
Colin

a refresher (open in new tab and blow it up until you can read the fine print):

[hambone]

Trans is back, and still popping out of 4th. They are sending the shop "another one". What a fiasco.

[Amskeptic]

Trans is back, and still popping out of 4th. They are sending the shop "another one". What a fiasco.

Seriously? Does this mean they cannot find good parts?
Can you get the old parts/ photos of the old parts?
Colin

[hambone]

Shop owner doesn't understand why this is happening. He wants to take it apart himself to see what is going on.
In the meantime, I get another unknown transmission, same gearing. Do I have any faith that this will last past 5 years?
5 weeks without my Bus...

[hambone]

Bus is back, no more popping out of 4th. There is a high pitched whine in 4th, very slight, hope it goes away.
Reverse lights are stuck on for some reason...and the shop neglected to tighten down my air cleaner. Also 3rd is way forward towards the dash, I can barely shift now. So it goes, I'm sorta disappointed that things were given to me so sloppy. Even the back hatch was left open. The modern world.
Do I bring these things up? I do want them to fix the reverse lights.

[chachi]

this all sounds so similar to my experence with the vanagon, "this?! this is what real money gets you?!" i'm sorry for both of us. but if it makes you feel any better some days the vanagon runs really well.

[Amskeptic]

Bus is back, no more popping out of 4th. There is a high pitched whine in 4th, very slight, hope it goes away.
Reverse lights are stuck on for some reason...and the shop neglected to tighten down my air cleaner. Also 3rd is way forward towards the dash, I can barely shift now. So it goes, I'm sorta disappointed that things were given to me so sloppy. Even the back hatch was left open. The modern world.
Do I bring these things up? I do want them to fix the reverse lights.

The last weird shifter position I ran across was because someone put the coupler on upside down and drilled a damn hole into the transaxle's shift rod that was slightly too far back, thus 3rd gear engaged under the ash tray.

Do you think it was easy to loosen and remove the coupler grub screw in a bus that was sticking up instead of down?

Yeah, it wasn't too difficult. Better yet, when we reinstalled the coupler with the grub screw oriented downward, the shifter alignment was spot-on.

Then we asked, what sort of moron . . . . . . . . . . . ?
Turns out, I think that someone erred in thinking that they had to modify the hockey stick. Bug hockey sticks normally turn hard-right inside of bug nose cones. To make it turn left for use in a bus, you'd have to rotate the hockey stick 180*, ergo! the old up grub screw is now down. But SOMEONE confused themselves when remembering that you remove the rear coupler from inside the car on a bug, where the grub screw is right there facing up and they ASSUMED that they had to drill a new divot for the grub screw to use in a bus, ahh well.

Do I ramble?

Check your shift rod sticking out of the nose cone. Remove the rear coupler and see if you have a divot residing at the top of the shift rod as well as the currently used bottom one. If so, they are cleaning out used parts off the floor.

If everything is perfecto OEM lovely, do the same sort of investigation at the collar/grub screw between the front and the rear shift rod. You want to get the overall shift rod length slightly lengthened. You CAN make a new divot with little risk of FingUBAR at the front/rear shift rod collar.
ColinTheFunNeverEnds

[hambone]

I can deal with it. First to replace the emergency brake centering spring, it has been missing for a long time. The shifting was the same way with the old transmission, it must be the geometry of the Bus. I still have to deal with the reverse lights....

The former Bookwus 30pict3 seems to run OK but there is a slight flat spot from idle. Also the idle air screw is alltheway in but the idle is still slightly high. Is this a jetting issue? I've never seen that before, usually a bottomed out screw will kill the idle. Yes, the fun never ends.
I'm driving to the Coast on Friday, hundred miles or so, I'll let you guys know how it goes. So far it's been fine around town. It would be fun to drive to chicago and say hi to some people I used to know.

[hambone]

Improved the mixture by dipping into the lean zone. The idle drops, allowing the idle air screw to do it's job. Weird, I have never adjusted a carb this way, usually the mixture is set CCW past the "die out" spot. Either way we will see. The flat spot seems to have improved.
BTW have you used the Lucas fuel additive? Keeps the carb sparkling clean, improves fuel economy, and boots performance. I used it all summer, only a couple ounces per fill up. Really makes a difference, hope it isn't hard on the engine somehow. They claim that it helps cushion valve seats but I dunno about that.
Also fixed the reverse lights. The switch, an old VW Germany was stuck in place. Maybe it was OK when it was installed but I don't think Rancho checked. Used the old one off my decrepit trans. First time I've had the glass lenses off since I've owned the Bus, yes filthy. But the original rubber seals are still like new. LIKE NEW, 48 years old.

[Amskeptic]

Improved the mixture by dipping into the lean zone. The idle drops, allowing the idle air screw to do it's job. Weird, I have never adjusted a carb this way, usually the mixture is set CCW past the "die out" spot. Either way we will see. The flat spot seems to have improved.
BTW have you used the Lucas fuel additive? Keeps the carb sparkling clean, improves fuel economy, and boots performance. I used it all summer, only a couple ounces per fill up. Really makes a difference, hope it isn't hard on the engine somehow. They claim that it helps cushion valve seats but I dunno about that.
Also fixed the reverse lights. The switch, an old VW Germany was stuck in place. Maybe it was OK when it was installed but I don't think Rancho checked. Used the old one off my decrepit trans. First time I've had the glass lenses off since I've owned the Bus, yes filthy. But the original rubber seals are still like new. LIKE NEW, 48 years old.

I Lucas fuel-treated many times over the summer, I know that it works, how it works, and I try to avoid it if I don't need it.
Colin

[asiab3]

Ahhhhh new old rubber and old quality glass... Just don't drop the lens!

Rancho sent you a reverse switch? Lucky... They sent me a plastic plug and a broken release fork...

Robbie

[tristessa]

Rancho sent you a reverse switch? Lucky... They sent me a plastic plug and a broken release fork...

Did they also have to send you three transmissions before you got a good one?

[asiab3]

No, but I did spend an hour with a dremel cleaning all the paint off the electrical ground paths, and second gear is STILL a gamble until the engine warms up, 30,000 miles later... I'm sensing a trend here....