Date: Sun, 3 May 1998 01:32:55 EDT
Reply-To: Jwilli941 <Jwilli941@AOL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Jwilli941 <Jwilli941@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon transaxles- sorta long
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Hello,
This is my two cents on some mail flying back and forth
in regards to 5-speeds, ring and pinion ratios, and installing
autos where manuals used to be.
Jim- $500 for a Vanagon 5 speed is what I usually have
to pay for a core transaxle from a wrecking yard. I would
charge (starting at) $850 for a rebuild of a customer's
transaxle and can give a 12mo./unlimited mileage warranty.
In this case you pays your money and takes you're
chances. I am fully aware of just how expensive Vanagon
stuff can be but for reference I do not deal in used transaxles.
I've gone down that road and lost my shirt on too many deals
gone south where I sold what I was told was a good working
unit only to find out the hard way otherwise. Who knows?
Maybe this trans is just what the owner is representing but
you won't know until you install it in the Van and see if it
shifts!
I would guess that this is a late model 2WD 5-speed and it
will have a very low first gear and 2-5th will act more like the
1-4th that you are used to. I do not know if the 4 speed
linkage will bolt up to the 5 speed trans. The transaxle
itself should go right in Van as the later models came with
the larger engine. Perhaps someone who has made this
conversion can shed some light?
Patrick- Would like to see your 2.3L swap when done!
I don't know where the 3.74 ring and pinion ratio you were
quoted came from. AFAIK the 002s and 091s both air
and watercooled came with a variety of r/ps depending upon
their orginal application. You could get anything from a 5.86
in the diesels to a 5.42, 5.38, 4.86, 4.83, and 4.58. I'm
sure that I have omitted one or two but thats all I could think
of off the top of my head. You can make anything work if
you throw enough money at it. Unless your transaxle comes
with the magic r/p ratio that you want you'll either have to
spend extra big bucks at VW to buy one new or kinda big
bucks to purchase a good used set from me or some other
rebuilder. The Vanagon transaxles had a .89 (or so) 4th
gear. The tallest factory gear was a .82 which came on
the early reduction gear boxed split window busses and
also on the 002 IRS transaxles. There have been some
'extra' overdrive ratios of .77 and .74 available in the past
but I believe that they *may* no longer be available.
Michael (Seattle)- Another fellow Washingtonian! OK, you
had asked how to determine your gearing to turn 3000 rpm
at 70mph. Take a look at the back of your Bugpack Catalog
and.... oh, you don't have one? Anyway, this is how you go
about finding out how fast your going:
MPH= RPM X Tire diameter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final drive ratio (ring and pinion X gear) X 336 so,
4.86 .88
3,000 X 28" (a guess)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ = 58.452 MPH
4.277 (another guess) X 336
Not nearly 70mph at 3,000. OK, lets plug in the NLA .74 4th
and see what happens.
84,000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ = 69.514 MPH
1208.390
Pretty damn close but you have a bigger 'gap' now between
3rd and 4th. Think your engine has enough grunt to make
up for it or are you willing to take an extra 10-15 seconds
to get up to speed?
And Russell and his Automatic quest.- You're on your own on
this one. This is not a job for the faint hearted and its one that
I wouldn't want to do. Not that its impossible mind you its just
that its going to take a lot of dedication and a certain willingness
to put up with a *lot* of headaches. Let us know how it comes
out! Good Luck!
Sorry about the length but I thought it might be easier to reply
to all of the Van Trans questions at once. Any questions?
Don't hesitate to write!
Todd Hill
VolksWerks Transaxles
Olympia, WA
