Well the diagnosis is in and the transmission needs to come out and go to
AA Transaxle for a rebuild. I've found a reputable local mechanic who's
done work on air cooled VWs in the past. He was surprised to hear that the
vanagon did not require dropping the engine and transmission as a unit. I
have my Bentley manual, which I'll leave with him. However, once again I
turn to the list for any advice, tips, or things to watch out for. It seems
to be a fairly straightforward procedure, but on a 23 year old vehicle,
things are not always so straightforward.
We don't have the VW tool for supporting the engine with the transmission
out, I assume it's simplest to just leave it with a jack supporting that
end.
I'll be buying a clutch kit for when the transmission comes back. I believe
the CV joints were replaced about 50k ago when the PO had a rebuilt engine
installed - the boots are in very good condition and the bolts are the 12
point type. I'll inspect, clean and repack (or replace if needed). What
else should I look at to inspect/replace while the transmission is out?
As always, thanks for any replies and insights from the list.
Cheers - Paul