I suggest that you lift off first gear and you will probably find that it and the 1st/reverse synchro hub have been having intimate relations without any lubrication between them and are probably both foobarred; that is due to the pinion bearing being more than a little worn; and the box is likely to have been running low oil with that hole in the end so the rest of it is unlikely to be great
mag/ali alloy cases can't readily be repaired due to the mix and the fact that the case will have to be rehardened after repair before machining, if you use ali rods it won't take and will be soft as putty compared to the rest of the case
I don't have any good 5 speed end cases due to the rot problems caused by the earth strap and steel mounting plate
NOTE to all 5 speed owners, remove the earth strap from the mount and put one direct to the starter motor where it belongs and if you get chance take the mount off, remove the corrosion underneath and paint it before putting the mount back on; design flaw 1mm gap for the salty water to sit in between disimilar metals with a 12V potential across them = galvanic corrosion
Aidan wrote:I suggest that you lift off first gear and you will probably find that it and the 1st/reverse synchro hub have been having intimate relations without any lubrication between them and are probably both foobarred; that is due to the pinion bearing being more than a little worn; and the box is likely to have been running low oil with that hole in the end so the rest of it is unlikely to be great
mag/ali alloy cases can't readily be repaired due to the mix and the fact that the case will have to be rehardened after repair before machining, if you use ali rods it won't take and will be soft as putty compared to the rest of the case
I don't have any good 5 speed end cases due to the rot problems caused by the earth strap and steel mounting plate
NOTE to all 5 speed owners, remove the earth strap from the mount and put one direct to the starter motor where it belongs and if you get chance take the mount off, remove the corrosion underneath and paint it before putting the mount back on; design flaw 1mm gap for the salty water to sit in between disimilar metals with a 12V potential across them = galvanic corrosion
Thanks for the reply. So what your saying is that this box is beyond economical repair and I should buy a good second hand one? Had no idea about the earth strap causing corrosion!
Like I say lift off first gear and see what's happening there, can you pull the shaft up and down ?
I have just had a customer who had the end case thrust bearing fail due to the corrosion pushing the end case in, but the pinion bearing had no play so could be fixed with a replacement end case and thrust washer and needle bearing for 1st gear, but yours looks like the pinion shaft has been displaced forwards and has worn through the case from the inside which given the case is 6mm thick gives you an idea of the displacement involved
Aidan wrote:Like I say lift off first gear and see what's happening there, can you pull the shaft up and down ?
I have just had a customer who had the end case thrust bearing fail due to the corrosion pushing the end case in, but the pinion bearing had no play so could be fixed with a replacement end case and thrust washer and needle bearing for 1st gear, but yours looks like the pinion shaft has been displaced forwards and has worn through the case from the inside which given the case is 6mm thick gives you an idea of the displacement involved
Ok thanks I will check it out when I get back from work tomorrow. Oh thought i'd mention that it has be crunching into 4th and 5th before this happened.
Transporter Porter wrote:
Ok thanks I will check it out when I get back from work tomorrow. Oh thought i'd mention that it has be crunching into 4th and 5th before this happened.
that'll probably be a broken 4th5th synchrohub, that's the other main design flaw with these boxes
Transporter Porter wrote:
Ok thanks I will check it out when I get back from work tomorrow. Oh thought i'd mention that it has be crunching into 4th and 5th before this happened.
that'll probably be a broken 4th5th synchrohub, that's the other main design flaw with these boxes
Great. Dont you just love these vans! Been talking to a guy who is selling a 8E gearbox and looking at the table on brickyard it looks like its the early version of my current one (ABN) the only differance I can see with regards to the ratio is that the final drive 4.86 compared to my 4.83. Does this box sound like a good idea? I used to be able to cruise at 60-70 without really pushing it.
8E=ABN yes, but finer toothed 4th and 5th gears and a least a few years older than yours, also with early synchrohub that is more prone to failure than post 89 version; but now you know what to look for when buying a 5 speed - remove end case and check first gear/synchrohub faces for wear (pinion bearing worn) and if any needles fall out when you split it walk away, don't forget to ensure thrust washer on reverse idler and 1st gear go back in before putting end case back on
Aidan wrote:
NOTE to all 5 speed owners, remove the earth strap from the mount and put one direct to the starter motor where it belongs and if you get chance take the mount off, remove the corrosion underneath and paint it before putting the mount back on; design flaw 1mm gap for the salty water to sit in between disimilar metals with a 12V potential across them = galvanic corrosion
I'm hoping to have a chance to do some of this tomorrow. Just to be clear, when you say move the earth to the starter, you are recommending running an earth strap from starter to body - presumably from a starter mounting bolt?
I have just changed the gearbox oil today - I used a synthetic 75-80. In your opinion will this be suitable or should I really get a 75-90 in there?
The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it!
yep run the earth connection from the chassis to the starter motor rather than use the whole gearbox as the conductor - vw did it because it was quicker to assemble like that using the mounting, the starter motor would have already been attached the the engine + gearbox assembly as it was inserted into the van, fitting it the way I suggested would have meant someone leaning into the engine bay to attach the connection and put the starter motor second bolt on
Aidan wrote:yep run the earth connection from the chassis to the starter motor rather than use the whole gearbox as the conductor - vw did it because it was quicker to assemble like that using the mounting, the starter motor would have already been attached the the engine + gearbox assembly as it was inserted into the van, fitting it the way I suggested would have meant someone leaning into the engine bay to attach the connection and put the starter motor second bolt on
UPDATE - Bought a second hand box today its a 8E. looks in good condition no holes in the front! And no leaks (Engine oil on the photos) paid £100 for it and it came with a slave cylinder, starter motor and mounting bracket! Happy as pie just hope it works! haha.
No were near as much on here as my old one....
Nice old oil!
Getting new seals ordered tonight and should be ready for fitting this weekend
don't change the gearbox selector shaft seal unless it's leaking, as the one that's available now isn't the original one and doesn't fit correctly (we are hassling classic/elring to get the correct one available again) and get the boot for the ball and the selector shaft if they are missing or split
Been talking to a guy who is selling a 8E gearbox and looking at the table on brickyard it looks like its the early version of my current one (ABN) the only differance I can see with regards to the ratio is that the final drive 4.86 compared to my 4.83. Does this box sound like a good idea? I used to be able to cruise at 60-70 without really pushing it.
(Engine oil on the photos) paid £100 for it and it came with a slave cylinder, starter motor and mounting bracket! Happy as pie just hope it works! haha. 
