| Archive for THE KOMBI KONNECTION The forum for owners and those who would like to be owners of the worlds most popular camper, bus and van. |
| splitfamily4tune8* |
woz's 3 geared, 4 speed........woz.......whats up with the box?.....does it need a rebuild?i might have a spare here......what donk you got?.....i thought 1800? |
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| Piratekombi |
Mmm, I am not sure really...  pretty sure it is under the gearstick... when I move the plate around, I seem to regain 3rd (and usually lose 2nd)... I haven't pulled it apart yet (as I have a nasty habit of breaking things when I do!!!) but I am hopeful it is only the bushes...
But I have been putting it off way too long (we have been driving it around as is), I'll pull it apart tomorrow - Alice has just decided she would rather spend the money she would have spent on eBay on getting Woger's mechanical fixed... (we'll see...  ) I have been keeping my eye out for a compressor... got a new 450w orbital sander too, as I wore out the old one removing a layer of bog...
Now to find a place that supplies bushes, if it is as I suspect... but I'll remember the offer of the box... - yeah we currently have a 002 5-rib gearbox with an 1800 engine. |
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| splitfamily4tune8* |
hehe.......not the donk.......
might have a spare g/box..bit its a 3 rib 
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| Piratekombi |
One of the reasons I was hoping Alice might buy another kombi is so I could replace and then rebuild the box and engine, borrowing from the other kombi.... | ||
| Brookie |
Despite many post in various arenas some 1800s had 3 rib box. It is a good box. If you read transmission forum you will find their is very little differnces in the gearbox ratios but in final drive ratios. The secret of all Kombis performance has been the selection of ratios for all models from original 1200 cc up to 2000cc. The very early ones will pull as much as a 2 litre due to ratios and reduction gear. They still did 100kmh as this was a compulsory design feature of all VWs. -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| Piratekombi |
Mmm, a 3-rib gearbox might be a good idea then (assuming it turns out not to be the bushes)... I hear rebuilding a gearbox is a fiddly job, though, and not really recommended for the inexperienced... I reckon I would have fun then! 
Mmm, I might have to chat to the boss then, and see what she is willing for me to do... but the recent lack of 2nd gear has proven how good a kombi really is, we have no problems without it! |
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| Piratekombi |
Hey Peter, do you know anywhere in Melbourne where I could get the bushes? | ||
| Brookie |
Funny how I have never had Victorian recommendation.
An e-mail to Mick Motors or phone call could get you them by Tuesday or Wednesday ------------------------------------------------------ |
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| Alice |
I'm pretty sure it is just the bushes...a little adjusting and some gears work..for a bit...I don't think we need to redo everything (fingers crossed..I hope).
Woz is right...he never lets 'good enough' alone..and he tends to break 'good enough'. Now the rule is 'good enough' = don't touch! I'm sure that when we take him in for his next service Wolfgang (our trusty mechanic) can fix him. |
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| Piratekombi |
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| Brookie |
If Wolfgang knows Kombis should be no problems-probably has bushes in stock- it is not major surgery. 
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| Piratekombi |
A couple of minor breakages and now I am not allowed to fix anything! No fun at all, no fun... I'll be glad when she gets her own, I'll be allowed to break I mean fix things without her worrying...! 
Mmm, might still look for parts to do it myself, though... it's not like I could make things too much worse... |
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| Gabbo's Run |
Woz, have you tried Chris at iaparts, try the below address.
He is in melbourne, i have got most my parts from him. parts@importedautoparts.com.au brian |
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| Piratekombi |
Thanks for that Brian! I had heard of them but always thought they were in Sydney, but yep they have a place in Melbourne too, cool. I just downloaded their catalog from their website but couldn't find the part, so I'll send them an email. I might be able to get it fixed before the end of the week, yay! | ||
| Piratekombi |
Four gears again!Funny, I fiddled the plate around and eventually managed to get all four gears... I guess I just wasn't patient enough the first time. I didn't break anything either! (Although I got grumpy and swore a few times...)
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| Brookie |
Re: Four gears again!
This post just above this says "gently"
The secret is to ease it into 2nd and then gently and smoothly ease it between neutral and second a few times-it will just pop in and out of correct neutral plane. http://thekombikonnection.myfreeforum.org/about124.html |
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| Piratekombi |
Yep, that's the way I did it... but when I tried it last time, the only way to get 2nd was to lose 3rd (but at least that suggested it wasn't the box).... I think I must have loosened the bolts too much initially and caused the plate to twist... we haven't road-tested it yet as I am currently stripping the sliding door but it feels right... I was confident it was just something simple and minor... thanks for your help everyone!
I think I'll still replace the bushes etc though - but don't tell Alice!
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| Piratekombi |
Well it wasn't the shifter bushes... I sent Woger to a mechanic who informed me that the gearbox will have to be replaced (as I had already guessed)... I had already organised a replacement 3-rib 002...
On the way home from the mechanics, first gear decided to stop working too... we were able to engage first by turning off the engine though (we were not popular with the drivers!) - when the rain stops I will try adjusting the shifter plate, in hope... Alice's Astra had its gearbox blow last week (a hole the size of a 10c piece) so we now have no car until at least mid-January  We were planning to sleep in it this weekend, and were also going to take it to Xmas lunch in Marysville... Alice is thinking of hiring a car for Xmas day.
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| splitfamily4tune8* |
bugger, damn, bitch, poo, bum,....very sorry to hear that woz  .....i have a good 002 box here you can use if you want......give us a call on 0404 814 303 to organise something.......
peter |
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| Piratekombi |
Hey Peter, thanks heaps for the offer... I would have eagerly taken you up on the offer, but we were lucky enough to receive a 1600 box from Paul (he lives near here so delivered it) so it will just be the simple matter now of installing it...
And yeah, I was most unhappy... it's a good thing we didn't end up buying another VW (we nearly did!), as it would probably also lose its gearbox (as bad luck supposedly comes in threes! ) Aaah well, it's the frustrating times that make the good times more memorable... I am mostly disappointed it happened at Xmas, when we most needed a working car (and all the mechanics are booked up or closed).
We are now keeping an eye out for an Astra gearbox (to suit an 89)... I think they might be the same as a Pulsar box, but I will check that. Alice has decided she wants to sell the Astra to get a VW of her own (this week, she wants a kombi microbus!).... but we will get the Astra roadworthy for sale first. BTW, will you be going to the party tomorrow? We'll still be there, although we might have to take the train... |
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| Piratekombi |
Mmm, it wasn't the shifter plate either... but I am a little baffled. I can get all gears with no effort when the engine is off, but turn the engine on and changing gears becomes impossible, which seems odd to me... could it actually be a clutch-related problem, eg at the gearbox end? (I checked the cable, it felt a little loose but otherwise fine...) | ||
| Brookie |
This earlier link may be helpful http://thekombikonnection.myfreeforum.org/about290.html --------------------------------------- |
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| Alice |
Woz will give it a go tomorrow while I'm off buying the all importanat xmas beer supply. | ||
| Piratekombi |
Fixed! And I didn't even break anything!
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| splitfamily4tune8* |
great news......now what was the prob?, i mean what did you do to fix? | ||
| Alpal |
It was down the back of the couch!! | ||
| Piratekombi |
Heh heh I'll have to change my signature!
Yeah, it turned out to be a stretched clutch cable... a few quick turns of the wingnut and we got most of our gears back (all but 2nd, although I was worried about tightening too far - especially with Alice warning me not to break anything!). I was quite chuffed it turned out to be so minor - we celebrated by heading straight off to Marysville for a family Xmas, where we stayed for a couple of days. I think my mother was quite impressed with the resilience of a kombi! Even without 2nd gear, Woger ate up the hills and the Black Spur was a real pleasure to cruise through... we enjoyed it so much that we now plan to return for New Year's Eve! I hope to replace the current cable (once I obtain a replacement) - if it is stretching then it is also probably close to breaking. We have already booked Woger in for a new gearbox in mid-January. After spending an enjoyable afternoon reading John Muir's idiot's guide, one of my New Year's resolutions is to purchase all the spare parts and tools that I am ever likely to need (especially spare cables)... my other resolution is to do all the servicing of my kombi myself. ___ |
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| Piratekombi |
An update on our transmission....
We decided to send our kombi in to our mechanic to get the engine dropped and a replacement gearbox installed (a 5-rib 002 "1800" box).... they had a lot of trouble removing it as our tow-bar (welded to the chassis) was in the way... they also discovered that the clutch cable was only joined by a couple of strands (as we expected) so replaced it at the same time. After reinstalling the engine and box, they then discovered that the clutch itself was also burned out... so they will now have to remove the gearbox again. Of course, being a lowlight, the replacement kit is relatively expensive...
$1300 so far... Alice could have bought a beetle for that! Oh well, at least we know that Woger will last a lot longer now... it had to be done.
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| Alpal |
But vont it be lovely mit all ze gearinks???? | ||
| Piratekombi |
Yeah, we are looking forward to having a full set of gears.... we are also looking for forward to the lower revs (and better fuel economy) that we will get from the 5-rib (as we have a type iv engine)... it is more than we hoped to pay to fix the problem, but it will no doubt be worth it.
That's one more "to do" crossed off.... only 300 to go!
I am now glad we chose to send it to the mechanic - if they had difficulties, how would I have gone??! Such an experience could have psychologically scarred me!
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| Alpal |
[quote=
I am now glad we chose to send it to the mechanic - if they had difficulties, how would I have gone??! Such an experience could have psychologically scarred me! [/quote]
How vould ve haf knowing??? |
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| Piratekombi |
LOL! True, true...
Still no word on progress from the mechanic... it seems weird not having Woger out the front... I have a lot of things to do on him before our next trip. |
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| Alpal |
Dont knowink how ve vould survive mit out an occasional woger around! | ||
| Piratekombi |
Oh, I forgot to mention.... we got Woger back and boy-oh-boy what a difference!  We didn't realise what we were missing, we now drive in the right-hand lane and overtake modern cars - we didn't think that was possible! So we have no regrets about the expense...
Alice has retired her Astra (she blew the gearbox, punched a hole through her diff)... she no longer wants it and will sell it on eBay and then get herself a panel or ute (or maybe a beetle, or a notchie - she changes her mind every day).... Woger is now our only car (well, until Al finally buys that much rumoured dub...) - and we now can't get enough Wogering! |
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| Alpal |
More Wogering for all!!! |
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| Piratekombi |
Well, we have since added a replacement (second-hand) RHS heater box... I now think the exhaust might have to be next... | ||