Page 112 of Camper Products by Go Westy

114 www.gowesty.com call toll free 1.888.469.3789 local/international 805.528.7888 by only a few hundred units, while the vehicle accelerates from a standstill. However, this is not a perfect world (just ask anyone with a Eurovan who has had to replace their 4-speed electronically controlled transmission at, say, 40,000 miles!), so the VW Vanagon was offered in the USA in either a 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic. There are some performance differences between the 4-speed manual and the 3-speed AT. The advantage of the 4-speed is that, since it has four speeds instead of only thee, there is more selection of engine speed for a particular vehicle speed. Vanagons with a manual trans have a top speed that is higher by about 10 mph (about 95 instead of about 85 for the AT). At 75 mph, for example, the 4-speed Vanagon will have an engine speed of about 4000 RPM, whereas a AT Vanagon will be closer to 4400 RPM. That is really the only downside of the AT. Other than that, the AT offered in the Vanagon is wonderful. It is a very simple, robust design that VW/Audi has used practically unchanged for over 25 years, in a dozen or so different vehicle models. And, contrary to popular belief, the AT Vanagon will actually outperform a 4-speed Vanagon on highway grades, with the stock 80 hp 1.9 liter, or stock 90 hp 2.1 liter engine. This phenomenon is due to the fact the Automatic is geared lower overall, and has a torque converter instead of a clutch system. The torque converter allows some slippage between the engine and transmission, which allows the engine speed to raise somewhat at higher torque demand (what is referred to as torque converter gstall speedh) without the vehicle speed going up. The manual trans has a clutch that allows no slipping at all. So, when you drive up to the same grade in a Vanagon with 4-speed and canft maintain speed in 4th, all you can do is down shift to 3rd. But once your speed drops to 45 mph, the engine speed drops below the enginefs peak torque RPM, and now you have to drop down to 2nd, and a corresponding maximum speed of about 40 mph. With the AT it just turns out that when shifted manually into 2nd, you can drive at about 55 mph without over-revving the engine. So, when you get to a highway-speed hill and down shift to 2nd, you can wind the engine up to about 5000 RPM (closer to max HP for the waterboxer) and climb most grades at between 45-55 mph. Now, when coupled to a higher HP engine, the hill climbing advantages of the AT disappears. If you have an engine that makes more torque at low RPM (like any of the GoWesty engine upgrades), you can climb that same hill with a 4-speed in 3rd or 4th (depending on which engine upgrade you choose). And, with the AT, there is no longer a need to drop down into 2nd. You can pull most hills in 3rd. With the higher HP engines, it makes it possible to drive much faster, yeah, even 100 on flat ground without a tail wind! But even with the extra power, an AT will not go that fast because in doing so you would over-rev the engine. Make sense? The Vanagon was offered in the USA in either a 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic. Longevity is about the same for either the AT or manual (about 250k miles, except for pre 1990 manuals. Read our gSudden Death Syndromeh article. page 109 gBut arenft automatic transmissions more costly to replace than manual transmissions?h Yes, the Vanagon AT costs more to overhaul than the Vanagon 4-speed manual (about $1700 instead of $1200), but since there are no clutches to replace in the interim, cost to own is about the same. The only other cost related issue with the AT is the oil cooler that sits on the front (water cooled models only), which should be replaced every 10 years or so just in case. When it fails it allows the ATF and coolant to mix, ruining both the transaxle and the cooling system at a cost of about $4000 (I am not making this up! We have seen some really, really long, long faces around here!). That makes replacing the cooler (at a cost of about $275 installed) a bargain indeed. If you have an AT Vanagon, and you donft have any records of the trans oil cooler having been replaced, call GoWesty TODAY and buy a new one. It can save you HUGE All Vanagons sold by GoWesty that have automatic transmissions get NEW trans coolers installed. Period. Now, what about the 5-speed transmission? You may have heard that some Vanagon Dieselpowered models, and all Syncros have 5-speeds. Well, kinda. In actuality, they just have a 4-speed with an extra, super low, low-gear. In the case of the Syncro it was intended for off-road use. In the case of the Diesel it was intended to get it out of THE GOWESTY LIBRARY

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