Progress on the Nomad...

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 5:46 pm

What really amazes me is how small the 003 is on the outside, but how they stuff an entire 3-speed auto and diff and rear axle bearings into that tiny case...and yet, everything is right at hand for repairs. No special tools unless you want to change the differential parameters. I've never seen any auto that didn't take a whole shop full of special tools to work on. And VW claimed 96% efficiency from engine output to driveshafts (at cruising speed in top gear) for this AT design...in other words, for 80 hp in, you get almost 77 out. That's really phenomenal for an AT. Only 3.8 hp lost.

Everything that can be will get readjusted to spec (bands, clutch free play, main pressure), the bands and clutch friction surfaces will be replaced, and it should give me another 100K of trouble-free life.

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Mon May 02, 2005 7:15 pm

The transmission section is almost back together. I still need to measure the end play to see if the shim pack I have is OK to put back in there, or if I need to replace some thrust washers, etc. I stopped when the little flying bugs got obnoxious, and covered the trans for the night. Little by little, but it's PROGRESS!

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Fri May 06, 2005 6:34 pm

The transmission section of the transaxle is reassembled!

I'll post images when I get time.

I'm working on the differential carrier, then the case, then it's back together time and I'll be done with the transaxle! Progress is a sweet thing!

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Sat May 07, 2005 7:36 pm

I've got the differential set up now. To get the backash and turning torques to spec, I ended up moving the lockrings about 1 mm tighter on the pinion and right diff bearing (relative to the original settings), with the left remaining where it was. This brought the backlash to 0.0075" (was 0.010" originally) and the turning torques to 6 in-lb total (as best I could measure it). I'm prepping the diff case now, some of the seals are really in there tight. I'm left with the governor shaft seal, after it's out I can replace the seals and o-rings, put the diff in there, replace the governor, and reassemble the entire trans.

BTW, a 15mm deepwell socket slides in the pinion shaft with little slop, and some duct tape applied to the pinion shaft and the socket lets you apply torque to the socket (using the 3/8" drive) for mesurements.

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Sun May 08, 2005 8:11 pm

The diff is in the final drive housing, and all the seals are in place. I found I had to remove the forward pinion shaft seal (the one that's installed in the final drive housing, not the one behind the pinion) because the garter spring came out of the seal when I installed the diff carrier with the seal installed in the housing. I had to install the diff carrier into the final drive housing without the seal, then use VW Tool 244B (got it off the ebaything) to drive the seal down into the housing, after first carefully working the seal lip onto the pinion shaft, making sure the garter spring stayed in place. If the seal lip had pointed forward, I could have installed the seal in the housing before installing the diff carrier with no problems, but with the factory seal orientation (lip facing the rear), the lip tends to roll up as the pinion shaft enters it, causing the garter spring to slip from its groove in the seal. It could also be the quality of aftermarket seals plays a part in this, I don't know. Tool 244B is a sleeve-type seal installer, and it fits over the pinion shaft perfectly, allowing seal installation with the diff carrier installed in the final drive housing.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Mon May 16, 2005 6:49 pm

The driveshafts are back together! After realizing that the Lobro-supplied concave washers were too thick, even when compressed, to allow the circlips to enter the grooves at the other end of the joint, I re-used the original clips, and everything came together with a light tap on a 1" socket held against the circlip. The joints are bagged to keep out dirt, waiting for reinstallation after the transaxle and engine go back in the car.

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Mon May 16, 2005 7:50 pm

I got back into the engine tonight. I replaced the rear crank seal, and pulled the oil pump, cleaned it, and primed it. I pulled the oil pump studs so I can check the sealing surface for flatness (there appears to be a small leak on one side of the oil pump). I also pulled the oil filter adapter and cleaned it up. More progress!

DeathBus · Post by **DeathBus** » Mon May 16, 2005 7:54 pm

MGVWfan wrote:I got back into the engine tonight. I replaced the rear crank seal, and pulled the oil pump, cleaned it, and primed it. I pulled the oil pump studs so I can check the sealing surface for flatness (there appears to be a small leak on one side of the oil pump). I also pulled the oil filter adapter and cleaned it up. More progress!

Replace the studs if you can find them, let me know if you cant I can dig up some used ones. Did you replace the gasket for the oil filter adaptor? When replacing the rear main I always put a little permatex around it. You will find it will help stop leakage at high rpms.

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Mon May 16, 2005 8:28 pm

Thanks for the info DB...and I'll check around for oil pump studs and let you know if I need a set.

Didn't use any sealant around the rear main. This one has raised ribs in the seal OD, so maybe it has enough elastomer around it to account for case expansion and irregularities and seal OK...we'll see. I'll have to pull the engine to retorque the heads after 300-500 miles anyway, so I can check the seal then.

When I get ready to reinstall the oil filter adapter, I'm coating the gasket with a thin film of Hylomar HPF polymer sealant. It works as well as Permatex #2 in most applications, and doesn't leave residue when the time comes to remove the gasket.

The oil pump and filter adapter are still out, and I've pulled the pump studs so I can flatten out the mating surface on the case. After checking the case for flatness/flattening as required and chamfering the stud holes a bit, I'm planning on using a very thin smear of anaerobic gasket maker on the gasket to help it out. It doesn't get in the oil passages and harden up like RTV or Permatex, and gives a better seal than Hylomar on gaskets with a bit of pressure behind them, like the oil pump gasket. I've used both on my MGB, and on my Yamahas over the years (along with Yamabond on the cases...great stuff for aluminum engine cases), with excellent results. The only oil leak I have on the MGB is from a known leak source, a little square cork seal at the rear of the pan that never seems to seal right for anyone. The gaskets with Hylomar or Permatex anaerobic sealant on them are leak-free.

BTW, looks like all the bolt holes on the case (so far) have threaded inserts in them, is that factory standard?

DeathBus · Post by **DeathBus** » Tue May 17, 2005 5:04 am

Lets see.

Oil pump mount should have threaded holes for STUDS, There is suppossed to be a large stud on the 3/4 side inside towards the front, and a few more I cant remember off the top of my head, the rest of the bolts pass through. Can you post a picture?

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Tue May 17, 2005 6:17 am

Apologies for my imprecise language. I meant stud holes. The four threaded openings in the case for the oil pump studs appear to have thread inserts in them already. I was curious if the factory installed thread savers (Keenserts, Timeserts, Schnitzelserts, whatever) at manufacture in the T4 cases.

DeathBus · Post by **DeathBus** » Tue May 17, 2005 9:01 am

MGVWfan wrote:Apologies for my imprecise language. I meant stud holes. The four threaded openings in the case for the oil pump studs appear to have thread inserts in them already. I was curious if the factory installed thread savers (Keenserts, Timeserts, Schnitzelserts, whatever) at manufacture in the T4 cases.

I have never seen that before, someone must have overtightened the oil pump and stripped the threads. Do they look good, if you thread a stud into them they dont keep turning?

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Tue May 17, 2005 6:10 pm

They're in great shape, smooth as greased owl crap on teflon when I turn the studs in. I'm thinking of using Loctite on the studs when I reassemble the thing, but I'm leery of red Loctite...any thoughts?

BTW, I just pulled the pump apart and cleaned it on the inside, and replaced the O-ring around the pump body, and reassembled (with assembly lube grease on the pump gear teeth and all mating surfaces). It was CLEAN, just some old oil leftover from the last time it was run. No excessive wear.

DeathBus · Post by **DeathBus** » Tue May 17, 2005 6:17 pm

MGVWfan wrote:They're in great shape, smooth as greased owl crap on teflon when I turn the studs in. I'm thinking of using Loctite on the studs when I reassemble the thing, but I'm leery of red Loctite...any thoughts?

BTW, I just pulled the pump apart and cleaned it on the inside, and replaced the O-ring around the pump body, and reassembled (with assembly lube grease on the pump gear teeth and all mating surfaces). It was CLEAN, just some old oil leftover from the last time it was run. No excessive wear.

Yeah I would think loctite would be OK.

Check for wear on the gears and the finger that fits into the cam gear, they will wear excessivly on one tip until it's completely worn, but this usually takes 300k to 400k.

MGVWfan · Post by **MGVWfan** » Tue May 17, 2005 6:24 pm

Gears look beautiful, polished with no signs of wear. The drive dog has some wear, but it's not what I'd call excessive.

Hey, I thought these things had riveted cam gears, the one on my car has 5 bolts with external star-type lockwashers. Must be bad poop in the book I read.