Am I Missing Something?

Yikes that is just plain scary. That might as well be a nuclear reactor to me. 

So I'm looking at the last photo and wondering why the mainshaft bearing is missing three (that I can see) rollers?

On the possibility of someone dropping needles into the case during assembly, sure....Sometimes it happens, but you generally try to fish them out before you button things up.  Otherwise they're free to float around in there to land at the magnetic drain plug unless they get hung up somewhere else.  That is usually unlikely, given the viscosity of the gear oil and mass of a single roller, but still possible.  

Remember that needle bearings have the rollers (needles) packed pretty tightly, often, but not always, with a roller retainer, sometimes nylon and sometimes just from the design of the bearing races that holds everything together.  There should be no gaps between rollers wider than a single roller when they are packed, otherwise they can become cocked, slightly, and bind - not good.

Is that a worn synchro ring in photo 4?  Can't fully tell with all of the goop on it, but it looks a bit worn and frazzled.  Also, if you have a knowledgeable transaxle guy to consult, ask HIM about whether you should press out that stack.  Might be better to leave it alone, especially if you'll need special tools/techniques to re-assemble it.

But all this might be moot - Where's @DannyP when we need him?

I can clearly see at least two rollers missing in the pinion bearing in the last picture. Both the main and pinion shaft stacks are supposed to come out with the housing, leaving the trans case empty except for a couple smaller needle bearings(main shaft and reverse gear). You're supposed to loosen the main and/or pinion shaft nuts but not remove them completely, that's why you've got pieces and don't know where they go.

Gordon, the synchros usually can't be seen as the are engaged inside the slider. I don't see any synchros in any photos.

It looks like the 4 bolts have been removed from the pinion bearing that's missing the rollers. If you put a 4x4 in the diff opening along with a 2x4, you can pry between them with a pry bar and push the pinion shaft out. 

I wish I lived close to you, I would have helped you disassemble it Bob.

What the Major says  x2.

DannyP posted:

Gordon, the synchros usually can't be seen as the are engaged inside the slider. I don't see any synchros in any photos.

It looks like the 4 bolts have been removed from the pinion bearing that's missing the rollers. If you put a 4x4 in the diff opening along with a 2x4, you can pry between them with a pry bar and push the pinion shaft out. 

I wish I lived close to you, I would have helped you disassemble it Bob.

I did get the pinion shaft out Danny, I used a small square piece of wood and the wood handle from a framing hammer. After looking it over I reassembled it and dropped it back in. I noticed the large gap between those bearings in the last photo and thought it was a little wide. I wasn’t sure if it was normal or not because those bearings look like they go in at an angle. Now that I got it apart I will clean all the oil off everything and take it over to my transmission guy and look it over with him. I’d like to learn what I can so I have a better understanding of how it works. 

Its amazing what a guy will take on when he has nothing to lose. 

I hope the new beefier trans is treating you well.

Ted

TRP posted:

Its amazing what a guy will take on when he has nothing to lose. 

I hope the new beefier trans is treating you well.

Ted

It’s working very well thank you. And you’re right Ted, what do I have to lose?  

And look at all you've learned so far!

That's how I learned about old radios - kept taking them apart and putting them back together until I finally got one to work!

Gordon Nichols posted:

And look at all you've learned so far!

That's how I learned about old radios - kept taking them apart and putting them back together until I finally got one to work!

@Gordon Nichols i wish you lived closer.  Three years ago, I rescued a 1964 RCA Victrola HiFi from a vintage furniture shop that was closing.  Everything works, but I was told not to use it until I had someone that knew old HiFi systems look it over, as I could cause more damage if something isn't quite right.  So, for three years now, it's been a credenza.

@DannyP

So I degreased all the parts and gave a final look at every bearing. All of the needle bearings are intact. The part that was hard to decipher in the earlier photos is a plastic ring that rests on the pinion shaft. It appears to have melted or had some very thick plastic like buildup that was black in color and near impossible to pick off the ring. I did manage to get some of the black bits off and it exposed some plastic nibs along the inner portion of the ring. This appears to be the part that failed and my gut tells me it was a plastic race of some kind that was holding some bearings. I haven't been able to find an exploded view of a transmission that identifies this piece.

I think this is the final drive gear. It's on the end of the pinion shaft.

What do the markings indicate?

Bearings all intact here.

Bearings good here too.

This is where that plastic ring was when I disassembled the transmission.

Different angle.

Close-up

That's not grease. It's melted plastic; or melted something.

Picked off some of the melted part.

Awesome! Looking good. 

You know what you need to do now? 5 speed. 

Definitely Looks like a bad pinion bearing. It may have been assembled with not enough torque, or not enough shims. You may still be able to replace with a German one, but Brazil may be the best available now. I stayed away from Chinese bearings when I rebuilt mine.

I believe the markings on the pinion gear indicate what shim should be used for proper ring gear engagement.

DannyP posted:

Definitely Looks like a bad pinion bearing. It may have been assembled with not enough torque, or not enough shims. You may still be able to replace with a German one, but Brazil may be the best available now. I stayed away from Chinese bearings when I rebuilt mine.

I believe the markings on the pinion gear indicate what shim should be used for proper ring gear engagement.

Thank you Danny. 

No problem, Robert. This CD is how I rebuilt my trans. REALLY good info there:

http://www.longenterprises.com/

They are retiring but CD still available AFAIK.

DannyP posted:

No problem, Robert. This CD is how I rebuilt my trans. REALLY good info there:

http://www.longenterprises.com/

They are retiring but CD still available AFAIK.

I ordered the CD and spoke to Rick on the phone for a while. I emailed him the photo and he immediately recognized the problem. The plastic piece was what was left of the plastic cage from the pinion shaft bearing. When he gets back from his vacation he'll send me the CD and a new PS bearing.

Here's an undamaged one:

Nice guy to chat with, isn't he? What a total gentleman! Have fun, Robert!

Also, I bought stuff from Weddell Industries, they have almost everything, and most of it is not Chinese.

And another great VW-oriented shop bites the dust.  

Here we are, with cars of the '50's, trying to live in the New Millennium.....

It's getting harder all the time.

Gordon Nichols posted:

And another great VW-oriented shop bites the dust.  

Here we are, with cars of the '50's, trying to live in the New Millennium.....

It's getting harder all the time.

But if anyone is interested, he's selling the whole shop. Parts, tools, manuals, everything, and for what seems like a fair price. Could be an opportunity for someone to get into a part-time, retirement type job.