Automatic Vanagons: What to Know
It’s bulletproof until you have to rebuild it. Famous last words LOL.
Why am I writing about Automatic Vanagon transmissions? It’s not my favorite subject. Transmissions are Uber technical for normal conversations. It seems people only talk about them when something goes south. Mine did.
This image of a 3-speed automatic Vanagon was originally posted on The Samba.
Because I own an ‘86 T3 and absolutely love my Automatic I enjoy reading about it. But it’s been a love/hate relationship.
While automatics are said to rob horsepower I have found mine to be extremely dependable, while it still gets between 18 and 21 miles per gallon (on smooth flat roads). It lasted 200,000 miles before starting to show signs of wear. I do not believe the previous owner(s) had ever rebuilt it. It’s possible that my 2.3L engine had something to do with the wear and tear. But that’s a hunch.
After a year of research and back and forth with people I decided to have Maxed Performance in Huntington Beach, California rebuild my transmission.
The owner is Ed. He’s a Vanagon owner. He knows the automatic. That made me feel comfortable. He explained exactly how much a rebuild would cost… at least a cost range (which was exactly the same as others I spoke with). I also got a two-year warranty with my rebuild from Maxed Performance. That’s almost unheard of especially if you are running more horsepower than stock. With this said, if you’re running a Sube engine then all bets may be off, but that’s an assumption, not fact. A call to Ed will answer it though.
Finding a shop to rebuild an Automatic transmission for a T3 is challenging. I live on the West Coast, but it is probably the same everywhere. That was my experience. I had numerous leads, and I had researched them all. The cost was one question. The most important question I had for them was about warranties. Ask if the shop stands behind their work before committing.
As far as going to AAMCO be careful. While AAMCO is probably great at normal transmission work, the Vanagon takes a specialist who knows the platform. I have read about people having some success with AAMCO so you decide. I wouldn’t risk it.
You will spend at the very least $1,800 for a general reseal. An automatic transmission that is leaking between the halves is typically experiencing a gasket/seal failure. On the top end for bigger issues costs can run $4,000 and up.
Buying a new rebuilt automatic transmission from any number of sources will run $2,700 plus a core charge. So you're already spending close to $4,000 for someone else’s transmission, and that’s not factoring in the cost to ship it and the cost of R&R (replace and remove). It can be cheaper to look into rebuilding your transmission at a shop near your home.
I don’t have any personal experience with Sube powerplants, but I understand that the Automatic final drive (gears) may need to be upgraded if your engine produces mega horsepower and torque.
Any reputable rebuilder should be prepared to inspect the transmission from A to Z once out of the vehicle. They are inspecting everything from the pump, bearings, plates, planetary gears, valve body, etc. If the shop you are considering does not recommend going through the entire trans then that might be a red flag.
I discovered this thread on The Samba, “Vanagon 090 automatics offer more options for driving, are more durable than the Vanagon manual transmissions, are easier and cheaper to rebuild, and are way more plentiful in terms of parts sources, with the core 010 automatic being used in millions of cars from the early 70s to the mid-late 90s. The manual transmission fanboys are nice people but that manual transmission just does not stand up to comparison with the automatic. I have more control with my manual transmission" says the manual transmission lover. Shift it to D and drive it full auto. Shift it manually and drive it as a three-speed manual. Having options and being able to exercise them is true control, and something you can't do with a manual.”
An automatic Vanagon should always be flat bedded and never towed with the rear wheels on the ground.
Good information has been written about the 3-speed Automatic on The Samba and GoWesty. Consume it all. You don’t have to rush into it. I was not experiencing slippage or other major issues, but it was developing a leak between the final drive and transmission. That drip meant the seals that were supposed to prevent the trans fluid from seeping into the final drive gear oil were shot. I wanted to avoid an even bigger issue if that happened.
It’s been two months since I had my automatic rebuilt and no more leak and the transmission is shifting beautifully. Fuel mileage hasn’t changed, still as crappy as ever, but my confidence in traveling has gone way up! I also have that warranty I talked about and that’s huge. If you decide to go another route and buy one that’s rebuilt you should always ask them if it is warrantied, and if the warranty is valid if the engine has been modified. Sometimes it is not. I have a friend that purchased a transmission this way and two months later it blew up. He failed to tell the shop that he was running a Sube engine and they refused to refund any money. After some back and forth they finally relented, but it wasn’t easy. So be very careful before you do anything.
