4 Speed, 5 Speed or Auto?

[crm2000uk]

Hey Guys, through research it suggests that the 4 speed boxes are not bad at all, with oil changes and care they can last. I have seen a couple of 5 speed boxes and a handful of auto's.

I assume that parts for the 4 Speed are more readily available as they seem more common, is there any need to avoid a 4 speed? should I be after a 5 speed box?

Finally is the auto worth pursuing, I'm not after fast gear changes and the benefits of manual if the auto box is a good lump and not prone to breaking down as I'm sure it would be the most expensive to replace.

Any help here would be great!
Chris

[Aidan]

Petrol engine on a 4 speed is fine, the turdo diesels prefer a 5 speed to keep the turbo spooled up, the n/a diesels are just slow regardless of transmission, the early ones have the aircoooled 091 gearbox, only 1983 my on do they have the 094 gearbox
4 speed boxes wear just like the 5 speeds do and have the same weaknesses but don't go as breasticles up when worn because they don't have the first gear out the front in a limited space which when there is wear becomes compromised and leads to failure, and the 5 speeds have a real problem with case corrosion of the end case due to the earth strap and dissimilar metals and proximity of those metals, but well maintained or rebuilt and the corrosion issue dealt with are just as reliable as the 4 speed, the problem is no one ever changes the oil, sees the drain plug magnet to gauge the wear and get them rebuilt before they fail and then they get surprised when they do fail and expect to be able to fix them for a couple of hundred quid; most are best part of 30 years old and were designed for vehicle life of 10 and these vehicles have often led several lives and been relatively cheap and seen as indestructible which they are not
the auto boxes were petrol only and are quite rare and parts availability for them and knowledgeable repairers scarce ( I don't do them), some parts in common with Porsche 924/944 and audis but parts are Porsche prices apart from service items, again lack of maintenance is the problem

[crm2000uk]

Petrol engine on a 4 speed is fine, the turdo diesels prefer a 5 speed to keep the turbo spooled up, the n/a diesels are just slow regardless of transmission, the early ones have the aircoooled 091 gearbox, only 1983 my on do they have the 094 gearbox
4 speed boxes wear just like the 5 speeds do and have the same weaknesses but don't go as breasticles up when worn because they don't have the first gear out the front in a limited space which when there is wear becomes compromised and leads to failure, and the 5 speeds have a real problem with case corrosion of the end case due to the earth strap and dissimilar metals and proximity of those metals, but well maintained or rebuilt and the corrosion issue dealt with are just as reliable as the 4 speed, the problem is no one ever changes the oil, sees the drain plug magnet to gauge the wear and get them rebuilt before they fail and then they get surprised when they do fail and expect to be able to fix them for a couple of hundred quid; most are best part of 30 years old and were designed for vehicle life of 10 and these vehicles have often led several lives and been relatively cheap and seen as indestructible which they are not
the auto boxes were petrol only and are quite rare and parts availability for them and knowledgeable repairers scarce ( I don't do them), some parts in common with Porsche 924/944 and audis but parts are Porsche prices apart from service items, again lack of maintenance is the problem

Based on your Sig I assume you do rebuilds and work on the boxes themselves. How much for a rebuild on a 4 speed just so we can try and factor in a worst case scenario. If there are factors that will dictate the price any rough guide would be great. Thanks for your help on the matter, that has helped clear up a few things for us!

[Essex Dave]

Check the small print for your warranty if you get a box from here mine was useless

[Oldiebut goodie]

Harwich?

[Essex Dave]

Yep Harwich

[sarahandthebear]

We have a petrol 1.9 dg westfalia 5 speed and she runs like a dream I have driven a 4 speed aswell and to be honest I did not really notice much of a difference

[DoubleOSeven]

Where is the gearbox sump plug. What oil should go into gearbox? How much oil is required to fill from empty? How do you fill it?

[crm2000uk]

Thanks for the input so far guys, Super helpful, nice to hear from users with hand on experience, a lot of what I'm hearing tends to be not a lot in terms of performance difference between the 4/5 but parts might be easier on the 4 speed.

I reckon we will sack off the Auto, aim for a 4 speed but not avoid the 5 speed if we see a smart one!

[T3luestar]

Where is the gearbox sump plug. What oil should go into gearbox? How much oil is required to fill from empty? How do you fill it?

http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/index.php/Ge ... drain_plug" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Oldiebut goodie]

I think that the post was tongue-in-cheek!

[T3luestar]

Somebody will be asking where the washer bottle is next!