|
Before I forget, one thing you need to know about the transaxle input shaft and your motor adapter plate situation;
The factory intended the output shaft to be supported by a pilot bearing on the engine assy, located inside the gland nut <the gland nut attached the flywheel to the crankshaft, and runs concentric with crankshaft centerline>. With the ICE removed, vw trans input shafts always have lots of play (they sometimes wobble 1/2" or more, so don't be alarmed). however, that doesn't mean you can 'float' you electric motor into some 'close enough' location and expect it to work long term. If you could somehow design your lovejoy coupler such that the input shaft fit with .002" or so clearence into a recepticle (so it was contained radially) that would be good.
Essentially, your e-motor shaft and transaxle shaft need to be co-aligned withing a few thousanths of an inch. If not, the vw input shaft bearing will take a beating and the seal will leak. Not the end of the world, but a little careful planning and execution now, will limit problems and leaks down the road.
Another vw trans tid-bit; VW transaxles are pretty bullet-proof for low hp applications, most broken vw's I've bought all had bad engines and good transaxles... my drag car used to eat them up at an alarming rate, but that's another story. They do have their quirks. If reverse or any other selection pops out of gear, just replace it with a used unit from a wrecking yard, any '69 and later unit from a beetle will work. now would be a good time to remove the CV joints and replace any cracked boots, inspect for wear and maybe re-grease as needed. Most trans shifting issues are traced not to the gearbox itself, but to a bad bushing that is located under the shifter. You should definately plan on replacing that bushing as a precautionary measure, as most original ones go away with use and age. I recommend the hard white plastic replacement, not the urethane ones that some suppliers sell.
|