syncro check up...

[shakey]

Hello all,
Finally bought a syncro ,took months to find one but got a westy syncro 2.1.
There's a whine noise when i turn the engine off, is this the vacuum pipes? lasts 20-30 seconds then stops. The van covered 380 miles straight off and drove really well, but i have a new heightened paranoia from owning a vehicle that is nothing like my old T25, every shudder or clunk( changing gear with right hand now)makes me think,'i need to get her checked out'...
we're off on some nice long trips this summer, so who is the garage to take your syncro to for the once over before we leave..i'm in Brighton so local'ish would be good..

thankyou

[Mudlark]

Almost certainly the non return valve that is near the vacuum reservoir bottle under the nearside of the van; take a listen under the side door when you turn the ignition off.

If it is, take it out, just pull off the rubber connectors, (but make a note of which way round it goes!) and soak it in some mild soapy liquid, blow through it a few times and put it back in.

Worked for me.

For the once over, bring her up to the Syncronauts meet in Bucks weekend after next; otherwise you will need to meet up with someone London way, perhaps Jake (Syncroand101) or Syncroandy. Brighton is known for lots of things but good syncro garages arent one of them to my knowledge!

[HarryMann]

Sounds like I should remember to bring my vacuum gauge too Mark... or should I say submariners depth gauge, whatever it is, a good toy

Shakey, the syncro garages we know of, are in Cullompton (Devon), Huddersfield and Shotts near Edinburgh, though others might know others

[shakey]

Thanks mudlark, harryman... gonna pop that vacuum valve out now and will post if successful.
I guess its a trip to syncrospares if i can't make the bucks meet.

[syncroand101]

Hi,

I'm based in Wimbledon, not too far from Brighton! There are a couple of us in the area, do the odd Greenlane trip on some of the Surrey lanes, makes for a pretty good day. We can organise one and let you know... quite happy to have a look/listen to noises, judge VC tightness etc!

Sadly, I have not yet found a 'syncro specific' garage in the area. General items are fine to be sorted at most normal T25 garages. If anything needs doing, I do it myself, although since it was up at Syncro-Nutz about 18 months ago I've been lazy, and not really touched anything!

[shakey]

Thanks gentlemen, i did clean out the one way valve and all is good.Thanks.

[toomanytoys]

You want to plan of a full fluids chang and I mean front diff and gearbox... especially if there is no evidenc its been done in the recent past...
VC test?? is it any good?

Tyres all the same make and equal tread..

Its all this kind of stuff that you need to pick up on to make syncro ownership less painfull..

[HarryMann]

Check brake pad thickness, disc condition and thickness, inspect and if necessary de-dust and carefully adjust the rear brakes. If you've got time and no evidence of it being done before then change the brake fluid, it could be many years old.

But definitely change the transaxle and diff oil, and check the casings for any sign of bad corrosion, loose bolts or oil drips from the joints.

Check the gearbox and engine earth braid is good and not corroded.

If petrol check the fuel pump under the tank and those brackets for corrosion (the pumps can corrode enough to start leaking. Also check full fuelling, that there are no leaks from the filler flap area, the pipe and hose inside the rear wheel arch running along the chassis rail to the tank - when filling and also after parking on a slope or cornering...

Check the safety and security of the fuel pipes entering or leaving the engine-bay, especially any joints and esp. any plastic fittings.

Rattle all 4 driveshafts at each end, to see if the CVJs have any detectable play, and listen for any clicks when rolling along slowly and quietly in neutral, then turing left and right prgressivelky tighter.

Does it run without transmission vibration or noise at all road speeds (lets not necessarily call it propshaft vibration)? Check the prop UJs for play, rattling prop up at either end.

Mmm... that's a few checks. More in the Wiki

What's the longest run you've doen so far in it?

Rattle all the driveshafts and

[toomanytoys]

Calm down Clive.....

I was just pointng out the major Syncro parts that should be checked/serviced.. that was in addition to all the other things you mentioned and more...
we could go on and on and on (Not like our 3 year old Ariston washing machine..... )

[HarryMann]

Well, when we've all finished we can put it all the Wiki, treat the thread like a jotting pad..

Now, where was I...

Oh yes, door hinges, creaks and groans, grease. Sliding door runners

[Trundler]

.... the syncro garages we know of, are in Cullompton (Devon), Huddersfield and Shotts near Edinburgh...

Huddersfield? That's a bit nearer to my Blackburn base than Cullompton or Shotts! Can you tell me more...?

Andy W

[Simon Baxter]

http://www.brickwerks.co.uk

[Trundler]

Handy, thanks...