Club 80-90 Forums

Sorting out the video now, but in the meantime, here's a close up of the mystery item.



I couldn't find anything that resembled the PTO set up, but will let my rambling video of the underside of my Syncro do the talking

Just waiting for video to upload now, but here's a snapshot of a possibility?

And here's my video.

http://vimeo.com/32137075" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not very exciting though

The PTO exits on the right hand side of the syncro as looking from the rear, off side UK, passenger side continental. It also has a modified prop shaft protection bar to allow access for some sort of shaft. I cant ever recall anyone ever hooking the pto up to something, so was just mainly a sweetener VW gave to our Finnish Cousins. You could quite easily hook up a hydraulic pump though in the space underneath.

I think you would clearly see the PTO output by looking up at the gearbox propshaft flange, its only inch's away from there.

Could that be an aerial socket for a CB radio or similar. Have to have a look around the back of the diff lock panel. I have seen several Sweedish syncros with a switch in the decoupler hole for a spot lamp or something.

PS I never find a syncro video boring

Arg! I see what you mean now., I need to look from the rear, not directly underneath, whoops.

I will venture back out in a minutes, and recheck, and also remove the control panel as per instructions on Syncronauts naughts tut tut! [Ed]. Will of course get reference photos that may possibly help, or help others

Ok, now for my report

First point of call, I looks under the right side of my LHD Syncro from the rear, and this is what I was faced with. As you can see, no PTO..



Closer look...




I then set about inspecting behind the diff lock panel.

First removed the knob by holding the shaft with thin nosed pliers, then unscrewing the knob anti-clockwise..



Then removed the lower brackets..



Then the two top short self tappers, and off the cover came, and revealed this..



Which shows one bulb for the rear diff lock, and one bulb for the night illumination of the control panel.

But this is the important piece to the puzzle, which is quite revealing indeed...



Bit closer a look..



So as you can see, not a PTO at all, but if one assumes the brown wire is live, then that is going to the center of this plug of sorts, with the blue wire (earth?) going to the outer.

Now for the 64 million dollar question, what on earth could plug into this to get its power? It looks to me a socket that would possibly accept a male jack plug, the type you get on the back of electrical appliances for the speaker/video channels.

Someone's home-made power supply then! Fin you need to be looking at the front of the transmission (propshaft end) not from the rear. I think you probably don't have a PTO after all. Was your bus originally Finnish registered?

syncrosimon wrote:... It also has a modified prop shaft protection bar to allow access for some sort of shaft. I cant ever recall anyone ever hooking the pto up to something, so was just mainly a sweetener VW gave to our Finnish Cousins. You could quite easily hook up a hydraulic pump though in the space underneath....

I have a feeling that MG was experimenting with a similar idea (not using a PTO though) to drive a transmission oil pump on Limey to ease it's suffering. No idea if it worked as intended.

Aye, i feel no PTO, couldn't see anything that looked like one, and yes, my Syncro is Finnish bread.

it looks like a standard phono (or RCA) socket to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector
possibly an attempt at an input for the stereo ( although with just one it would be mono)
or something to do with a cb radio like syncrosimon suggested. it looks nicely soldered though so looks professionally fitted to me.
you are just going to have to find out where those wires go now.

Indeed, I will track the wires back to find this out.

you are not alone finn ...well you might be as a decopler knob now resides here this was installed in a 1987 westy hitop

What made me question things was that there appeared to be a light in the diagram for the middle position.

I know of a Syncro PTO that (in theory at least), is being used to supply power for a purposeful porpoise...

Best to point out that brown wires on VW's are earth wires but this home brew job seems to have a brown 'live' ..... dangerous that!