Club 80-90 Forums

syncrosimon wrote:I still think that you have missed the point of the de-coupler.
It is an addition that makes life easier on a syncro, it takes the front half out of the equation when it is not needed.

I still think you have missed the point of the VC ...... in your own words Simon, "it takes the front half out of the equation when it is not needed".

syncrosimon wrote:Another advantage of the de-coupler is that when disengaged you can spin the wheels independently, which really does make life easier for brake set up, wheel bearing testing, CV joint maintainance.

I can spin the wheels on my Syncro independently ..........

Justavan wrote:Could some one explain the symptom of Transmission Wind Up as I have had nothing to relate this to with my Doka..................

When a VC gets hot after a long run, or is very cold there is a tendency for it to 'engage'. On loose surfaces this is not an issue but on paved roads you can sometimes feel your steering go heavy on tight turns - say in a motorway station after a long run - or you can feel your inside wheels 'skip on the tarmac. This is 'wind up'. It puts undesirable forces on your front end and prop and I would suppose in extreme cases, something would have to give.
My first Syncro has this issue and it scared the 5h17 out of me when I first encountered it (after a 400 mile non stop drive from Stuttgart) as I had no knowledge of this phenomena at all. My current Syncro has no such issue and still has its original VC in it after 284,000 Kms.

What do I need to put the lid back on the tin of worms

Another upgrade question, Brembo make disk for the syncro, does anyone make vented disk, and who make the best pads, I’m primarily after stopping power, not pad longevity

There is a SA brake upgrade kit available with vented discs (I have one for sale at the moment) and various people do brake kits, both front and rear using Sharan/Galaxy/Passat front calipers and discs for the front and Golf Mk4 rear calipers with suitable solid discs.
Brembo products are good but I dont know if their Syncro offerings are any better than VW offerings. I completely refurbed my brakes before 25 and was surprised with the difference it made just using standard parts!

sandwedge wrote:What do I need to put the lid back on the tin of works

Another upgrade question, Brembo make disk for the syncro, does anyone make vented disk, and who make the best pads, I’m primarily after stopping power, not pad longevity

Is there anything wrong with the brakes on your van as it is?

You know what comming don't you

Jed

jed the spread wrote:
Is there anything wrong with the brakes on your van as it is?

You know what comming don't you

Jed

5h17stirrer Jed! But you are correct in asking what is wrong with the brakes as they are.

Im not sure what the previous owner fitted but they seem to have degraded in performance over the last 12 months, loads of meat on the pads, disk slightly lipped but ok, Ive changed the brake fluid and rebled using a pressure bleeder.
On some of the big hills we went over this summer I was definatly getting brake fade some times, on big down hils.
So if Im going to put new disks and pads on I wondred if there were any better options over stock that use the existing caliper.
Dont get me wrong the brakes work ok but in a full laidened van it would be nice if they worked a little better. especialy when a French man pushing a push chair just decides to step out without looking

Syncropaddy if you took your line of reasoning to the enth degree we would still be using horses
Thats not a bad idea 4 hoof drive good MPG.

all this talk of reducing the wear on the front but what effects do a decoupler have on the rear end. the way i see it is loads are shared buy the std 4wd system, i know wind up is not good but a soft vc / std vc should not allow this. if the vc is tight then a decoupler becomes an option but personally i`d only use it for parking ect.

will a decoupler introduce more loads on the gearbox than the 4wd system. with regard to the decoupler engaging while stuck if rear wheels are turning and front are static then there`s no way it`ll enguage. the splines need to line up and this should be possible while stuck by allowing the rear wheels to turn just a little. will the vacumn system be efficient enough to achive this though.

as you can see im suitably confused.

sandwedge wrote: Syncropaddy if you took your line of reasoning to the enth degree we would still be using horses
Thats not a bad idea 4 hoof drive good MPG.

mpg? Shouldn't that be mpnb (miles per nosebag)

got too ask the question andrew if your always questioning people wanting to change/upgrade there vans, why did you spend your hard earnt money on a s/a break kit (that your now selling) , and why have you bought a aaz engined car for it's engine? surly i could argue that vw never intended for a 1.9 oil burner to be installed in our vans? they only saw fit for the 1.6 turbo.

neil

Oh dont get him started Neil....

I'm staying well clear of this one

axeman wrote:got too ask the question andrew if your always putting a questioning peoples wanting to change/upgrade there vans, why did you spend your hard earnt money on a s/a break kit (that your now selling) , and why have you bought a aaz engined car for it's engine? surly i could argue that vw never intended for a 1.9 oil burner to be installed in our vans? they only saw fit for the 1.6 turbo.

neil

OK, there's a few questions there.... when someone asks for advice on this forum, more often than not, they get it. They get good advice, bad advice, biased advice, non biased advice, advice based on experience and advice based on fact.

This post was asking what one should do to up grade a Syncro and good advice was posted on ways to upgrade. One of the questions was about a de coupler and I gave my opinion on de couplers as I was specifically asked, which just happens to conflict with opinions of others. But there you go, no body's gonna get shot over it. There was also a question on oil coolers and I gave my opinion on oil coolers which everyone seems to agree on. I rarely question peoples wanting to change/upgrade their vans but if asked then I will speak!

So why did I go out and buy a SA Big Brake kit? I made a list ages ago (which included a 2.1DJ Syncro) and on the list was a SA Big Brake kit and six Mefros and BFG MTs amongst many other things. The DJ Syncro is gone cuz I reckoned a diesel one would be better, the Mefros/BFG MTs are gone cuz for my type of usage they are unnecessary and after refurbing my brakes for 25, I think the standard set up is fine. So I'm selling the SA kit.

Why did I buy an AAZ engined car for its engine? Isnt it the best way to find out if its a good engine or not? I drove the mebs off that poor Passat for 2000 miles and the engine never missed a beat or overheated. To my mind the JX is a great engine but not suitable for the Syncro, its just not powerful enough and as the AAZ is based on the same family cylinder block, its the quickest way to more power and torque whilst staying within the transmission limits.

"surly i could argue that vw never intended for a 1.9 oil burner to be installed in our vans? they only saw fit for the 1.6 turbo"

Well yes you could argue that and according to Wiki the AAZ unit was first produced in early 1992 and the T25 production was, for all intents and purposes, finished with the T4 already in production so at the time VW didn't have a 1.9 unit available. But how would you know that VW never intended to fit a 1.9? They might have but never got around to it in time. Dont forget the amount work needed for a manufacturer to change an engine during the production life is huge and if the product is due for replacement, well why bother.

Its well know here that I like the 'keep it standard' approach but there are upgrades and mods that make sense, and there are upgrades and mods that are simply a waste of time and money. The list for each category grows with time and experience but its my list, you have your own!

My upgrades are simple and reversible - suspension lift, long studs and upgraded dampers, 15" alloys, rack poly bushes, a pair of age appropriate driving lamps, a big reversing lamp and a pair of rear lamp guards. I also changed the final drive ratio when Aidan did the box and front diff to suit an engine upgrade. All kept simple and my Syncro is a very nice vehicle, reliable and clean!

Things that I would consider a waste of time and money include galvanising parts and de couplers .......... !!

sandwedge wrote: Syncropaddy if you took your line of reasoning to the enth degree we would still be using horses

PMSL.....

To upgrade something, first you must know where you starting point is ....... would that make sense?

I agree but as I sure you know all too well from having worked in the same industry as myself, OEM's are in a constant state of development. So just because a feature did not make it to production does not always mean it was a bad feature, cost has a big impact on engineering changes as you put so well in your explanation of why engines are rarely changed once production commences, it can be the same for why a feature did not make it to final production, purly cost driven.
We both know that this is an evolutionary industry not a revolutionary one. I fell that aftermarket upgrades in some ways are almost like what happens during development and testing.
If an upgrade works there will be a take up and the mod will stand the test of time, if there is no benefit or the mod is worse than OEM then take up will die off.
Technology has moved on a long way since the T3 syncro was designed, I also agree with your statement on galvanizing it would seem to be over kill if the body shell rusts first, but if it personal preference then go for it. Use each other experience to build a better understanding of what works and what’s a waste of time.
Well that’s my one pence worth