Club 80-90 Forums

We're looking at buying a nice little 89 Syncro Tristar that originally had a 1.6 diesel. It was recently rebuilt with a 1.9 AAZ TD long block. Truck seems to run pretty good with good pep but does smoke on hard acceleration. Engine has the diesel rattle but is quite loud. Seller recently replaced turbo seals but there is still an oil leak underneath.

We have never owned a diesel and we are worried about maintenance issues. Have lots of petrol experience and know how to work on those engines. Can anyone give us some advice or comments about the AAZ engine? Are they OK or should we stay with a petrol power plant? Are diesels a headache?

One other consideration--we are in North America and diesel costs more than petrol so the fuel savings overall are probably minimal to nonexistent.

Are AAZ TDs any good?

AAZ's are fine, they are just getting pretty old now. Getting it rebuilt would give you a pretty reliable engine suited to the gear ratios of the doka. You also have all the engine Parts and mounts to fit a tdi in the future.
The smoke problem could just be bad pump timing or bad injector, doesn't have to mean dead engine

10 years ago AAZ was the default upgrade for a diesel van when the JX died, often installed using a lot of the old JX bits
but they are now old and hard to find in good condition as donors
there is known issue with the bottom pulley attachment
they seem to run hot in our van
they have heavy diesel knock which often induces a pulse into the drivetrain and can make it sound like a gearbox fault

nowadays the diesel boys are mostly upgrading/updating to TDi engines a good few years younger and have got over our fear of 'lectrics

if it has the diesel engine bars and bellhousing etc.. you could convert it to petrol with the AGG or similar engine if available

^ WHS, plus the added comment that with a pickup, your options for fitting a later better electronic TDI are much greater, as you're not constrained to a 55 degree fitting with JX bits. Using off the shelf parts from Overland you could fit a later ALE/ALH type engine or PD. Or if you like a project, go DIY, its fun !

Or, re-seal/re-build the AAZ, make sure oil and charge cooling is sufficient, and enjoy, though this will never be as refined and ecomomical as a TDI.

Thanks ever so much for the input. We went ahead with the purchase, and my spouse (the mechanical one) is getting knowledgeable about diesel wrenching via the Internet and various forums (fora? fori? high school Latin was so long ago...).

Nice! Your certainly getting a enviable collection of vans together

Thanks for the compliments.

We are starting our education on diesels. Anyone have experience with this book from Just Kampers? http://www.busdepot.com/j10839" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is it just a pamphlet or does it have enough valuable info to justify the equivalent to 16GBP price?

Btw, before the purchase of the Tristar was finalised, we learned that the AAZ was NEW, not a rebuild. The folks in Victoria BC who did the conversion somehow sourced a new long block.

Nice truck, well done !!

I would invest in the Bentley manual, pricey but worth every dollar !!

Sorry, just realised Bentley will only cover jx !!

Thanks, we already have a paperback version of the Bentley. Wondering if the hardcover version is any better? Ours has very little info on diesels and nothing about the turbo versions.
Was looking at the JustKamper manual as an extra info source. Also for diesel virgins!

I have this manual as it came with all the paper work with the van, if you want it you can have it at the Diesel engine is no more In our camper, pm your address and I will post it out too you, just cover the cost of the postage, I would advise that you also look out for a Hanes manual that covers the aaa engine, they are anouther source of reference.
Neil

Thanks axman!

So what are you guys in England using for reference?
Over here we have the Bentley, an excellent resource, but limited to the North American models. It only covers (briefly) the CS diesels.
What's the best reference for the JX and it's subsidiary systems in the T25?
Our Syncro Tristar has a AAZ long block, but everything else is JX.
Thanks for any help.

Also, what are you using as a replacement for the turbo cooling fan? Our fan motor has bit the dust.

i wouldn't worry too much about the fan, they never really come on. And when they do it's only when the ignition is off. Infact, the only time i ever heard mine go off was when i overheated the engine after a coolant hose burst, Sounds like a aeroplane taking off!
You might get lucky posting a wanted ad on here, not needed after a tdi conversion. Think i gave mine away in the end..

Thanks lloydy. That's good to know. I think we will try to replace though so everything is stock.
My partner pulled the fan, the bearings are stiff, it will spin with 12v applied but only with an assist.

What's the word on good reference manuals for European T25's?

Depends what your german is like but i found a manual like this link to be informative for cs/jx variants:-

http://www.ebay.de/itm/VW-Bus-T3-Diesel ... 3206wt_904" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

good for torque figures etc

Or maybe this?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-TRANSPORTE ... 1e8506e3fa