Club 80-90 Forums

Well today was the exciting day when I colected my new Syncro!

So far so good. Despite my fears I'd end up on the hard shoulder in a cloud of steam, the JX lump actully had no problem making progress at 50-60mph. Wasn't pushing it by any means but was quite impressed by its performance (when in the green band) and how little speed it drops on hills. (If these coments puzzle anyone who thinks a JX is underpowered then maybe I should explain I'm used to driving series 1 land-rovers and havn't driven a car since Christmas, the JX is no Fararri but its fairly quick by my standards!)

It drives in a streight line, the brakes are good and the suspension smooth. The transmision makes an auidable noise but its not anoying. 1st isn't the easyest gear to find but it selects nicely with the right tequneque, I'm still perfecting that one. All other gears work fine too, so I'm happy there. After coming streight off the motorway (where I'd been driving for over an hour) I took it to a carpark and put it on full lock in G and 1st, you could feal something slightly 4wd through the wheel but the engine had no problems driving it on tickover so that sounds promising (VC is not that old though so I guess thats no surprise).

Temp guage likes to sit just at the bottem of the red light which is about the same as our old auto DJ, rad fan and turbo cooler have been herd working, and if theres an auxilury coolent pump on the top of the engine that works too (I take it thats what it is, my mates golf VR6 has one and it sounds like that, though also sounds a bit like something bubbleing away ).

So then, what doesn't work? A sidelight is blown and the difflock controls seem pritty dead. Also the heater fan control afects the headlight brightness slightly (is that normal or do they share an earth or something that could do with a clean? (if so where is it?))

The difflock pannel light is intermitant, the warning lights themselfs don't iluminate at all so I guess theres a wireing fault to that pannel, do they need electrics for the pnumatics will work or is that completely seperate (I suspect they won't be working). The rear locker control pulls out fine but the front one doesn't. You can rotate it into one of 2 very defined positions but it won't spring to one in perticular (should it?) and it won't pull out in eather; any ideas? Can live without the front locker for now but would like tot get the rear working as soon as possable really, I've herd doing something with the actuator is required - can anyone inlighten me? will it take long to do? will it need ripping to bits?

Other thing is there is a washer on the back of the prop that rattles loudly, I'll get a picture soon, going to put some tape on it to stop it rattleing but shoudl it be there at all?

So basicly apart from the lockers all seems well, early indications surgest its not too bad on fuel eather, 30mpg at least I recon.

Only mod I'm planning at the moment (ie tomorrow) is to FIT A RADIO! I'm sure the landy won't miss its for the next indefinate timespan.

(by the way if you were in the LHD syncro on the M25, hello, it was me!)
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Glen

Oh yer, another question to hopefully reduice the number of anoying questions I ask when things go wrong (no this ones not going to do that, thats the landy's job (its good at it at the moment it seems)); Where can I get a decent workshop manual from? Prefer books but wouldn't say no to a PDF.

Already got an Aircooled Haynes and a later book (brooklands?) that covers 2wd water boxers but neather are ideal for a diesel syncro.
Cheers,
Glen

you got pm, give me a call

Other thing is there is a washer on the back of the prop that rattles loudly, I'll get a picture soon, going to put some tape on it to stop it rattleing but shoudl it be there at all?

You sure its not the prop itself, it's common for the prop to get all excited and ring like a bell when lugging, go up a gear...

Syncro G wrote: The difflock pannel light is intermitant, the warning lights themselfs don't iluminate at all so I guess theres a wireing fault to that pannel, do they need electrics for the pnumatics will work or is that completely seperate (I suspect they won't be working). The rear locker control pulls out fine but the front one doesn't. You can rotate it into one of 2 very defined positions but it won't spring to one in perticular (should it?) and it won't pull out in eather; any ideas? Can live without the front locker for now but would like tot get the rear working as soon as possable really, I've herd doing something with the actuator is required - can anyone inlighten me? will it take long to do? will it need ripping to bits?

The way it's supposed to work (inside the cab) is as follows:

rear difflock:
Pull out the lever, nothing happens, no lights come on. Only when there is a significant difference in speed between the two rear wheels does the lock engage and the light comes on.
On tarmac it's not that easy to coax the lock into engaging and it shouldn't really be done anyway. So your rear diff may well be working.

front difflock:
To pull out, turn a quarter turn clockwise, then pull.
To push in, just push, it should do the opposite quarter turn by itself (spring loaded)
Once the lever is pulled the light should start blinking. Only when the difflock is engaged does the light come on fully.
(Do not try out the front diff on tarmac and only in an area where you have lots of space)
So its sounds like you front difflock is sick.

Don't know what's needed to fix it ...mine still work.

Cheers for that Kev.

Right, dismantleing the difflock control revealed the pannel light bulb seamed dodgey so I swapped it with the pointless decoupler light.

The spring had come off the front locker switch and I think the tab was jammed behind something - seems to be what happens if you don't put it back together very carefully. Now resolved and the safety lock works as it should. Havn't had the engine running yet so don't know if it'll lock (the electrical conector was slightly loose on the PCB too so that wouldn't have helped. Worryingly the rear diff switch has a rather un german jubalee clip halfway round it so the switch could be suspect. I can't really get much access around it yet as I havn't worked out how to remove the panel below the lockers (the one with the warning sticker on) Any ideas?

Now the moment everyones been waiting for...
[IMG:640:480]http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e224/ ... 3Small.jpg[/img]

[IMG:640:480]http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e224/ ... 2Small.jpg[/img]

Not perfect by any means but I'm pritty pleased with it at the moment. Seems resionably solid base vehicle.

[IMG:640:480]http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e224/ ... 6Small.jpg[/img]
Any ideas what this does and where its ment to go? All the electrics seem to work (except the difflocks if the lights should work ignition on engine off? Obveously they wouldn't engage but should they pretend to try)
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Glen

that wire might just be where a previose owner had a cb???

is that another Yorkshire water one?
it's got a West Yorkshire reg, probably from LCW in Halifax..

Simon Baxter wrote:is that another Yorkshire water one?
it's got a West Yorkshire reg, probably from LCW in Halifax..

Spot on there Simon!

Must have the original plastic plates too then as the reflective stuff is slightly going - They say LCW on the bottem and have an MAN logo. Long term I think I might get some pressed alloy ones (reflective obveously) as I hate plastic numberplates. Still its nice to know if a flimsy bit of plastic has survived 15 years on the front of a van it obveously hasn't been used for ramraiding!

The Van managed to escape Yorkshire for a London life but I'm bringing it back!

Had it a week now so the story so far is as such...

After not bothering to rebuild my Landy's transferbox the morning I was going to go to Wales for a weeks mountainbikeing, I decided to to risk my new van as it hadn't spat out all its water like I was expecting.

I'm really glad I took it as its been fantastic! Coolent did need toping up a couple of times but only in small quantities and usally only after a long climb where it worked hard. Think I've done about 700 miles in it now!

Took me about 24 hours of ownership before I found myself camping in it at the top of some obscure mountain, over 1/2 an hours drive from tarmac - I thought the lack of working lockers could have caused problems but it didn't (which was good as I upset my landy mates by turning up in it!). I have since found the limit when I tryed to drive a small wet rocky crossaxle and it just didn't want to know - My landy mates were pleased by that but I think I'll wipe the grins off their faces when the diffs are working again!

I REALLY REALLY need to fit a radio! I tryed stuffing one in quick but the speaker wires are broken in the door hinges and I haven't been able to sort it yet.

CV joints have just started clunking on the way home, thought I'd ignore it as our old van made the odd nocking noise for years, sadly though this has progressed quite quickly and it now clonks on the flat under light loads and on corners (I think when the weight shift moves the suspension). I Don't know much about CV joints but with 8 of them on the van I think I'll have to learn fast! I guess a clonking joint will be quite easy to detect as knackered once I've removed the driveshaft? Does removing driveshaft releace the diff oil?

Engines painfully slow if I drive it gently (ie off boost), will go quicker if I push the pedal but I was worryed about the coolent - I recon with a new head it should go quite nicely. On the plus side it does seem very good on fuel - about 35mpg if the milomiter is to be belived.

Not sure about the speedo accuracy, it seems slightly optimistic. I need to be doing nearly 40 (indicated) in a 30 to set off those flashing LED signs - need to get a GPS thing to check it. The Tyres are 215R14's, the speedo says 1600 on the front (turns per mile?) and since the van has no option codes on the dash sticker and the handbook has had 185R14 underlined I guess thats the tyre size its setup for - with that in mind I'd expect it to be more likely to under read so something doesn't seem right?? Aparently the van has had the speedo drive fail in the past (plastic gear in the diff problem I suspect) so could it be possable to fit a different (wrong) ratio.

I want to get the speedo right so:-
a) I can drive through speed camera at a safe speed without anoying everyone.
b) I'm on limited milage insurance and want to be able to actully drive the miles I'm aloud to!

Tomorrow I go to pickup a suposubly working 3-way firdge someone wants rid of, its scruffy but free so I think its worth a go!

When I next upload my camera pictures I might show off the van in action.
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Glen

Aparently the van has had the speedo drive fail in the past (plastic gear in the diff problem I suspect) so could it be possable to fit a different (wrong) ratio.

Its possible but only some combinations work with given diff worm gears, look in ETKA if you've got the bill with a part number, or Aidan (Beaker) will tell you al you wanted to know I'm sure..


Glad you're enjoying it, they're Greaat aren't they.. so get those difflocks working

jamesc76 wrote:that wire might just be where a previose owner had a cb???

Now you mention it, it could be something like that. Something has been mounted over the difflock sticker in the past so this would be about the right length; its a perminant live. Theres also a small hole drilled in the roof behind where the full bulkhead was so that must have been for an areal or warning becon I suspect.

I guess a clonking joint will be quite easy to detect as knackered once I've removed the driveshaft? Does removing driveshaft releace the diff oil?

You should be able to easily detect it without removing the driveshaft, just grab the shaft and feel for any play. Removing the driveshaft won't release the diff oil. If its a rear one then its easy, just make sure you clean out the bolt heads properly if they haven't been touched for a while. Front inners are the same as the rear, front outers are the expensive ones!

Cheers,

Sam.

Front inners are the same as the rear,

Yup - Even though the original front inners had different Part Nos., slightly different boot arrangement ex works... GSF CVJs can be fitted all round apart from front outer