Upgrade advice

[sandwedge]

Well as Ive had no interest in my 16" syncro thats for sale I have decided to continue with what I had originally planned for it.

I am looking for some input from the good people here referance fitting mechanical upgrades to improve reliability.
The main two upgrades I have planned are.
1. Decoupler from syncro services (unless anyone can recommend better quality from another source), this is to take the load of the front drive train on long motorway journeys.
2. Oil cooler engine is a 2:1Dj WBX I know Simon fitted one to reduce oil temperature, I noticed that at low speeds off road thing heated up quite quickly not sure if this was just down to 30 C plus temperatures.

Are there any other upgrades that the guys and girls here can recommended, Im only interested in any that will improve reliability for long distance travel in hot countries as we have planned a trip to North Africa, Atlas mountains etc.

Thanks

Ian

[syncropaddy]

Fitting an oil cooler, regreasing the CV joints, wheel bearings and refurbishing the brakes would be the things Id be looking at.

My views on decouplers are well documented here .....

[axeman]

adian is now making de couplers, and with regards to oil coolers i would recomend think automotive, very helpfull and advised me when i bought mine. the total cost was around the £200 mark. and very easy to install, but dont forget to buy a roll of ptfe (very well spent 50p) tape for the threads on the sandwich plate and the oil cooler,

neil

[sandwedge]

Thanks Syncropaddy

Have redone the rear CV's just before we went to France, I plan to drop all of the front suspension this winter to check bushes, brakes, cv etc.
I have an annoying squeak from the LHS front brake, I have stripped cleaned rubber greased, this got rid of it for about 20 mins, not sure what pads the previous owner fitted, they look like sintred pads, any recommendation on pads for a 16".

Syncropaddy so are you view positive or negative on decouplers?
I only plant to fit one to take an addition strain out of the system on long motorway runs, I understand that if every thing is maintained and in spec then there should be no issues, and there fore a decouple should not be necessary.
For me it is more piece of mind and as my drive train is currently in newly recondition condition I would like to protect it as much as I can.

One thing Im struggling with is external storage for chairs and awning, I am considering another wheel carrier with a custom made rack.
Has anyone done this before or some thing along similar lines?

[jed the spread]

I wouldnt get a decoupler as Syncro Simon recons they are rubbish,

jed

[syncropaddy]

My view on de couplers is that they are only something else to go wrong and if everything else is working properly then you dont need them. All of my transmission was refurbed by Aidan and has less than 15000 Kms on it so Im keen to keep it that way as long as possible. On my way back from Syncro 25, Glen and I drove for almost 500Kms non stop and I had no transmission wind up when we drove into the motorway services area for fuel.

Modifying wheel carriers to carry other stuff is quite common.

[jed the spread]

Well as Ive had no interest in my 16" syncro thats for sale I have decided to continue with what I had originally planned for it.

I am looking for some input from the good people here referance fitting mechanical upgrades to improve reliability.
The main two upgrades I have planned are.
1. Decoupler from syncro services (unless anyone can recommend better quality from another source), this is to take the load of the front drive train on long motorway journeys.
2. Oil cooler engine is a 2:1Dj WBX I know Simon fitted one to reduce oil temperature, I noticed that at low speeds off road thing heated up quite quickly not sure if this was just down to 30 C plus temperatures.

Are there any other upgrades that the guys and girls here can recommended, Im only interested in any that will improve reliability for long distance travel in hot countries as we have planned a trip to North Africa, Atlas mountains etc.

Thanks

Ian

I see you have an oil cooler fitted in the first post so wont suggest that again one of the best things I have done was a full set of guages so I can see what the engine is up to in different conditions,

Oil temp guage,
Oil presure guage,
Water temp guage,
Boost guage (you wont need one of these)
Volt guage,

Also a manual fan switch for the highest speed on your fan is quite usefull too.

jed

[Aidan]

I'm still waiting on the decoupler kits from Syncroservices and will offer a build up service on them; my view is that by removing 4wd you also remove 4wbraking and the VC acts a useful damper in the system, as long as the VC is good, tyres are matched and rotated then I'd tend to stay stock; if the VC is tight then you are into a recon VC verses decoupler debate; personally I'd get a recon VC but if peeps want decouplers then I'll happily do them; I'll hassle Henning in the morning again as I've 2 customers waiting on them at the mo and it's holding up work

[sandwedge]

Interesting point on the gauges Jed, like the idea of oil temp and pressure, not sure if this would make me more paranoid or less l .
Aidan I will probably drop my nose cone into you t some point before Christmas, depending on how much the body and roof changes cost .

[jed the spread]

Interesting point on the gauges Jed, like the idea of oil temp and pressure, not sure if this would make me more paranoid or less.

More, I guarantee it

jed

[syncrosimon]

Most breakdowns on the 2.1 seem to be electrical faults. I would replace the coil, HT leads, ignition amplification module and carry the old ones as spares. I would carry with you a strobe so that you can adjust the timing to accept 95 ron. I would also consider carrying with you an ECU. The DJ is well capable of going 10,000 miles without a tune up, so once it is running how you like it, leave it well alone. Mine went 26 months without any adjustments and ran perfect.

And just for Jed, a few words in favour of the de-coupler.

Most 4x4 vehicles are not permanent 4x4, and a modern vehicle would either have a very soft VC, or some form of electronically controlled de-coupler. My Kangoo 4x4 has, and as with the syncro you cannot tell when she is not in 4x4. Taking any unnecessary strain out of the system is really sensible. If you are doing a road trip to Morrocco you will only actually need 4x4 on a couple of occasions, and you decide when that is. If you have a series of punctures in the wilds, what are your chances of getting the right tyres, almost nil, especially as they will be part worn. With a de-coupler you can wear some new ones down without any worries of cooking the VC. Parking is sooo much nicer as even a correctly functioning VC winds up on tight turns. My first Syncro was 3 years old with 27,000 miles on the clock, and an ex Milton Keynes demonstrator, it always wound up. No worries about prop vibe, CV joint wear, transmission wind up. Sorting these things on a second or third vehicle whilst a phonecall away from Baxter is one thing, but enduring prop vibe, or worrying about tyre size in Morrocco is not something I would want. Nobody rubbishes the Land Rover because you have to slow right down to a crawl to slap her in 4x4. The VC is a brilliant idea, and if you have followed a Suzuki SJ or a Defender with an open center diff in the snow and ice you will see the benefits, but when doing a 2500 mile road trip where is the need?, there is no need, so just take the VC out of the equation and worry a lot less.

For me also I have to admit to being a big sucker for the third diff lock light. When I were a teenager I hankered after a Syncro, and that mysterious center light always fascinated me when I finally got one. That is a factor . But on a 20 year old vehicle, who's design was clearly a bit kerfuffled by VW the de-coupler is the perfect compliment to the motorway driver.

I hardly ever use 4x4, it's why I have a syncro and not a Land Rover, The syncro was a bolt on to a 2wd, the Land Rover was designed as a 4x4. If I won the lottery I would make a low range box for the syncro. I do use 4x4, and when I do I would not be without it. My christ, you could drive round the world now with 2wd, it's just not necessary, but it is a luxury, and an enabler to do things and go places that a 2wd wouldnt or couldnt. That is what makes a syncro so special. I like the challenge of 2wd, it's a lot of fun, and being able to fish tale on gravel is so much fun. I think my rear tryres can cope with 55 horse power each, without fear of wheelspin or 911 induced oversteer.

The American subaru converters also have head leak problems, to such a degree that subaru produce (in America at least) a rad weld type additive. This is also used to great effect by WBX'ers, so may be worth while making an enquiry over here, as it would be a get you home additive.

The standard hand brake on a 16" is really really good, they will hold anywhere, so go through the rears as parts are much harder to come by.

[syncrosimon]

Most 4x4 vehicles are not permanent 4x4, and a modern vehicle would either have a very soft VC, or some form of electronically controlled de-coupler. My Kangoo 4x4 has, and as with the syncro you cannot tell when she is not in 4x4.

I am quite sure that if Renault thought they could get away without an electronically controlled de-coupler they would have, so why did they fit it?? Because you just dont need 4x4 on modern roads.

Look at the cars you see in the Alps and in Norway and Sweden, I think that Clarkson said they have less 4x4 than we do, they just get on with it and fit snow chains, much cheaper than a 4x4 system.

I dont wear a condom all week just waiting for the weekend! I keep some in my wallet in case I get lucky. That's de-coupling!

[sandwedge]

Thanks Simon

That has confirmed my thoughts, ref decouplers, I just think it would be useful to have the option of either, interesting analogy to getting your boots on at the weekend .

Well Im now the proud owner of a westfalia high roof I just need to work out how to get it here from Doncaster, and then to scotland .
Interesting point about the electronics Simon, I take it there is no limp home mode then when the DJ electronics go wrong?
Does anyone make an aftermarket ecu or is it only second hand ones that are available now?

[jed the spread]

And just for Jed, a few words in favour of the de-coupler.

Dont worry mate I am going to be getting one very soon

jed

[keeno]

Decoupler for sale... Sorry for blatant thread hijack, but might be of use to some of you

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=75294