Misc tips and tricks New owners questions

From VW T25(T3)-Tech
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Washer bottle location: On left hand side (nearside) under the carpet in the footwell.

Brake fluid resevoir: under the dashboard pod (behind speedometer) grab dash cowl/housing along the edge nearest the windscreen and pull up.

Oil Filler extension tube after you undo the the oil cap there is a narrower tube inside the outside one. Pull this out to give a better fill point. To keep the number plate flap open whilst you do this use jam the filler cap in the lower edge of the flap (also works with coolant filler cap) It takes a litre between the lowest point on the dipstick and the highest. Dont overfill as this can damage oil seals. Top up a little at a time, and give a while for the oil to settle into the sump before taking a reading. Ideally test with the van level and leave a good half anhour at least after it has been running to get an accurate reading. Check at least weekly

Coolant VW G12+ is the current vw product, its pink, previous G11 was Blue. They CAN be mixed. (makes a nice mauve colour!) he T25 is prone to internal corrosion in the cylinder heads. It is imperitive you use the corect coolant at the correct strength (50/50 or 60/40 water to coolant in summer) to prevent leaks deleloping due to corrosion of cylinder head bolts. Top up tank is to the left of the number plate flap at the rear of the van, check at least weekly. There is another tank which you must open the engine bay to get to this is the header tank and should not need attention for routine maintenance. Also see Refilling and bleeding system

Dash board warning lights.

Oil light: (red LED on the right of center of the dash console It will blink with the ignition key in the first position, and should go out once your engine starts. If it comes on dimly occasionally whilst driving, the sensor may be faulty it does not necessarily mean you have low oil pressure. Check the oil level and maybe get your oil pressure checked. There is also a buzzer in the dash which may go off if the oil system thinks there is low oil pesssure. If you continue to drive and oil pressure IS low you will damage your engine.

Coolant light: This will blink for the first 10 seconds or so after you start the van, this is normal. If coolant becomes low this light will flash, the sensor for this is in the header tank, to get to this to top it up you need to open the engine bay. If the van has been running the contents of this will be near boiling be VERY careful removing the lid as you could be covered in hot coolant as the system is under pressure when hot. You can remove the rubber pipe from the cap on top, but if you unscrew the cap just do it a little and allow the pressure to seep out gradually, only take the cap off when you are sure that there is no pressure remaining, use a rag to cover it whilst you do it. Top it up, and also top up the top up tank whilst your ther (behind the flap) try and find where your coolant is going.

Handbrake light: To the Left of the steering wheel, rectangular light whith a exclamation mark on it. This not only comes on when your hand bake is on, it is also your Brake fluid warning light, if it stays on when your handbrake is off your brake/clutch fluid is low see above for brake fluid location. If this is running low the brake fluid is leaking out somewhere you would be best not to drive the van until it is fixed!

Temperature gauge: On the most common dash (ie no rev counter) the temperature guage is at the top of the clock, A warmed up engine should be somewhere just to the right of centre of the guage. There is quite some variation between vans though and between seasons. (if your clock is broken you could use the minute hand to compare against ;-)

Petrol All the petrol engines are capable of running on unleaded petrol. And LPG.

Rust It is unlikely that your van has no rust, If you have bought it from a dealer/trader the may have tarted it up for sale by 'blowing it over' with a top coat of paint. The seams above the rear wheels (grooves in the bodywork panels), the front panel, the petrol filler cap area, under the window rubbers, the wheel arches, and lower edge of the tail gate and sliding door are the favourite places to start. Be warned these vans tend to rust from the inside out treating the outside will only ever be a temporary fix. Under your front wheel arches there are two plastic tanks these are your fuel tank breathers. They can also be a a potential rust trap. take them off and clean out behind them. When you take your van for a jet wash give plenty of atttention to the wheel arch areas particularly behind the lip of the wheel arch.

Heater controls

top to right: windscreen to left: off (if side blowers are closed)

middle to right: Heat on

lower: to right: directs heat to feet

Caravelles are different