1990 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER Owners Manual

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VEHICLE CARE
Changing the
engine
oil
Have
your engine oil changed regularly,
but at least twice a year (see Maintenance
booklet).

This
is very important because the lubri­ cating properties of oil diminish gradually
during normal operation of the vehicle.
If you drive mostly short distances, or if
you operate the vehicle in dusty
areas,
or under predominantly stop-and-go traffic
conditions, or when temperatures remain below freezing for extended periods, the
engine oil should be changed more fre­
quently.

Due
to the detergent additives in the oil,
the fresh oil will look dark after the engine
has
been running for a short time. This is
normal and there is no reason to change
the oil more often than recommended by
the manufacturer.

Always
heed
WARNINGS
on
page
96
100 and97-
WARNING

•
Drain
the oil
into
a
container
that
is
designed for
this
purpose, one
that
is
large
enough to hold at
least
the oil

filling
of your
engine.

•
Wear
eye
protection.

• To
reduce
the
risk
of burns
from
hot

engine
oil let the
engine
cool
down
to
the touch.
•
When
removing
the oil
drain
plug

with
your fingers,
keep
as far
away
as possible.
Always
keep
your
forearm

parallel
to the ground to
help
prevent
hot oil
from
running
down
your arm.
• Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it
well

out of the
reach
of children. Con­

tinuous
contact
with
used
engine
oil is
harmful
to your skin.
Always
protect

your skin by
washing
thoroughly
with
soap and
water.

•
Always
dispose of used
engine
oil

properly.
Do not
dump
it on
garden
soil,

wooded
areas,
into
open
streams
or

down
sewage
drains.
• Recycle used
engine
oil by
taking
it to
a used
engine
oil collection
facility
in
your
area,
or
contact
a service
station.
• Turn off the engine.
• Remove the oil drain plug (arrow) when
the engine is still warm and allow the oil to
drain.

•
Always
use a new
gasket
when

reinstalling
the plug. Do not
overtighten.

•
Fill
the engine
with
oil. Do not
overfill.

Always
check engine oil level
with
dipstick
as
described on previous page.

Engine
oil capacity is listed under

"Capacities",
page 147.

Local
zoning ordinances or environmental
regulations will tell you how you can

dispose
of used engine oil. Should the dis­ carding of the old oil present a problem to

you,
we suggest you have the oil changed
at your dealer or a service station.


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VEHICLE CARE
ENGINE OIL FILTER
: he oil
filter
should be changed at the inter-

,als
listed in your Maintenance booklet.
• Remove old oil
filter
element and dis­

card.

• Use
only
Oil
filter
part
No.:

070115561
as
otherwise
engine
damage

can occur.
• Lightly coat seal of new
filter
element

with
oil. • Screw on
filter
element and hand-
tighten according to manufacturer's instructions on the carton or on the
filter

element.
• Fill engine
with
appropriate amount of
engine oil.
• Run engine at various speeds for three
to five minutes and check for leaks.
• Check dipstick for correct oil level, top
up if necessary.

Always
heed
WARNINGS
on
page
96 and 97. 101


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VEHICLE CARE
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID / MANUAL TRANSMISSION OIL
Automatic Transmission Fluid
The torque converter and the transmis­
sion are lubricated with Automatic Trans­ mission Fluid (ATF).
The final drive requires hypoid oil SAE 90,
which does not have to be changed.
Checking the ATF level
The ATF has to be checked at frequent intervals, for instance, when the engine
oil is being checked or at least at the intervals specified in your Maintenance
booklet.
Always heed WARNINGS on page 97. A correct ATF level is very important for
transmission operation.
To obtain an accurate reading, the
vehicle must be on level ground, and the
fluid must have reached operating
tem­

perature. Normally, after a cold-start the
fluid will reach operating temperature when the vehicle has been driven for ab­
out 6 miles or 10 km. If the ATF is too cool
or too hot, the fluid level reading will be inaccurate.
WARNING Before checking the ATF, the selector
lever must be securely locked in the Park position and the parking brake ap­
plied firmly.
Checking the ATF level is potentially hazardous because the hot engine has
to be running during the check. Do not
attempt to check the ATF before read­ ing all WARNINGS on page 97.
The ATF filler neck is in the engine com- partement on the left hand side. The dip­
stick is attached to the
plug.
Pull it out
and wipe clean first before inserting it to
take a reading. The Automatic transmission may be da­
maged by even a tiny speck of dirt.
Only use lint free rags to wipe the dip­
stick.
To get a true reading, the ATF must be at operating temperature.
You have enough ATF if the fluid level is between the two marks on the dipstick. I:
should never be above or below these marks. If level is too high or too low do not
just add or drain ATF. Have your dealer check and correct the cause as soon as possible.
For correct ATF specifications, see "Lub­
ricants" on page 85.
Changing the ATF
The ATF has to be changed at the inter­ vals specified in your Maintenance boo­klet.
Do not tow the vehicle or run the engine
without ATF in the transmission.
Manual Transmisson Oil Both transmission and final drive are
combined in one housing. The lubrican: used is hypoid oil which does not have tc
be checked or changed. If you shoulc
suspect a leak, contact your VW dealer.


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VEHICLE
CARE
I

AIR CLEANER
A
dirty
filter
element reduces engine
out­
put and increases fuel consumption and

can
cause premature engine wear.
Normally, it is not required to service the
air cleaner more often than recommended in the Maintenance booklet. If the vehicle

is
driven on very dusty roads, the air

cleaner
must be serviced more frequently,

even
daily. We recommend
that
you have
the air cleaner serviced by your
Volks­

wagen dealer or a qualified workshop.
If
your
air
filter
must
be
changed more
frequently,
we
recommend
that
you have
your
Volkswagen dealer show
you the
procedure
before
you
attempt
doing
it

yourself.

The
paper
filter
element must never
be
cleaned
or
soaked
with
gasoline, clean­

ing
solvents or oil. POWER STEERING*
The
fluid
reservoir is located behind the
licence
plate lid.

The
power steering is filled
with
ATF Dexron®.

A
correct
fluid
level in the reservoir is im­
portant
for the proper functioning of
power steering.
With the engine running, the
fluid
level in the power steering system must be
checked
at regular intervals. The
fluid
level
should always be between the "max"
and "min" markings. If the level should go below the "min" marking, have the power
steering system inspected by your
Volks­

wagen dealer. It is not sufficient to
just
add hydraulic fluid.
WARNING

•
Be
sure
not to
confuse brake fluid

and
hydraulic fluid.
If
the wrong fluid
is
used,
the systems may fail.

•
If the
power steering system should

fail,
or if the
engine
is not
running
(for

example
while
being
towed),
you
will
still
be
able
to
steer
the
vehicle, how­
ever, more
effort
will
be required.
Note

Since
the hydraulic
fluid
also functions as

a
lubricant, serious damage to the pump
and to other components of the system
could result if there is insufficient hydraulic

fluid
in the system.

Always
heed WARNINGS on page
97. "where applicable


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VEHICLE
CARE

COOLING
SYSTEM
The cooling system
is
sealed and gener­ ally requires little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the factory with
a
permanent coolant which
does not need to be changed. The coolant

consists
of a
mixture
of
water
and the
manufacturer's coolant additive
G 11 —

antifreeze
on
glycol basis with anticorro-
sion additives (40% for USA
models;
50%
for Canadian models).
This
mixture
assures
the
necessary frost protection
and protects
the
entire cooling system
against corrosion and
scaling,
and raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
Do
not
reduce
the
concentration
of the

coolant
in the
summer
by
adding plain
water.
The coolant additive proportion
must
be at least
40%
but not more than

60%,
to
maintain the antifreeze protection
and the cooling efficiency. For year round driving, antifreeze is added
at the factory for temperatures down to:

-13°
F/-25°C(USA)

-40°
F/-40°
C
(Canada)

Only
use
quality phosphate-free
anti­

freeze containing ethylene glycol. Such antifreeze
is
available at
your
Volkswagen

dealer.

WARNING Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store antifreeze in its original container and

well
out of the reach of children. If you drain
the
coolant,
it must
be
caught
and

safely stored. Drained coolant should normally not be reused. Always des-

pose
of used coolant observing all en­
vironmental regulations.
Coolant losses
Coolant losses may indicate
a
leak in
the

cooling
system.
In
this
case,
the
cooling
system should
be
inspected immediately by
your
Volkswagen dealer.
It is not
suffi­

cient merely to add coolant.

In a
sealed system, losses can only occur
if
the
boiling point
of the
coolant
is ex­

ceeded as
a
result of overheating.
Overheating can occur
if:

•
the
flow
of air to the
radiator
is

obstructed
by
leaves, dust, insects
or by

additional
lights installed
in
front
of the
radiator grille;

•
the boiling point of the coolant has been
reduced
due to an
incorrect mixture
of

coolant and water;

•
the
radiator fan
is not
working
- see

"Radiator
fan",
or;

•
the vehicle is being driven up
a
long
hill
j

in
a
low gear with engine speed
very
high
and
at
very
high ambient temperature
-

see
"Radiator fan".

If
the cause for the overheating cannot
be

determined
and
corrected, contact
your

Volkswagen dealer immediately, other-
I
wise serious engine damage could result.

104
Always
heed
WARNING on page
97.


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VEHICLE CARE

Refill
tank

Checking
the coolant level

The coolant level should
be
checked from time
to
time, and always before going on
a
longer
trip.

WARNING

To
reduce the risk of being burned, never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant
escaping
from the en­
gine compartment.
Wait
until
no steam

or
coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the
hood.
Expansion
tank
The refill tank and
the
expansion tank are in
the
engine compartment.
The coolant level
is
normally checked only in
the
refill tank (behind
the
license plate
lid).
The expansion tank needs checking only
if
a
large amount
of
coolant
is
lost
or if the

warning
light
in the
water temperature gauge lights up.
On
the
refill
and the
expansion tank,
the

cap
need
not
be taken
off,
since the tanks
are transparent.

On
the refill tank, the coolant level must
be

between
the
min.
and
max. marks when
engine
is
cold
and not
running. When
engine
is
warm, coolant level
may be

slightly above max. mark.
The expansion tank
is
equipped
with
an
electric coolant level checking device.
When the coolant level is too low, the warn­ ing
light
in the
coolant temperature gauge

(see
page
43)
will flash
until
the
coolant
level has been restored
to
normal.

Always heed WARNINGS on page 97.
105


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VEHICLE CARE
Adding
coolant

Turn
off the
engine
and allow it to cool
down.

WARNING
Reduce the
risk
of scalding
from
hot

coolant
by
following
these
steps.
• If the cap
from
the expansion
tank

must
be
removed
wait
until
the
engine

has cooled down. The cooling system
is
under
pressure.
•
Protect
face, hands and
arms
by
covering the cap
with
a
large,
thick
rag
to
protect
against
escaping
fluid
and steam.
•
Carefully
and
slowly
turn
cap one

turn
to
allow
excess pressure to es­ cape
before
completely
removing
cap.

Top
up coolant in refill tank. Only when
cooling
system was drained or a lot of
cool­
ant needs to be added, also
fill
expansion
tank.

To
maintain the anti-corrosion properties of the coolant, the antifreeze concentra­
tion should not be reduced, even during
the warm
season.
Increasing
the
antifreeze
in the
coolant

to
more
than
60% is not
only
unecono­ mical, it is also
detrimental
to
engine

cooling.

Only
use quality phosphate-free anti­

freeze
containing ethylene glycol. Such antifreeze is available at your Volkswagen

dealer.

Antifreeze,
other
than
specified by Volks­
wagen,
may cause corrosion of the cool­ ing system,
leading
to
engine
over­

heating
and
damage.

Only
for topping-up coolant, a small amount of antifreeze containing ethylene

glycol
and phosphates may be
used,
if rec­
ommended antifreeze is not available.
• After adding coolant, run the engine at
idle speed for a few seconds.
• Wait for the radiator fan to switch on

and
off again.
• Check coolant level. Add more coolant
if necessary.

Do
not overfill the system.
Excess
coolant will be forced out through
the pressure relief valve in the reservoir
when the engine becomes hot.
Screw cap on
again
tightly.
Radiator
fan

The
electric radiator fan (located in
fror:
r the car behind grille) is controlled by !':
moswitches
from the coolant and enc
TE

compartment temperature.

After
turning
off the
engine,
the
radiate

fan can
continue
to run (up to 10 r>
nutes).
It may also suddenly
start
to rx

again
even
with
the
ignition
switched
c*

Notes
• If the radiator fan does not come c
when the coolant temperature is very high

check
the fuse and replace it if necessar, - see page 129.
• The speed of the radiator fan does nc

depend
on the engine
speed,
therefore
cooling
effect cannot be increased b.
downshifting. As long as the engine runs smoothly and driving an uphill road does
not considerably reduce
speed,
there is n:
need
to downshift.

Always
heed
WARNINGS
on
page
97.


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V-BELT
winter operation
I the beginning of the winter season, have the coolant checked for anti-freeze
ecncentration. If you have to add, only use
Hality
phosphate-free anti-freeze con-
ra. ning ethylene glycol which is available
5".
your Volkswagen dealer.
Tie ratio between water and anti-freeze
r-pends
on the anticipated outside temp-
r'atures. Tension checking
Correct V-belt tension is important for over­
all vehicle performance.
Tensioning and replacing of vehicle V- belts should be performed by your
Volkswagen dealer or a qualified work­ shop.
See page 147 for V-belt designation.
WARNING
To prevent personal injury stay well clear of the V-belt when the engine is
running.
Before checking V-belt
ten­

sion turn the engine off and let it cool

down.
Hot components can burn skin
on contact.
Always heed WARNINGS on page 97. 107


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