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VEHICLE
OPERATION
In the
driver's
seat
•
Check operation of horn.
•
Adjust seat for easy reach of controls.
•
Adjust head restraints to your
size.
•
Adjust inside and outside rear view mir-
brs.
•
Use safety belts as directed.
•
Assure yourself
that
all passengers,
especially
children, are properly buckled up.
•
Check operation of
foot
and parking
orakes.
•
Check all warning and indicator lights
v/hen starting the engine.
•
Do not leave vehicle idling unattended.
•
Lock all doors
from
inside to prevent in advertent opening of doors
from
inside
and unwanted
entry
from
outside. On the
road
•
Always drive defensively. Expect the
unexpected.
•
Observe speed
limits
and obey road
signs.
•
Use signals to indicate
turns
and lane
changes.
•
Turn on headlights at dusk.
•
Always keep a safe distance
from
the
vehicle in
front
of you, depending on
traf
fic, road and weather conditions.
•
Reduce speed at
night
and during incle
ment weather.
•
If you smell gas fumes in the vehicle,
drive
with
the windows open, but keep the rear lid
closed.
Have the cause im
mediately located and corrected.
•
Make frequent rest stops, at least
after
every two hours of driving.
•
When
tired
pull off the road, stop and
take a rest. Turn the engine off. Do not sit in the vehicle
with
engine idling. Engine exhaust is dangerous if inhaled.
•
When stopped or parked, always set
the parking brake. Move the selector lever
to "P" (Automatic transmission) or move
the gearshift lever to reverse or
first
gear (Manual transmission). When parking on
hills,
turn
wheels
toward
the curb.
•
When stalled or stopped for repairs,
move the vehicle well off the road. Turn on
emergency flasher and use other warning
devices
to alert other motorists. Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas where
the hot exhaust system may come in
con
tact
with
dry
grass,
brush, fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire.
•
Make it a habit to have the engine oil
checked
with
every fuel filling.
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VEHICLE OPERATION
For
best roadability adjust your load to the
maximum allowed tongue load. To be sure
measure
tongue load of loaded trailer on
bathroom
scales.
Check
that
both sides of your trailer can be
seen
from the driver's seat. If necessary in
stall extended rear-view mirrors.
Check
proper working of vehicle and
trailer lights.
Check
cold
tire
pressure of both vehicle
and
trailer.
Be
sure trailer safety chains are properly
connected
from trailer to the hitch on the
vehicle.
Leave enough slack in the chains
to permit turning corners.
Trailer
towing
tips
Your
vehicle handles differently when tow ing a trailer because of the additional
weight. Safety, performance and economy
will greatly depend on how carefully you
load
your trailer and operate your "rig."
Before
you actually tow your trailer, prac
tice turning, stopping and reversing in an
area
away from
traffic
until
you learn the
feel of your vehicle and trailer
unit.
Reversing
is
difficult
and requires practice.
Steering
while reversing is generally oppo
site of
that
when backing your vehicle with
out a trailer.
Observe
speed limits. In some areas
speeds
for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for regular vehicles.
Maintain a greater distance between your
vehicle
and the one in
front.
You will need more room to stop.
When
passing remember
that
you cannot
accelerate
as fast as you normally would
because
of the added load. Make sure you
have
enough room to
pass.
After passing
allow plenty of room for your trailer before
changing
lanes again.
Avoid
jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
Slow
down in crosswinds and on rougi"
roads.
Be especially carefull when
pas
sing
other vehicles and trucks.
When
parking always block the wheels o: both vehicle and trailer. Do not park
with
a
trailer on a slope. If it cannot be avoided dc
so
only after the following:
• Apply brakes.
• Have someone place wheel blocks
under both vehicle and trailer wheels.
• With wheel blocks in place slowly re
lease
brakes
until
wheel blocks absorb the
load.
• Apply parking brake.
•
Place
transmission in
"P"
for automatic
or in
first
or reverse gear for manual trans
mission.
74
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VEHICLE
OPERATION
The
function
of the
all-wheel
drive
and how it
works
In contrast to conventional four wheel
drive systems
that
require transmissions
to be manually engaged when needed,
the Vanagon/Transporter Syncro all-wheel
drive system is always engaged. Only the
amount of power being transmitted to the
front
and rear wheels changes automati
cally
as the road surface demands.
The automatic distribution of power is
accomplished
through a
fluid
shear
cou
pling (viscous coupling)
that
is
part
of the
front
axle. The design of the viscous
cou
pling keeps driving force losses to a mini
mum while distributing the forward
thrust
to all four wheels when needed. When the going gets rough, especially
when wet, slippery or snow covered roads
cause
the rear or
front
wheels to slip, the
viscous
coupling automatically transfers driving force to the other wheels to help
you keep moving.
The distribution of drive forces allows the
Syncro
to adapt to changing road surfaces
and provide increased traction automati
cally.
The Syncro driver is therefore able to
fully
concentrate on the road and
traffic
conditions.
This
extraordinary drivetrain concep:
makes
the Vanagon/Transporter Syncrc
an extremely efficient road vehicle suit
able for a wide variety of uses and applica
tions. While it has proved is ability to han
dle poor weather and road conditions anc
has
limited off-road capabilities, re
member your Vanagon/Transporter
Syn
cro is not an off-road or all-terrain vehicle.
76
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VEHICLE
CARE
ENGINE
COMPARTMENT LID
mu
have access to the engine compart-
•Mit
lid from inside the luggage compart- -ent.
"lb
open the
lid,
roll the floor covering out of
~9
way and
turn
both lock handles to the
Tb close the lid, reverse the above proce- ;jre.
ENGINE
COMPARTMENT
Always exercise extreme caution when
working on the engine. WARNING
•
Before you check anything in the en
gine compartment, stop the engine,
fully set the parking brake and remove
the ignition key.
•
Do not work on
your
car if you are
tired or ill, under emotional stress or under influence of drugs, medication
or alcohol.
•
Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components will burn skin on contact.
•
Do not spill engine oil, ATF, brake
fluid,
antifreeze and washer solvent on hot engine components, especially not
on the exhaust system.
These
fluids
are
flammable.
•
Always disconnect the battery
ground strap if you must work on the
fuel
system or the electrical system.
Never
smoke or work near heaters or
other fire hazards if you must work
around
fuel.
Always keep an approved
fire extinguisher immediately
avail
able.
Be
especially careful if engine is run
ning:
•
If work must be done with the engine
running, always fully set the parking
brake,
and make sure the shift lever is
in Neutral (Manual transmission) or
Park
(Automatic transmission).
•
Always be alert and extremely
cau
tious around the engine at
all
times par
ticularly when the engine is running.
•
Always exercise extreme caution to
prevent
neckties,
jewelry,
long hair or
loose clothing from getting caught in
the fan blades, the V-belts, or any other
moving
engine parts.
•
To avoid electrical shock and per
sonal
injury
never
touch ignition ca
bles
or components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system while the en
gine is running or even when starter is
cranked.
97
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[
VEHICLE
CARE
LUBRICANTS I
Climate Tropical
40'
30-
20- 10-
0-
10'
20
30'
Single grade oil
Multi grade oil
Gasoline Engines
|B25-565/21
Engine
Your engine was factory filled with an all- season high quality engine oil. If you need
to add oil between oil changes use any high quality petroleum or synthetic based
oil with correct specifications.
The following term must appear on the oil container singly or in combination with
other designations: "API Service SF or
SG".
Engine oils are graded according to their
viscosity. The proper grade to be used in your engine depends on existing climatic
or seasonal conditions. Refer to the temperature chart when
selecting engine oil. As temperature ranges of the different oil grades overlap,
brief variations in outside temperatures
are no cause for alarm. It is also permissi ble to mix oil of different viscosities if you
find it necessary to add oil.
When using SAE 10 W or SAE 5 W-20 or SAE 5 W-30 engine oil, avoid high speed
long distance driving if outside tempera
ture rises above the indicated limits.
Engine Oil Identification Symbol
Select an oil for your vehicle which
con
forms to the standards of the American Pe
troleum Institute (API). A symbol has been added to the top of some oil containers to help in selecting the correct oil.
-l -l
/ / SAE '. j -2
t—i iow-3o jji -3
1B25-
532
98 (1) The top portion indicates the oil quality
by API designations.
(2) The center portion shows the SAE oil
viscosity grade.
(3) The lower portion indicates that the oil
has fuel saving capabilities. Transmission
Manual transmission: Hypoid oil SAE 80 (Mil-L-2105 or
API/GL4).
Automatic transmission:
ATF Dexron® or Dexron II® for torque cor
verter and hypoid oil SAE 90 (Mil-L-2105
E
orAPI/GL5) for final drive.
Front axle differential (Syncro only)
Hypoid oil SAE 80 (Mil-L 2105 B M
API/GL 4) or synthetic transmission oi
G50,
SAE75W-90.
The lubricant used does not have to be
changed.
Should the need arise to add oil, it shoulc
only be done with the necessary workshop equipment.
Power steering
ATF Dexron®
Lubricant additives
Volkswagen does not recommend the use of oil additives. It may adversely af
fect your warranty.
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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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DO-IT-YOURSELF-SERVICE
EMERGENCY
STARTING
Starting by
pushing
or towing
Vehicles
with
Automatic Transmission
cannot
be started by
pushing
or
towing.
Vehicles
with
Manual
Transmission
must
not
be started by
pushing
or
towing.
Damage to the catalytic converter and/or
other parts of the vehicle may result. Starting
with
jumper
cables
WARNING
•
Always shield your eyes and avoid
leaning over the battery whenever
pos
sible.
•
Do not allow battery acid to contact
eyes
or
skin.
Flush any contacted area
with
water
immediately.
•
Improper use of booster battery to
start a vehicle may
cause
an
explosion.
•
Vehicles batteries generate explo
sive
gases.
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes away from batteries.
•
Do not charge a frozen battery; allow
it to thaw out first. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
•
Do not try to jump start any vehicle
with
a low electrolyte level in the bat tery.
•
The voltage of the booster battery
must also have a 12-volt rating. The
capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery
should
not be lower than
that
of the
dis
charged
battery. Use of batteries of dif
ferent voltage or substantially different
Ah
rating may cause an explosion and
personal
injury.
•
Applying
a
higher
voltage
booster
battery
will
cause
expensive
damage
tc
sensitive
electronic
components,
such
as
relays,
radio,
etc...
•
Vehicle
with
discharged
battery: turn off
lights
and
accessories,
move
lever
to N or
P
(Automatic
transmission)
or into
Neutra
(Manual
transmission)
and set
parking
brake.
Always
heed WARNINGS on page 97.
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EMERGENCY
TOWING
WITH
COMMERCIAL TOWTRUCK
The
following information is to be used by
commercial
tow truck operators who know how to operate their equipment safely.
General
hints
•
Whenever possible, tow
with
front
wheels
off ground.
•
Vehicle may be
lifted
in rear and moved
to position for
front
hook-up.
•
The
Vanagon
cannot be towed
with
con
ventional sling-type equipment. Towing
with
this type of equipment will cause bumper
and
body panel damage.
Vanagon
with
Automatic
Transmission
Tow
with
dollies under rear wheels or on
flat
bed truck to avoid damage to automatic transmission.
WARNING
Never
allow
passengers to
ride
in a
towed
vehicle
for any reason.
Front
Hook-up
•
Attach wheel
lift
equipment to wheels.
•
Attach safety straps to wheels.
•
Attach safety chains to axle platform.
•
Towing clearance: 6-12 inches
between tires and ground.
•
Towing
Speed/Miles:
Automatic
Transmission
-30 mph/30 mi
Manual
Transmission
-
50 mph/50 mi.
138
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