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Your new
 Volkswagen 
may have all or some of the equipment 
described
 in this manual. Therefore, you  may find explanations of equipment not 
installed in your vehicle. 
Check
 with
 your authorized Volkswagen 
dealer
 on available options or
 accesso
 ries. 
Note 
WARNINGS
 concern
 safety
 and are co lor
 identified
 throughout
 this
 manual. 
 Please
 note
 that
 the items of equipment 
marked
 with
 an asterisk* may be stand
ard on certain models but are only avail
 able
 as options on other models. 
In addition to this Owner's Manual, your 
Vanagon/Transporter
 comes
 with 
• the Radio
 Operating
 Instructions*, 
 In Canada, 
these
 manuals are also available in 
 French.
 To obtain a copy, contact your 
dealer
 or
 write
 to: 
Au
 Canada
 on peut se procurer un exem- plaire de ce Manuel en francais aupres du 
concessionnaire
 ou du: 
Volkswagen
 Canada,
 Inc. 
 Customer
 Assistance/ 
Assistance
 a la Clientele  1940 Eglinton Ave. East 
Scarborough,
 Ontario 
 M1L2M2 
If you sell your
 Volkswagen 
the Owner's Manual, the Warranty  booklet and the Maintenance booklet 
should
 be
 left
 in the vehicle to make 
Warranty terms as well as all operating,  safety and maintenance information avail
able
 to the next owner. 
If you change your address or if 
you
 bought
 this
 Volkswagen
 used 
be
 sure to send in a "Notice of Address 
ChangeVNotice
 of Used Car Purchase" 
post card. This card can be found in the 
Warranty booklet or obtained from your 
 Volkswagen
 dealer. 
It is in your own
 interest
 that
 we can 
contact
 you should the
 need
 arise. 
Your
 Owner's
 Manual 
applies
 to all Vanagon/Transporter models 
currently sold in the USA and
 Canada.
 It 
contains important operating safety infor mation. Keep this booklet in your glove 
box at all times for ready reference. 
Read
 it before you drive your new vehicle. 
Pay
 particular attention to the "Break-in 
period hints" and to all points listed under 
"Vehicle
 operation". 
Acquaint
 yourself
 with
 your vehicle's fea tures and know how to operate it more 
safely.
 The more you know about your 
Volkswagen,
 the more you will enjoy  driving it. For your own protection and  longer service life of your vehicle, always 
heed
 our instructions and warnings. Igno
ring them could result in extensive da
mage
 or serious personal injury.  • the
 Warranty
 Booklet
 and 
• the
 Maintenance
 Booklet. 
Your
 Warranty
 booklet 
 which is a separate brochure, contains 
detailed information about the warranties 
covering your Volkswagen. 
Your
 Maintenance
 booklet 
 which is a separate brochure, explains  how you can keep your Volkswagen in top 
driving condition by having it serviced  regularly. Always have the Maintenance 
booklet
 with
 you when you take your 
vehicle
 to a Volkswagen dealer for service. 
Your
 Service Adviser will record each 
 scheduled
 service. 
 
 
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INSTRUMENT PANEL AND CONTROLS 
page 
1 - Air vents 51 
2 - Light switch and thumb wheel  for instrument illumination 46 
3 - Safety belt and brake warning lights 43, 47 
4 - Speedometer with trip odometer 40  5 — Warning/indicator lights 6, 43 
6 - Clock or tachometer with fuel gauge and  coolant temperature gauge 40,41 
7 - Rear window defogger switch 47 
8 - Emergency flasher switch 46  9 - For additional switch 
10 - Air vents, left and right 51 
11 - Ashtray 64 
12 - Loudspeaker grille 
13 - Fuses 128  14 - Turn signal/headlight dimmer switch lever 48 
15 - Horn  page 
16 - Digital clock 40 
17 - Steering lock/ignition/starter switch 38 
18 - Temperature switch for auxiliary heater 57 
19 - Windshield wiper/washer lever 50 
20 - Secondary heat exchanger switch 53 
21 - Emission Control System (ECS) 45 
22 - Climate controls 51 
23 - Air vents 51 
24 - Radio1) 
25 - Cigarette lighter 63  26 - Glove compartment 64 
1) A separate brochure is provided for your factory-installed 
radio.
 If you replace your radio, please be sure to read the notes 
in the chapter "Do-it-yourself Service", page 135. 
Note 
Some features mentioned are standard equipment on some 
models only or are options on others. 
 
 
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CONTROLS AND
 EQUIPMENT 
Key A is used for the ignition/steering lock, • Do not
 leave
 your
 vehicle
 unattended 
the doors, the lockable tank cap and the
 with
 the key in the
 ignition
 lock.
 Always 
 rear luggage compartment lid.
 take
 the key and lock the doors. 
KEYS 
B25-460 
Your
 Volkswagen comes
 with
 four keys:  • two keys A 
• two keys B 
Key
 A can be inserted
 into
 locks either 
way.  Key B is provided for vehicles equipped 
with
 a lockable glove compartment. 
Tag C gives the key number. 
For
 your
 protection
 against
 theft: 
• Record the key number and keep it in a 
safe
 place, such as your wallet. Do not keep  it in the vehicle. 
• If you should lose a key, provide your
 Vol
kswagen dealer
 with
 the key number to 
obtain a duplicate key. 
In addition to the plastic tag, there may also 
be a metal tag snowing part of the vehicle 
identification number. This tag is no longer 
required after the vehicle has been deliv
ered. 
Note 
The syncro model has a separate key for the  lockable tank cap. 
 A
 chime
 will sound when you open the 
driver's door
 with
 the key
 left
 in the ignition lock. This is your reminder to remove the 
key and lock the doors. 
WARNING 
• Do not
 leave
 children
 unattended
 in 
the
 vehicle
 especially
 with
 access to 
 vehicle
 keys. Unsupervised use of the 
keys
 can
 result
 in
 starting
 of the
 engine 
and use of
 vehicle
 systems such as 
 power
 windows
 etc. Unsupervised use 
of
 these
 systems can
 result
 in serious 
 personal
 injury. 
• Do not
 remove
 key
 from
 steering 
lock
 while
 you are
 driving
 or as the 
vehicle
 is
 rolling
 to a stop. The
 steering 
column
 will
 lock
 when
 you
 remove
 the  key, and you
 will
 not be
 able
 to
 steer
 the 
vehicle. 
 
 
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CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT 
MANUAL TRANSMISSION 
B25-352 
Gearshift lever 
Start engine with gearshift lever in Neu
tral,
 clutch pedal depressed. 
Always depress the clutch pedal fully 
when changing gears. Do not hold the  vehicle on a steep hill with the clutch pedal partially depressed. This may 
cause premature clutch wear or dam
age. 
Resting your hand on the shift lever 
knob while driving will cause premature 
wear in the transmission.  The forward gears and the reverse gear 
are arranged as illustrated. 
Reverse 
Shift into Reverse only when the vehicle  is not moving. 
To engage Reverse, move lever to left,  press down, move further to left and them 
push forward. Especially after some 
driving,
 depress the clutch pedal fully and  rest the shift lever in Neutral for a few 
seconds before shifting into Reverse. 
Back-up lights go on when you engage Reverse gear with ignition on.  JB25-519 
Low-speed traction gear (L) 
(Syncro models only) 
The vehicle is equipped with a four speed  manual transmission which has a
 addi
tional low-speed traction gear (L). 
Engaging the Low Gear 
Move the gearshift lever as far as possible 
to the left in neutral, press down and move  lever still further to the left and then pull 
back. 
 
 
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CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT 
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION* 
p R 
 f 
N  d 
D 
2 
 f 
1  :'B33-395 
Selector lever positions 
WARNING Apply foot brake when engaging Drive or Reverse. 
P - Park 
Engage Park only when the vehicle is
 sta
nnary. Therefore, when parking your  .snide, apply the parking brake first, and 
:nen move the selector lever completely to  cosition P. To do this depress the but
ton in the handle of the selector lever  and push it through R to P. The transmis-s on is then mechanically locked. 
Depending on the model, your vehicle 
~iay be equipped with an Automatic Shift  _ock (ASL). To move the shift lever from 
re
 P-Park
 position to any other position, 
".vhere applicable  you must depress both the brake pedal 
and the button into handle of the selector lever. 
Shift out of the Park position, before re leasing the parking brake. 
When the vehicle is parked on a steep
 hill, 
 shifting out of Park may be a little harder. 
This is due to the vehicle's weight exerted  on the transmission. 
Warning buzzer 
A warning buzzer will sound when you  open the driver's door with the selector lever left in any other but
 P-Park
 position. 
The warning buzzer will go off as soon as  the selector lever is moved to the
 P-Park 
 position. 
R - Reverse 
Reverse should be selected only when the 
vehicle has come to a full stop and the en
gine is running at idle speed. 
Before you move the selector lever to the 
reverse position you have to depress the 
push button in the handle of the selector 
lever. 
N - Neutral 
Shift to this position for standing with 
brakes applied.  Depending on the model, your vehicle 
may be equipped with an Automatic Shift 
Lock (ASL). To move the shift lever from 
the N-Neutral position to any other
 posi
tion at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h) or  when the vehicle is stationary, you must 
depress both the brake pedal and the button into handle of the selector lever. 
Do not use Neutral for coasting downhill. 
Coasting downhill with the transmission  in Neutral and the engine not operating 
will result in damage to the Automatic 
transmission. 
D - Normal driving position 
Position D is for normal city and highway 
driving.
 It ranges from zero to top speed,  and all three gears shift automatically, 
depending on engine load and driving 
speed. 
2 - Position for hilly stretches 
This position is to be used for mountain  driving or slow driving, and also when you 
want to make use of the engine's braking  effect. In "2", only the first and second 
gears will engage automatically. 
The road speed must not exceed 54 mph  or 87 km/h. Therefore, only shift down into position "2" when vehicle speed is 
below this speed. It is not necessary to let 
up on the accelerator. 35 
 
 
 
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CONTROLS
 AND
 EQUIPMENT 
STARTING
 PROCEDURES 
WARNING 
•
 Fasten safety belts before driving. 
•
 Never
 start or let the engine run in a 
confined or enclosed, unventilated 
area.
 Exhaust fumes from the engine 
contain carbon monoxide, which is a 
colorless
 and odorless gas. Carbon  monoxide can be
 fatal
 if inhaled. 
•
 Never
 leave engine idling unatten
ded.
 An unattended vehicle with a run
 ning
 engine is potentially hazardous. 
•
 Do not park or operate the vehicle in 
areas
 where the hot exhaust system  may come in contact with dry grass, 
brush,
 fuel
 spill
 or other
 material, 
which can cause a fire. 
•
 Do not leave engine unattended at 
idle.
 When starting engine, be ready to 
drive off immediately. Maintain moder
 ate
 speed until the engine is
 com
pletely warm. Remember that
 your
 en
gine performs best at operating
 tem
 perature. 
 Automatic
 Transmission 
Engine will only start with selector lever in 
Neutral or Park. 
Manual
 Transmission 
Start with gearshift lever in Neutral, clutch 
pedal
 depressed, so that the starter only 
has
 to crank the engine. 
Starting
 engine 
 •
 Do not depress accelerator pedal 
when starting. At extrem low temperatures 
the engine will probably start better, if you  depress accelerator pedal slighly. 
•
 As soon as the engine starts, release 
the ignition key. 
•
 If the engine does not start the first time 
or
 stalls,
 turn
 the ignition off and restart.  Depress the accelerator pedal slowly 
during the second starting attempt. 
•
 Operate the starter for no more than 
10
 seconds. 
•
 Allow about 30 seconds between each 
starting
 attempt. 
 STOPPING
 ENGINE 
Do not stop engine immediately after 
hard or extended driving. Keep engine 
running for about two minutes to pre
vent
 excessive heat build-up. 
WARNING 
•
 Before you check anything in the 
engine compartment, stop the engine  and let it cool down. Hot components 
can
 burn skin on contact. 
•
 The radiator fan switches on auto
matically
 when the coolant reaches a cer
tain
 temperature and will continue to run 
 (even
 with ignition off) until the coolant 
temperature drops. 
39 
 
 
 
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CONTROLS
 AND
 EQUIPMENT 
INSTRUMENTCLUSTER 
page 
1 -
 Speedometer/Odometer
 .... 40 
2
 -
 Digital clock*
 40 
3
 -
 Tachometer* or normal clock
 . . 41 
4
 -
 Coolant temperature gauge
 . . 41 
 5
 -
 Fuel gauge
 42 
6
 -
 Warning/indicator lights 
 |B25-624J 
1 -
 Speedometer/Odometer 
The
 speedometer
 indicates road
 speed. 
The
 odometer
 indicates
 the
 distance 
driven. 
 USA
 models: Miles 
Canada
 models: Kilometers 
To record
 a
 distance, reset
 the
 trip 
odometer to
 zero by pressing the button. 
The last
 digit
 in red indicates
 1
 /10 of a mile 
or kilometer.  2
 -
 Digital
 clock* 
To
 set the
 digital clock, use
 a
 ball
 point 
pen. 
•
 Push
 left
 button
 below display window 
briefly
 to
 advance one hour
 at a
 time
 and 
right
 button
 to
 advance
 one
 minute
 at a 
time. 
•
 Hold buttons depressed
 to
 advance 
hours or minutes rapidly. 
•
 For second accuracy, synchronize
 with 
the
 aid of a
 digital
 wrist
 watch
 or a
 time 
 signal
 from
 your radio. Set the clock one minute slow, then briefly push
 right
 button 
the moment the seconds of the
 wrist
 watch  have completed a
 full
 minute or the signal 
in the radio sounds. 
40 *where applicable 
 
 
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VEHICLE CARE 
=UELTANK 
|he fuel filler neck is located above the  -gnt
 front
 wheel. Syncro model: above the 
-;nt rear wheel. 
mm key A (see page 7) is used for the lock-
 acle
 tank cap. The syncro model has a separate key for the lockable tank cap. 
capacity of the tank is 16.0 gal/60 
:ers
 (Reserve is 2.5 gal/10 liters of
 total 
rapacity). 
5/ncro model: 18.5 gal/70 liters (Reserve 
2
 5 gal/10 liters of
 total
 capacity).  Trouble-free refueling depends on the cor
rect use of the filler nozzle. 
Always
 insert the nozzle fully
 into
 the fuel  filler neck, to completely open the spring-loaded flap located
 just
 below the filler 
neck opening. Make sure the filler nozzle 
is
 not tilted. 
Do
 not
 fill
 the fuel tank too quickly, other
wise the fuel may foam up and cause the 
 nozzle
 to switch off too
 soon. 
As
 soon as the nozzle switches off auto matically for the
 first
 time, the tank is full. 
Do
 not try to add more fuel, because the 
expansion
 space in the fuel tank will be 
filled - the fuel can then overflow when it 
 becomes
 warm. 
 WARNING 
Never
 carry
 additional
 fuel
 containers 
in
 your
 vehicle.
 Such
 containers,
 full
 or 
empty,
 may
 leak,
 cause an explosion, 
or
 result
 in
 fire
 in case of a collision. 
85 
 
 
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