1990 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER traction control

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^EDALS
BRAKES CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT
WARNING • The movement of the pedals must
never be obstructed by a floor mat or
any other object.
• In case one of the two brake circuits

fails,
increased brake pedal travel is required to bring your vehicle to a full
stop.
• It should always be possible to
depress the clutch and accelerator pedals fully.
• All pedals must be able to return
freely to their normal positions.
Only use floor mats which leave the pedal area free and can be secured with
floor mat fasteners. Functioning of brake system
Your vehicle is equipped with a power assisted hydraulic dual circuit brake
system with disc brakes at the front and
self-adjusting drum brakes at the rear. Both circuits function independently.
One brake circuit operates the front
wheels and the other the rear wheels. In the unlikely event of hydraulic failure of
one circuit, push the brake pedal down
firmly and hold it in that position. A mechanical linkage activates the second
circuit, and you will be able to bring the
vehicle to a stop.
WARNING Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an increased stopping distance. If one brake circuit fails, the other will still
operate. However, you will notice an increased pedal travel when you step on
the brake. Should you encounter such experience, bring your vehicle safely to a
full stop.
Avoid driving the vehicle and have it
towed to the nearest Volkswagen dealer or qualified workshop.
Brake operation and brake
warning light
Make it a habit to check the operation of
your brakes before driving. The brake
warning light will light up while the engine is cranking and the parking brake is pulled
and/or the brake fluid level is too low. For more details see "Brake warning light" on
page 43.
Keep in mind that the braking distance
increases very rapidly as the speed increa­

ses.
At 60 mph or at 100 km/h, for example, it is not twice but four times longer than at 30 mph or at 50 km/h. Tire
traction is also less effective when the roads are wet and slippery. Therefore,
always maintain a safe distance from the
vehicle in front of you.
29



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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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3REAK-IN
PERIOD

VEHICLE
OPERATION]
DURING AND
AFTER
BREAK-IN PERIOD

Turing
the first few operating
hours,
the

r-gine's
internal friction is higher than
a:er
when all the moving parts
have
been

:-oken
in. How well this break-in
process

e
done
depends
to a
considerable
extent
:n
the way the
vehicle
is driven during the

-"-3t
900
miles
(1500 kilometers).

For
the first 600 miles
(1000 kilometers):

•
Do not use full
throttle.

•
Do not drive faster
than
3A of top

speed.

•
Avoid high engine speeds.

From
600 to 900 miles
(1000 to 1500 kilometers):

The
speed
can gradually be
increased
to
:he
maximum road
speed
or
engine
speed.

After break-in period
The maximum permissible engine speed
is
5200
rpm and should not be exceeded.
Shift into the higher gear before reach­ing the red area at the end of the scale of
the tachometer. See page 41.

Excessive
engine
speeds
are automati­

cally
reduced.
•
Details
on how to operate the
Manual

and
Automatic
transmission
are outlined

in
the
"Controls
and
equipment"
chapter.

•
Avoid full
throttle
starts and abrupt

stops.

•
Try to avoid running the engine at
maximum speed. Shifting up early helps
to save fuel and reduces noise.

•
Do not overstrain engine; select pro­
per gear before reaching top speeds.

•
Do not let engine labor. Shift down
when engine no longer runs smoothly.

•
All
revs
are only
valid
when
engine
is

properly
warm.

•
Always
observe
local
and national

speed
limits.

Applies
in addition to vehicles
with
Automatic
Transmission:

Make
it a habit to
accelerate
gradually

instead
of
using
full throttle. During
gra­

dual
acceleration
the
transmission
shifts

earlier
into the next higher
gear
thus

saving
fuel.
WARNING

•
New tires do not
possess
maximum
traction. They tend to be slippery. Break new tires in by driving cautiously
at moderate speed for the first 100 miles (160 kilometers).

•
New brake pads and linings do not
have optimum friction properties and
must be "broken in" during the
initial
100 to 150 miles (150 to 200 kilometers)
of normal city driving. You can compen­ sate for this by applying more pressure

on
the brake pedal. This also applies
later
when new pads or linings are
installed.


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VEHICLE OPERATION

Advantages off the all-wheel drive

The Vanagon/Transporter Syncro
all-
wheel drive system
has the
following
ad­

vantages over
a
two-wheel drive vehicle:
Driving Power
Driving Power
is
greatly increased
by the

continual all-wheel drive especially
on
snow
and
slippery surfaces, when starting
off from
a
standstill,
and
when driving
on
rough roads.
Within reason, your Vanagon/Transporter Syncro
can go
places where other
vehi­

cles
may
likely
get
stuck.
It is
easier
to
stop
on slippery hills
and get
going again.
Moving Force
As
the
driving force applied
to the
road goes
to
four wheels instead
of two, the

amount
of
slip
is
considerably reduced.
This improves
the
traction between tire and road surface
and
thereby,
the
drive-
ability
on
slippery road surfaces. On vehicles with two-wheel drive,
the
driv­
ing wheels
can
spin
on
slippery surfaces
if

too much acceleration
is
applied. This
greatly reduces tire grip
and can
result
in
loss
of
vehicle control.
By distributing
the
driving forces
to
four
in­

stead
of two
wheels,
the
wheels
of the
Va­ nagon/Transporter Syncro
are
less likely
to spin under
the
same conditions.
Snow tires
With
the
all-wheel drive system
the
Vana­ gon/Transporter Syncro
is
good
for
winter
driving even with standard tires. However,
we recommend
the use of all
season tires
or radial snow tires (M
+
S) with
or
without

studs*,
on all
wheels,
for
better driving,
cornering
and
braking,
in
winter weather.
Details under "Snow tires"
on
page
118

also apply.
Snow chains
Snow chains can improve both road traction
and braking when driving
in
severe winter
weather. Therefore,
use
snow chains
on

your all-wheel drive vehicle when required. For additional information,
see
page
119.
Operation
In contrast
to
conventional all-wheel drive
systems that require transmissions
to be

manually engaged when needed,
the Va­
nagon/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

Syncro driver
is
therefore able
to
fully
con­

centrate
on the
road and traffic conditions.
The differential lock*
for the
rear axle must only
be
used when
the
vehicle
is
stuck
or
in immediate danger
of
becoming stuck. For further information
on the
differential
lock,
see
page
33.

78 "Check with your local Motor Vehicle Bureau
for

possible restrictions.
'where applicable


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-
VEHICLE
OPERATION

Driving on dry roads

Attention

"his
is an
all-wheel drive multipurpose
rassenger
vehicle which
will
handle
and

maneuver
differently
from
an ordinary
pas­

senger
car in driving conditions which may

occur
on
streets
and
highways
and off-

'oad.
As
with
other vehicles
of
this type,
if

you make sharp turns
or
abrupt maneu­

vers,
the
vehicle
may
roll over
or
may
go
kit
of
control and
crash.
You should read
:he driving guidelines
and
instructions
in

the Owner's
Manual.
The
driver
and all
oassengers
should wear safety belts
at all

times.

Do
not
engage
the
differential lock on nor­
mal
dry
roads
as it
will
not
provide any ad­
vantage. Under these circumstances,
an
engaged differential lock
will
impair the ve-
nicle's
maneuverability and
will
cause
ex­

cessive
tire
wear.
Driving on wet, slippery roads

Due
to the
all-wheel drive,
the
engine
power
is
transmitted evenly
to a
moder­
ately slippery road surface.
On
wet surface

As
with
any
other vehicle, excessive driv­ ing speed on very wet roads can cause hy­
droplaning
and
loss
of
vehicle control.
Therefore, slow down.
The
differential lock* must
not be
engaged.

Important
instructions
on
the
differential

locks
are to be found on page
33/34.

On
slippery surfaces

On
slippery surfaces the rear axle differen­

tial
lock may only be engaged when
start­
ing
from
a
standstill
or at
very low
speeds.

When
the
road surface has improved
the
lock should
be
disengaged again. On
snow covered surfaces

On
a
snow covered road, maintain traction by making gradual changes
in
speed
or
di­
rection. Avoid sudden maneuvers. Be alert
to problems other drivers around you may be having which could create
a
hazardous
situation
for
you.
In heavy snow, maintaining reasonable
momentum
is
important
for
safe vehicle
operation. Try
to
keep moving
by
using
the
L-gear and
a
steady accelerator pedal
at

low
speed.

WARNING
•
Always
maintain
a safe driving

speed,
especially
when
road and

weather
conditions are poor.

•
Excessive
driving speed on very wet
roads can cause hydroplaning and

loss
of vehicle control.

•
Always avoid forceful and
abrupt

braking action.
You
could block all four
wheels simultaneously and lose
con­

trol
of the vehicle.

•
The braking capability of your Vana-
gon/Transporter Syncro is
greatly
de­
pendent on the
traction
of your tires.

'where applicable 79


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VEHICLE OPERATION
Sidehills
Do
not
attempt
to go across the side of a
hill as this is extremely hazardous. If it is
absolutely necessary to drive on a hill
which is not very steep it should always be
done
with
extreme caution. Whenever
possible,
avoid doing it! And too, when
you're getting out of your vehicle on a
sidehill,
be sure to always exit on the uphill

side.
Surfaces
on sidehills are deceptive. What
may look like solid ground may actually
make your vehicle slide since most of the
weight is going to be on the downhill

wheels.
When your vehicle starts to slide, instantly
turn
downhill. Take care not to
lock the wheels which may cause the vehi­

cle
to slide out of control and cause per­
sonal
injury.
Sand
When driving on
sand,
be sure to stay on top of it. You can do this by driving
with
enough speed to maintain momentum.
When crossing short patches of
sand,
study the situation
first
and then proceed

with
cautious and steady speed and keep up the momentum. Avoid long stretches of
dry, loose
sand.
If it is absolutely neces­

sary
to drive on dry, loose
sand,
it may be
necessary
to partially deflate the tires to in­

crease
traction. To avoid getting stuck, maintain a steady but slow
speed.

WARNING

Tires
must
be
reinflated
when
back
on
hard
ground. Just a
short
distance
of

driving
on
hard
ground
or on
pavement

with
underinflated
tires
can cause sub­
stantial
damages
to
your
tires,
loss of

vehicle
control
and
personal
injury.


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VEHICLE CARE
TIRES/WHEELS
New tires

New
tires
do not
possess
maximum trac­

tion
and
should
be
driven
at
moderate
speeds
and
with
caution
for the
first
100
miles (160 kilometers).
Tire traction

WARNING
When driving on wet or slushy roads, a wedge of
water
may build up
between

the tires and the road. This phenome­ non is known as aquaplaning or hydro­
planing and may cause
partial
or
com­

plete
loss
of traction, vehicle control or
stopping ability. Always reduce speed

on
wet roads.
Tire service life
The service
life
of
your tires depends
for

the most
part
on the following factors:

Tire pressures
WARNING
•
Incorrect
tire
pressures cause

increased
tire
wear
and adversely

affect
road holding of the vehicle, lead­ ing to
loss
of control and personal
injury.

•
Incorrect
tire
pressures can also
lead to
sudden
deflation, resulting
in
an
accident and personal injury.

Check
your
tire
pressures twice
a
month,
and especially before taking
a
long
trip.
Be

sure
not to
forget
to
check
the
spare tire.
Always check
tire
pressures when the tires are cold. When
the
tires
are
warm,
the
pressure
will
be
higher.
Do not
reduce
the

pressure
of
warm tires.

Use
an accurate
tire
pressure gauge when
checking inflation pressures.
Do not

exceed
the
maximum
tire
inflation pres­ sure listed
on the
tire
sidewalk Cold
tire

inflation pressure means: when
a
vehicle

has
been standing
for at
least
3
hours
or

driven
for
less than 1 mile.
Always include the spare
tire
during
a
pres­ sure check.

Driving habits
Fast
cornering, heavy acceleration
and

hard braking all increase
tire
wear.

Wheel balancing

The
front
wheels
on new
vehicles
are
balanced.
When driving, however, various
conditions can cause
a
wheel
to
become
unbalanced.
This may
be
noticed as vibra­
tions
in the
steering.

Since
tire
imbalance
can
cause wear
or

the steering, suspension
and
tires,
you

should have your wheels rebalanced.
A

wheel should always
be
balanced
if a
nev,

tire
has
been mounted
or a
tire
was re­
paired.

114


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VEHICLE CARE

Tire
care
Inspect your tires at least every 2,000
miles (3,000 km) for wear and damage.

WARNING
• Avoid
damaging
tires
and
wheel

rims.
If you
must
drive
over
a
curb
or

other
obstacle,
drive
slowly
and at an
angle.
Frequently
check
tires
for un­

even
wear
and
damage.

•
Remove
imbedded
material.

•
Replace
worn
or
damaged
tires

immediately.

•
Replace
missing
valve
dust
caps.
• Keep oil,
fuel,
brake
fluid,
etc.
away

from
tires.

• Keep
tires
inflated
correctly.

• Mark tires before removing them.
Remount tires on the same vehicle side

because
the rotation direction should stay
the same.
• Store removed tires in a
cool,
dry and
preferably dark place. Tires which are not
on wheels should be stored standing up.

Tires
age even if they are not being
used.

Tires
which are older than 6 years should only be used cautiously in an emergency.
Wheels
and
tire
replacement

Wheels
and tires approved by the manu­
facturer have been specially matched to
your vehicle and contribute largely to the road-holding and driving characteristics of
the vehicle.
• Fitting and repairing tires requires
expert knowledge and special tools. This
work should only be performed by a
spe­
cialist.
• For safety reasons, tires should be

replaced
in pairs and not individually. The
tires
with
the deepest tread should always be mounted on the
front
wheels.
• In the interest of maximum safety and
best all-around vehicle handling, always
buy replacement radial tires
that
have the

same
specifications
with
regard to
tire

size,
design, load carrying capacity, tread pattern, tread depth etc. This also applies
to Volkswagen recommended alternate replacement tires.
• Never mount used tires if you are not
sure of their previous history.
• Whenever replacing a tubeless tire,
always install a new valve stem. Tire repair
should only be performed by a specialist.
WARNING

•
Never
mix
tires
of
different
design
such as
steel
belted
radials
with
radial
bias
belted
or
bias
ply
tires
etc.
Mixing

tire
types
will
adversely
affect
road
holding
and can
lead
to loss of
vehicle

control
and
personal
injury.

• New
tires
do not possess
maximum

traction.
They
tend
to be
slippery.
Break
new
tires
in by
driving
cautiously

at
moderate
speed for the
first
100

miles
(160
kilometers).

Applies
additionally
to the Syncro:

All
four wheels on the vehicle must always have tires of the same
size,
construction
and tread type so
that
the viscous coupling

does
not abnormally activate the
front

wheel drive. Different tires on the
front
or rear wheels exert additional stress on the
drive
train
components, causing increa­

sed
tire
wear and impair vehicle control.


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