1992 VOLKSWAGEN CARAVELLE Owners Manual

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GENERAL
MAINTENANCE

"=
lot
of
coolant has been lost, only add cold
:_:olant after
the
engine has cooled down.

~~
is
will prevent engine damage.
Do
not
fill
above the MAX. mark.

~~e
excess
coolant will
be
forced
out

"rough
the
pressure relief valve
in the
cap .-.nen engine becomes
hot.

Screw
cap on again tightly. Attention
The coolant additive and the coolant are a danger to health.
The additive must therefore only be stored in the original
con­

tainer
well
out of reach of
children.
If the coolant has to be
drained at any
time
it must be
caught and also stored in a safe
place.

Drained
coolant
should
not nor-
W*
mally
be
reused,
it
must
be
dis­
posed
of,
bearing
in
mind
environ­
mental
protection
regulations.
Fan
The radiator
fan is
driven electrically
and
controlled by a thermoswitch from the
cool­

ant temperature (also from the engine
com­
partment temperature on some models).

Attention
After the engine has been
switched off the fan can
con­

tinue running for a
while
(up to
about 10 minutes)
with
the igni­
tion off. It can also
start
to run
again suddenly
after
a short time, if the coolant temperature in­

creases
due to
heat
build-up.

Special
care must therefore be
taken when working in the en­ gine compartment. Notes

•
If
the fan is not running although the
cool­
ant temperature
is
very high,
the rse

should
be
checked
and if
necessary
re­
newed
-
see page 122.
• The speed
of
the fan does not depeno
or
engine
speed.
The
cooling effect cannot
therefore
be
increased
by
changing down.

As
long as
the
engine runs smoothly and
a
gradient can
be
taken
without
a
large drop in speed
it
is not necessary to change down.

Driving in
winter

To
ensure
that
the
frost protection
is ad­
equate, the coolant concentration should be

checked
and
if
necessary corrected, before
the cold
season
begins.
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GENERAL
MAINTENANCE

Moving
radiator
forwards
For certain operations in the engine
com­

partment e.g. changing plugs or to reach the
V-belt it may be necessary to move the
radi­
ator forwards.
To do this
first
remove the four securing
screws
(left
illustration).
Then
lift the radiator and move it forward.
When work in the engine compartment is
finished the radiator must be moved back to
the normal position and secured with the screws.
Brake
fluid

The brake fluid reservoir is in the engine compartment.

Note
On
vehicles with righthand drive the reser­
voir is on the other side of the engine
com­
partment.
104
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GENERAL
MAINTENANCE
'necking fluid level
Pe :orrect fluid level is essential to the sat-
:~=
:tory operation of the brake system. The
fc. Z level must always be between the
AX"
and "MIN" marks.
~- a "evel of fluid tends to sink slightly when
"a vehicle is used due to the automatic ad- ::ment of brake linings. This is quite nor-
-rwever, if the level sinks noticeably in a
srorttime or drops below the "MIN" mark
re system may be leaking. A low fluid level " the reservoir is indicated by the brake
w.arning lamp lighting up (see page 48 also), .nen this happens take car to a Volks­
wagen dealer immediately and have the
cake system checked. Renewing brake fluid
Brake fluid absorbs moisture. In the course
of time it takes in water from the ambient
air. Too high a content of water in the brake
fluid can in time cause corrosion damage in
the system. Furthermore the boiling point of
the brake fluid is reduced considerably. For
this reason the brake fluid must be renewed every two years.
Attention
When the brake fluid becomes
too old vapour bubbles can form in the brake system when the
brakes are used hard. The
effi­

ciency of the brakes and thus the
vehicle safety is then seriously

affected.
Only use our genuine brake fluio (see: - ra­
tion to US standard FMVSS 116 DO~-
.
~-e
fluid must be new.
Attention Brake fluid is poisonous!
It must therefore only be stored in the closed original container
out of reach of children.
Remember also that brake fluid will
attack the paintwork. Because of the disposal
prob­

lems,
the special tools necessary
and the specialist knowledge re­
quired,
the brake fluid changing
should preferably be done by a
Volk­
swagen
dealer.

It is advisable to have the fluid change car­
ried out during an Inspection Service.
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GENERAL
MAINTENANCE

Battery

The
battery is in the engine compartment on
the left looking forward. It can be
reached

when
the lid of the battery box is
removed.
2nd
battery*

The
2nd battery is located under the left
seat.

To
reach
it the
seat
must be
pushed
fully for­

ward
past the stop. The stop must be
freed.

To
do this - see page 21. Attention

•
Battery
acid is corrosive and must not get
into
the eyes or onto
skin and clothing.

Any
acid splashes must be
washed off thoroughly
with

water.
If necessary see a doctor.

•
Never short the
battery
ter­
minals (e.g.
with
tools) as this

causes
the
battery
to
heat
up
very quickly and it may burst.

•
To prevent any possibility of
short circuiting, detach
battery

earth
cable before doing any

work
on the electrical system.
When changing a bulb, it is suffi­cient to switch off the lamp
con­

cerned.

•
When disconnecting the
bat­

tery
from the vehicle electrical system
first
disconnect the nega­

tive
cable and
then
the positive cable.
The
battery
must not be discon­ nected
with
the engine running,
as this
will
damage the electrical
system (electronic components).
•
When reconnecting the
bat­

tery
connect the positive cable
first
and
then
the negative cable.
The connecting cables must on no account be interchanged - can

cause
wiring
to burn out.

Starting
by
connecting
an additional battery

is
described
in the Do-it-yourself
section.

Checking
acid level In normal operating conditions the battery

requires
hardly any maintenance. At high

ambient
temperatures however it is
advis­
able
to
check
the
acid
level at regular inter­

vals.
It should always be between the MIN
and
MAX marks on the battery. If the
acid
level
drops below the MIN mark, the af­

fected
cells
must be topped-up to the MAX
mark
with distiled water.
It is recommended that the
acid
level is

checked
and corrected by a
Volkswager

dealer.

106
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GENERAL
MAINTENANCE

Winter
driving
A/inter weather
is
particularly hard
on the

cattery. Furthermore at low temperatures
it

has
only a part
of
the capacity
it
has
at
nor­ mal temperatures.
We
recommend there-
-'ore
that
the battery should be checked pre­
ferably
by a
Volkswagen dealer before
the

onset
of
cold weather
and
charged
if
"ecessary.
At
the same time,
if
necessary,
the terminals will
be
cleaned
and
special
grease
applied. This will
not
only result
in
quicker, more reliable starting but will help
:o prolong the life
of
the battery.

If the
vehicle
is not
driven
for
sev­

eral
weeks
when
temperatures
are

very
low, the
battery
should
be

taken
out
and
stored
in a
frost-free
room, so
that
it
cannot
freeze
up and
become damaged.

Attention
Store
the
battery
out of
reach
of

children.

To
take battery out,
first
disconnect the two
cables
(see previous page) and then remove
-etainer.
Charging
battery

When
charging
with
a low current (e.g.
with

a
small charger) the battery cables need not normally be taken off. The instructions from
the charger manufacturer must however be
noted.

Before
Quick charging,
that
is
charging

with
a
high current, both battery cables must be disconnected
-
see previous page.

The
following information must be noted:
• When charging
the
battery
do not re­
move
caps.

•
A
discharged battery can freeze
at - 10
degrees
C. It is
essential
to
thaw
out a

frozen battery before
it is
given
a
quick
charge
otherwise
it
may explode!
• The mains cable
of the
charger should not be connected until after the clips
of
the

charger
have been properly secured
to the

battery terminals:

Red
=
plus
(or
positive)

Black
=
minus
(or
negative)
• Reconnect cables correctly after charg­ ing battery.
Attention

The
gas
given
off
during
the

charging process
is
highly
in­

flammable
so
keep
sources
of
ignition
(naked
flames,
burning

cigarettes
etc.)
well
away
from

the
battery.

Renewing
a battery If the
battery has
to be
renewed,
the
new
battery must have the same capacity, volt­

age
(12 Volts), current capacity and shape.

Volkswagen
dealers have
a
range
of
suit­

able
batteries.
Because
of the
problem
of
dis­

posing
of
the
old
battery
the re­

newal
of
a
battery
should
preferably

be
done
by a
Volkswagen
dealer.

Batteries
contain,
amongst
other
things,
sulphuric
acid
and
lead
and

must
on no
account
be put
with
nor­

mal
household
waste.

107
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GENERAL
MAINTENANCE
Windscreen
washer
system
"he fluid container is on the
right
of the en­ gine compartment. The container holds
about 5 litres, on vehicles
with
headlight
washer
system* about 7 litres.

The
rear window washer is supplied
with
fluid from the container in the engine com-oartment. Filling the
container

Pull
the cap off and
fill
container to the brim

with
washer fluid.
Press
cap on
tightly
again,
then switch on ignition and check
operation of washer system.
It is advisable to add a window cleaning
sol­

ution
with
a wax remover
(with
anti-freeze
additive in winter) to the water because plain water is not usually sufficient to clean
the glass and headlight lenses quickly and
thoroughly. The mixing ratios on the win­ dow cleaner packaging must be adhered to.

Even
when
heated
windscreen

washer
jets*
are fitted, a window clean­ ing solution containing anti-freeze should

be
added to the water in the winter.

Note

If at any time no window cleaning solution

with
anti-freeze additive is available, methylated spirits can be
used.
Do not,
under any circumstances, add engine
cool­

ing system fluid or other additives.
Adjusting
washer
jets

When
the vehicle is stationary, the water
should
hit the windscreen approximately as

shown.

The
jet for the rear window washer is in the
wiper shaft. The water jet should hit the
glass
in the centre of the wiped area.

The
jets can be adjusted
with
a needle.

The
jets for the
headlight
washer
sys­
tem*
can only be adjusted
with
a specia

tool.
When adjustment is necessary,
con­

tact your Volkswagen dealer.
:=
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GENERAL MAINTENANCE

Windscreen
wiper
blades
3ood wiper blades are essential for clear vi­

sion.

~o prevent streaks
from
forming on the
glass
the wiper blades should be cleaned •egularly
with
a window cleaning solution.
.A/hen
very
dirty
and
full
of insect remains,
:he blades can be cleaned
with
a sponge or doth.

Jerky
operation of the wiper blades can be
caused
by wax remains on the windscreen,
after washing the vehicle in an automatic
;ar-wash.
Filling the windscreen washer
container
with
a window cleaner containing

a
wax remover can cure the problem.

For
safety reasons the wiper blades should
oe renewed once or twice a year. Wiper

olades
can be obtained
from
all Volkswagen

dealers.
Changing
wiper
blades

Taking
the
wiper
blade
off
• Hinge the wiper arm up and position the blade horizontally.
•
Press
the retaining spring
(arrow
A) and push the blade towards the screen at the

same
time
(arrow
B).

Securing
the
wiper
blade

The retaining spring must engage audibly in the wiper arm.
109
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GENERAL
MAINTENANCE

Wheels

General
notes

• New tyres do not give maximum grip straight away and should therefore be run in
at moderate speeds and a careful style of
driving for about the
first
100 km. This will help to make the tyres last longer.
• Check tyres for damage from time to time (cuts, splits, cracks and lumps) and re­move any foreign bodies embedded in the
treads.
• To avoid damage to tyres and wheels crive over curbs and similar obstacles very
slowly and as nearly at
right
angles as
poss­
ible.
Damage
to wheels and tyres is not always

easy
to see, so if you
think
that
a wheel is
damaged,
it must be checked by a Volks­
wagen dealer.
• Keep grease, oil and fuel off the tyres.
• Replace missing dust caps as soon as
possible.

• Mark wheels before taking them off so
that
they rotate in the same direction when put back on again. • When taken off, the tyres should be
stored in a
cool,
dry and preferably dark
place.

Tyres
which are not on wheels should be stored in a vertical position.

Tyre
life

Tyre life depends to a considerable extent on the following factors:

Inflation
pressure
The inflation pressure is very important par­
ticularly at high
speeds.
Therefore, the pres­
sures
should be checked at least once a month and before every long journey.
At this opportunity do not forget the spare

wheel:

• The spare wheel should always be in­ flated to the highest pressure required on
the vehicle.
Always
check the pressures when the tyres are cold.
When
warm,
the pressure is
higher
but do not
reduce.
The pressur­

es
are given on page 147 and on a sticker on
the driver's door lock pillar.
Pressures
which are too high or too low
shorten
tyre
life - quite apart from the detri­ mental influence on vehicle handling.

Attention

At
continuous
high
speeds a
tyre
in
which
the pressure is too low

flexes
more
and
heats
up excess­
ively.
This can cause
tread
separ­

ation
and
tyre
blow
out.

pCU
A
pressure
which
is too low in- oo
creases
the
fuel
consumption

and
this
burdens
the
environment
unnecessarily.

Mode
of
driving
Fast
cornering, hard acceleration and viol­
ent braking also increase
tyre
wear.
'0
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