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HowToTellWhenYourViscousCouplingNeedsReplacing,
HowToBuyAViscousCoupling,andHowToInstallAViscous
Coupling

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(ForVolkswagenVanagonT3Syncro)

LastupdatedDecember10,2009.

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HowToTellIfYouNeedToReplacingYourVC
HowToInstallAViscousCoupling
ThoughtsOnHowToBuyAVC
ByDerekDrew(derekdrewATderekmail.com)

Ifyouarewonderingaboutwhetheryouneedanewviscouscoupling,hereishowtotell:
1.Accordingtothemanufactureroftheviscouscouplings,theVCisonlybuilttolast100,000kms(about65,000miles).Thiswasa
minimum*designgoal*butinactualpractice,weseeVCsregularlylasting400,000milesormore.So,itwouldbesillytoreplaceaVC
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untilitshowsactualsignsoffailure.

2.TheactualsignoffailureisusuallythattheVCgetstooaggressiveandstartscomingontoomuchandtoohard.Inthiscaseitisan
emergencybecausethenyourtransmissioncomponentsarefightingeachotherandyoucandestroythemquickly.Youcanstilldrive
aroundonatooaggressiveVCwithoutdestroyingyourdrivetrainifyouremovethecenterdriveshaftfromthevehiclebutthen,ofcourse,
youwillnothavefourwheeldrive.Ifyoudecidetodothis,youcandrivearoundintwowheeldriveforyearswithoutharmingyour
vehicleandwithoutreplacingyourVC.ThesymptomthatwouldcauseyoutoknowthatyourVCistooaggressiveisusuallythatwhen
youenterapavedparkinglotandyoumaketightturnsafteraperiodofhighwaydrivingthatthevehicleseemstowanttostopasthough
youhadputthebrakesonthevehiclesimplyhatestightturns.Sometimesthereisabindingandbuckingsensationwhiledrivingwiththe
steeringwheelturnedallthewaytoitslimits.SomeontheSyncrolist,notablyRainer,thinkthereshouldbe*no*scrubbingoftires
whatsoeverintightturns,butIfeelthataslightscrubbingorresistancetotightturningisnormalandwillnothurtyourcar.Whenthe
scrubbingisenough,afteraperiodofhighwaydriving,toactuallycauseyourvantowanttostopratherthansimplyslowdownthenitis
timetochangetheVC,particularlyifyouhaveveryhighmiles.(InsupportofRainer'sposition,bytheway,MickKalberofHawaiireports
thatafterchanginghisVCthescrubbinghefeltwentawaycompletely.Othersreportthesamething.Othersreportthatafterchangingthe
VC,theircarstillfightstightturns,buttheeffectisnotincreasedafterhighwaydriving,andtheeffectisextremelymildineffect.)

3.Lessoften,theVCfailsbysimplynotcomingonatallandyoudonothavetractiontothefrontwheels.

4.Theofficialfactorytestiswelldocumentedinthearchives,butbasically,thetestistoputatwobyfourinfrontofthefrontwheels(the
factoryleavesoutthetwobyfourbutintestinglistmembershavefoundthateventhefactoryVCsarestiffenoughtorequirethe2x4to
holdthevehicleback)andthenjacktherearofthevehicleupintheairwitharollingjackunderthecarandthenveryslowlyandcarefully
lettheclutchoutinfirstorlowgear.AfterafewtriesyouwillfindthatyoucanlettheclutchoutwiththeenginerunningandtheVCwill
allowenoughsloptoletthewheelsstaystillatoneendofthevehiclewithoutclimbingoverthetwobyfourwhiletheengineturnsthe
wheelsattheotherendofthevehicle.Ifyoucannotpassthistest,thenyoushouldconsidergettinganewviscouscouplinginorderto
avoidharmingyourtransmission.Inthemeantime,youcouldpulloutyourcenter.driveshafttoprotectthetransmission.Besureand
performthistestsoonafterhighwaydrivingfor20milesorsooritmaynotuncoveraproblem.Notethatifyoucanpasstest#4ONCEout
ofseveraltries,thenyouhavepassedtest#4.Thatis,youcanfailtest#4fourtimesinarowbutifyoucangetthevehicletopassonce
(afterthe20minutesofhighwaydriving)thenyouareOK.
5.Experiencehasshownthatafailureon*either*test#4ortest#2issufficientcausetochangeyourVC.Thatis,itispossibleforyouto
havesomenastyscrubbingintightturnsafterhighwaydrivingasdescribedaboveintest#2butthatyourvehiclecanstillsurvivea
challengeoftest#4.Nevertheless,inthiscase,youshouldprobablychangeyourVCanyway.SamWalters'vehiclewasacaseinpointon
thisissue.Hepassedpoint#4abovebutfailedpoint#2above.AfterchanginghisVC,point#2abovewasrestoredtoproperoperationand
heisgladhedidthechange.

NotethatinstallinglargerthanstockmotorswilltypicallyrevealamarginalVC,thatseemedOKbefore,tonowbecomeaverynastyVC,
whichscrubstooearlyandistooaggressive.Soitisnotuncommonafterchangingthemotortooneoflargersizetohavetoalsoreplace
theVC.Thesamegoesforweight.IfyouhaveaVCthatappearsmarginaltryloading2,000lbs.ofmagazinesornewspapersintoyour
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van,drivingforhalfanhouronthehighway,andthenreplicatingthetestsabove.YouwillthencertainlyfindoutifthatVCisontheway
outinthatcase.Ifitcanpassallthetestsinthisdocumentwith2,000lbsofoldmagazinesinit,thenyourVCisprobablystillOK.Toa
muchlesserextent,ambientairtemperaturesisreportedtohavesomeeffectonVCs,sothereissomeevidencethataVCwillbemore
readytorevealitselfashavingbecomeanaggressivetypefailureinthesummertime,andmorereadytorevealitselfashavinginsufficient
torquetypefailureinthewinter.However,innormaloperation,theVCsdon'tseemtobeparticularlyaffectedbyambientairtemperatures.

MYVCSCRUBSSLIGHTLYISITOK?

MostVCs*do*fighttightturnsveryslightlywhethertheyarenewornot.Youmayseeemphaticpostsfrompeoplewhohavegottenbrand
newVCsfrommethatsaytheVCsdonotbindatall,butyouwillseejustasmanythatsaythereisstillaslightbindingafterinstallinga
newonetheygotfromme.Tosomeextent,Ithinktheissueisoneofnomenclatureanddegreethatonepersoninterpretsthewords
"slightbinding"differentlyfromanotherpersonoronepersonismoresensitivetotheeffectthananotherperson.Caseinpoint:Idrove
TomForhan'svehicleafterhehadinstalledabrandnewOEMSDPVCthathehadgottenfrommeandI*did*detectaslightscrubbingof
tiresinatightturnonpavement(asIexpected),butasTomsaid,thescrubbingwaslessthanitwasbefore.Thus,itseemsthatitisamatter
ofdegree,andwehavetorelyonasubjectivefeelforhowmuchbindingis"normal"andhowmuchistoomuch.Iamverysensitive,soI
suspectthatwhatIcall"slightbinding"maytoanotherlistmembernotappeartobebindingatall.

OnedistinguishingindicatorofillhealthiswhentheVCbecomesmoreaggressiveafterhighwaydriving.Thatisgenerallyaverybadsign,
andonehastoconsiderreplacinganyVCthatexhibitsthatsymptom.Aftereliminatingadifferenceinsizebetweenthefourtiresasthe
probablecause,ifyouexperiencethissymptomonlyONCEthenitiscauseforsomeconcernandyoushouldbeginthinkingaboutaVC
change.

GenerallyspeakingonecancalibrateyourfeelingaboutyourVCbythefeelingsofthedriverwhenintightturnsonpavementafter
highwaydriving.Ifthedriversays,"Hummm....itseemslikethevehicledoesnotreallywanttogowhenIturnthewheelallthewaylike
this,"orsomesuchmildcommentthenpossiblytheVCisOK.Butifthedriversays,"Hey,fromthesoundsIamhearingI*really*don't
thinkthisisgoodformycar"andspeakswithsomeelementofalarminhisvoice,thentheVCismoresuspect.Iknowthisissubjective
butIamafraidthatiswhereweareonthisparticulartest.

===================================

TheNoEngagementTest

HereishowtotestwhetheryourVChasfailedinthemorerarenoengagementmode:

Basically,youjackuptherearwheelssotheyareofftheground.Thenyouputthecarin,say,lowgearandlettheclutchout.Aftera
coupleoftimes,youwillfindwithagoodVCthatyoucanlettheclutchoutandthefrontwheelswillstillstayonthegroundstillwithout
thevehiclebeingpropelledforwardevenwiththemotoridling.Thisiswiththerearwheelsoffthegroundandthefronttwowheelsonthe
ground.

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ThatisthetestthatisthestandardVCtest.

Thenoengagementtestbeginsatthatpoint.Atthatpoint,withtherearwheelsoffthegroundandthefrontwheelsontheground,ifyouhit
theacceleratorthevehiclewillclimbupoverthe2x4(ortry4x4forthenoengagementtest)andmoveforward.Ifitfailstomoveforward
at,say,2,0002,500rpminthisconditionrearwheelsoffthegroundandfrontwheelsontheground)thenthemorerareconditionofa
noengagementfailureisclearlypresent.

Anotherwaytodoarearengagementtestisinthewintertime.Parkthevansothatthereartwowheelsareonsheeticebutthefronttwo
wheelsarenot.Puta4x4infrontofthefronttwowheels,orsomeobstacleofsimilarproportions.Putthecarindriveandlettheclutchout.
Therearwheelswillspinontheice.Butoneortheotherofthefronttwowheels(butnotnecessarilyboth!)willengageandpullthe
vehicleforwardovertheobstacle.Ifneitherofthefronttwowheelsspins(youhavetowatchbothfrontwheelsatthesametime,soyou
needahelperortwo),thenyouhaveanoengagementfailure.Sometimes,adriverinthisscenariowilllookouthiswindowandseethat
hisleftfrontwheelisnotspinningandconcludethathisVCisbad.Butinactualfacttherightfrontwheelisspinningatthattimeandsoin
actualfacttheVCisworkingfine.)

AnoengagementfailureisusuallytheresultofasealbreakinginsidetheVC,andtheconsequentleakageoftheVCfluidoutoftheVC
andintotheareaofthefrontdifferentialwheretransmissionoiliskept.Thus,noengagementfailurestypicallyresultincontaminatedfront
differentialoil,whichthereforeshouldbechangedalongwiththeVC.

Typically,asealbreakingintheVCisaresultofseverestressontheVC,possiblycausedbythemorecommonbindingtypeoffailure
coveredearlierinthisdocument.

HowToBuyAViscousCoupling

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IamsorrytoreportthatIdonothaveanymoreVCstosendouttosyncroowners.ThelaststockthatIknowofinNorthAmericaisat
www.vancafe.comasofDecember2009.Ifyouarereadingthis,andyouneedaVC,Iwouldgothereandorderonefromthere
immediatelybeforetherearenoneleftthereeither.Youcanalsotrywww.weddleindustries.comandseewhattheyhave.Youshouldalso
beabletogetaVCfromDarylataatransaxle.com,althoughIdon'tknowwhetherthosearebrandnewornot.Generallyspeaking,most
usedVCsinNorthAmericaareexcellentchoicesbecausetheyaregenerallyquiteinexpensive,andsinceVCsdon'tgobadthatoften,they
arelikelytobestillgood.So,oneofthebeststrategiesistobuyafrontdifferentialoronlytheVCfromajunkyardandmostlikelythe
usedVCwillprovideexcellentserviceformanyyears.MostVCsinusetodayin2009weremanufacturedinthe1980s,workfine,andwill
continuetogivegoodserviceindefinitely.
IfyouwouldliketoknowmoreabouthowIcametogetintothis,youcanseemyviscouscouplinggettingaworkoutat
http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/Syncro_Madness_Area.htm.Ifyouenjoyreadingsyncroandwestfaliarelatedmaterial,youmayalsowish
toseethelinksinmyVanagonSIGwhichmayappearattheverybottomofthisdocumentformoreinformation.
ContactInfo
YoumayemailmeatderekdrewATderekmail.com.IfIdon'trespondrightaway,chancesarethatIwilllateron.
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=================================================
WHATABOUTREBUILTVISCOUSCOUPLINGS?
=================================================
TherehadbeentwocompaniesintheUSAsellingrebuiltVCsinthelate1990s.TherebuildingwasbeingdonebyKenatGerman
TransaxleofBendOregon.
Kenisanexcellenttransmissionspecialist,andasidefromDarylataatransaxle.com,isanexcellentchoiceforhavingasyncrotransmission
rebuilt.IactuallyrecommendKen,andmanyVanagonownersreportexcellenttransmissionrepairserviceathisshop.Buttheissuewith
therebuiltVCsthatwereinitiallybeingproducedwasthat:
1.Inthepast,theywereleavingnoairintheVCs,whichthefactorysayswilldestroythem.
2.Theydonotreplacetheplates.Thefactorysaystheplatesmustbereplaced.MorerecentlyafterIaskedabouttheseissues,theystarted
advertisingthattheywerereplacingtheplatesaswell.Notsurehowtheyweredoingthat,sincethereisnosupplyofthese.
3.TheyareexperimentingwiththerightfluidtoputintotheVCssotheyareguessingatwhattouse.
ThefactoryengineerswhodesignedtheviscouscouplingssentmeaslightlymoreemphaticemailfromAustriaabouttheseVCsandhere
iswhattheysaid:
"Technical:Whatisbeingdonebythecompanyisingravecontradictiontoourexperience.Leavingnoairintheunit,willcausetheunitto
disintegratewhengoingintothehumpcondition.Usingathinnerfluidwillresultinlesstorquetransfertothefrontaxle,reducingoffroad
performance.Ifyoucanlivewithit,it`so.k.ThecauseforadegradedperformanceofaVCunitliesinachangeofthephysicalshapeof
theplates(microscopicwearoftheburrsintentionallycreatedwhenpiercingtheslots.Thusrebuildingtheunitwithoutchangingtheplates
atthesametimeisanexerciseinfutility."
Subsequenttoreceivingtheaboveinformationfromthefactory,IreceivedinSeptemberof2001informationfromawellknownlist
memberwhopurchasedarebuiltVCwhoexperiencedexcessivebindingwiththatunit.Thislistmemberreturnedhisrebuildunitinfavor
ofanOEMunit.Oneofthetwocompanieswhohadbeenrebuildingtheunitsnowexpressesareluctancetoevenopenthembecausethe
airpercentagesettingisquitesensitive.
Sincealloftheabovematerialonviscouscouplingswaswritten,manypartieshavedonemoreadvancedworktolearnhowtorebuildthe
VCsproperly.ThemostsuccessfuloftheseusetheactualtestmachinesthatthefactorybuilttomanufacturetheVCs.Thesemachinesare
extremelyheavy,andnonemadeittoNorthAmerica.Intheolddays,therewasaseriousproblemwiththesupplyofthereplacement
platesthatgoinsidetheVC.However,Inoticedthatasofabout2007,therewasalargesupplyoftheplatesinEurope.So,theprospectof
gettingaVCwith100%brandnewplatesstartedtolookfeasiblebecausetheplatesexistandareavailable.Onelastdevelopmentthatwas
encouragingwastheabilityofsomesupplierstoprovideaprintoutoftheVCstorquecharacteristicsattesttime.Puttingallofthistogether,
ifIhadtobuyaVCtodayandIcouldnotfindabrandnewoneorausedone,Iwouldbuyausedoneunderthefollowingconditions:a)
thatIcouldspecifythat*all*oftheplatesbereplaced,andaskthebuildertochargemeextraforthat,andb)thatIbegivena*printout*of
thetorquecharacteristicsoftheindividualVCthatIwasbuying.Forsyncroownerswhousetheirvehiclesofftheroad,I'dalsoconsider
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askingforasocalled"sport"VCthathasmoreaggressivetorquecharacteristics,andtheninstalladecouplerinmyvehicletoprotectmy
transmissionfromthestressaddedbytheaddedtorqueVCwhendrivingondrypavement.IbelievethatthemachinethatmakestheVCs
thatmostreadilyprovidesprintoutsatrebuildtimeisinSwitzerland.ThesourceforVCsthatmostreadilycomestomindisMike
Plompton.Heisbasicallyaeuropeananalogtomyselfinthatheisanenthusiastwhohasfallenoffthedeepend.LastIknew,Mikehada
"dayjob"inadifferentindustry.MikewasamongthefirstIknewtopickupontheconceptofthesportVCafterIhadconvincedthe
factorytomakeaspecialproductionrunoftheseintentionallyaggressiveunits.YoucanseewhatMikeisuptoatwww.busman.be(and
someothersites).Iamnotsurethatheisalwaysthatfastatrespondingtoemailsbecausehehasanotherlife.Accordingly,myguessisthat
itisgoingtobemorepracticalforNorthAmericanstoworkthroughNorthAmericanvendorssuchasBusDepotVanCafe.com,
aatransaxle.com,orweddleindustries.comthantobebotheringMikeforindividualVCs.

HowToInstallAViscousCoupling
IncludingparallelinstructionsfromRainerandTomForhan
Nospecialtoolsorautomotiveexperienceareneededforthisjob,andbecauseitissosimple,itshouldnotbefarmedouttoatransmission
shop.ThebestthingIcouldsay,goingfrommemory,isto....
1.Drivevanupon4ramps
2.Putjackstandsundervanincaserampsfail
3.Recordandmarkthealignmentofthedriveshafttothefrontdifferentialsothatyoucanputthesameboltthroughthesameholesofeach
unituponreassembly.Thiswillreducethechancesofyourendingupwithanoutofbalancedriveshaftonreassembly.
3.Unboltthefourforwardboltsholdingthedriveshaftonwitheithera1/2inchor13mmopenendwrenchandsomeliquidwrench.Ifthe
13mmwrenchdoesn'tworkthatgreat,trythe1/2inchopenendwrench.
4.Loosentheboltsholdingthefrontdifferentialsothatdifferentialmaybeshiftedaround.
5.Shiftthefrontdiffforwardsothatthedriveshaftwillfallawayfromthefrontdiff.Shiftthatdriveshaftoutoftheway.
6.Removetheoilfromthefrontdiffthroughtheoildrainhole.Throwthatoilawaybybringingittoyournearestautorepairshopfor
disposal.
RanierAddsThisComment:
"There'soneveryimportantpointmissinghere,ifyou'rereplacingthe
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viscouscouplingwiththediffinstalled:beforeyouremovetheoil

drainplugbyallmeansmakesureyoucanremovetheoilfillplugfirst
(thesameholdsofcourseforchanginggearboxoil)!If,forsome

reasonorother,youcan'tremovetheoilfillplug,forgetabout

replacingtheviscouscouplingrightunderthevan."

7.Removethe13ish?13?mmboltsholdingthebackhalfofthefrontdifferentialontothevehicleandthenpoptherearthirdofthe
differentialoffbackwards.Donotloosenthebigboltattherearmostpointinthefrontdifferential

8.Havesomethingonthegroundtocatchtheresidualoilthatwillspillout.

9.PulltheVCoutandreplace,beingcarefultoreinstallthelittlemetalwasherthatiswedgedinthere.Nospecialtoolsormeasurementsof
anykindareneeded.

SteveSchwenk(sxs@concentric.net)addsthiscommenthere:

"Atsteps79itmightbenotedthatitisalittle

trickyremovingthecasingtogettotheVC.Itcan

hangupontheDiff.mountbar,theoneina"U"shape,

andIhadtoremovethatbartogetitoffandoutof

theway."

10.Bolteverythingbacktogether,butboltthefrontdifferentialdownlastaftershiftingitaroundtoproperlyseatitinrelationtotherear
transmission.Makesureeverythingfronttobackarearrangedinaperfectstraitlinefronttoback.Thisisveryimportant,asthereare
(unconfirmed)argumentsthatnotdoingsocanleadtoexcessstressonyourVC.Whenboltingthedriveshaftbackon,eitherreplacethe4
driveshaftnutswithfactorynewonesthewayVWsaystodoit(properway),orjustuseRedLoctitethewayabouthalfthepeopleonthe
listdoit(universallistmethod)orreusetheoriginalnutswithnoloctitiethewaytheotherhalfdoesit(pogostickmethodseebelow).

11.RefillthefrontdifferentialwithGL5Transmissionoilusingthefactoryspecifiedviscocity.Mobil1makesagoodGL5forthefront
diff.(MakesurenottouseGL5inthereartransmission,however,asthattakesonlyGL4eveybodywiselyusesRedlineGL4synthetic
fortherear.)YoucanalsousetheRedlineGL5orGL4foryourfrontdifferential.

Raineraddsthiscommenthere:

LatelyatleasthereinGermanyVWseemstohaveissuedanew

orderofthedaywithrespecttogearboxoil.They'renowrecommending

asinglenewsyntheticoilforALLoftheirgearboxes(notonly

Vanagons).Itissaidtoeliminatecoldshiftingproblems,anditis

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alsosaidtoonlymarginallykeepevensmallmetallicparticlesin

suspension.

Thenewspecificationis"G50",theweightisSAE75W90,andtheVW

partnumberisG00500005forthehalflitreplasticbottle,and,I

think,G005000fortheonelitretincan.

Derek'scomment:

IfyouwanttotrythisnewoilandtrytoorderattheVWdealer,itis

areasonablethingtodo.Nevertheless,IthinkmostexpertsinAmericawouldstill

gowithasyntheticGL5inthefrontandRedlineGL4intheback,atleast

pendingevidencethattheG50oilRainerwritesofisindeedsomehowsuperior.

ThereisapossibilitythattheG50isbothmuchmoreexpensive,harder

toget,andnobetter.Thereisalsothepossibilityitismuchbetter.Atthistime,

wesimplydonotknow.

12.Theentirejobshouldtakeyouabout1hour.ButforsomereasonIcannotpredictinadvancewhyitwillactuallytakeyou5hours
:).Somemembershavereportedbrokenboltsholdingthediffinplace,orbrokenrubbermounts,sobepreparedtohuntthesepartsdown
ifyoudecideyouneedtoreplacethem.

13.Somepeopledecidetoremovethediffentirelytodothisjob.Youcandothat,butthatmeansyouhavetodisconnectthefrontCV
joints,whichisapain.Still,thosefrontCVjointsprobablyneedtheirgreasetoberenewedanyway.Andaslongasyouareregreasingthe
innerfrontcvjoints,youmightaswelldotheouterstoo,andinspecttheboots,andthenwhynottherearsandHEYletsnotloosefocus
here...

14.ThebestdescriptiononhowtochangeyourVCwasoriginallypostedtothelistbyRaineraboutthreeyearsago,butSteveSchwenks
photoessaymatchedthispostinutilityandinterest.Itwasonagainandoffagainatwww.syncro.orginthetechnicalsection.Ihighly
recommendavisittothatsitetocheckitout.IwillcopyRanier'spostbelow.

ABOUTTHEPOGOSTICKMETHOD.

Thisisactuallyamethodofeasilyremovingthetransmissionandenginefromthevehicle.Essentially,theprocedureistoskipusingloctite
onthenutsthatholdthedriveshaftonthefrontdiff,anddon'treplacethosenutswithnewnutseither.Justreuseyouroldnutseventhough
thefactorysaystoreplacethem.Whenthenutsorboltseventuallyfail,thedriveshaftwilldropdownonthehighwayandgetlodgedona
rock,crack,orotherobstacleandremoveyourtransmissionandengineinabouttwoseconds.ThisalsoworksintheeventofafrontU
jointfailure.Ifthisdoesnotappealtoyou,installastrapthatholdsupthefrontdriveshaftintheeventitsfrontattachmentpointfails.I
haven'tputmystrapinyetmyself,butIthinkaboutitfromtimetotime.

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At01:07AM7/5/01+1000,youwrote:

Brian

ThereisanexcellentarticlebySteveonhowtoreplacetheVCatwww.syncro.orgintheTechsectioncalled"ReplacingtheVC(photos):
ReproducedbelowisRainer'sversionoftheabove.Itdiffersfrommyversioninsomeimportantrespectssoitpaystoreadbothposts.
NotethatRainerisoneoftheworld'sleadingobserversoftheSyncroViscousCoupling,andisofmuchhigherintellectthantheaverage
VanagonorSyncropostersoweareluckytohavehimamongus.(Hegets,mostlyunfairly,bashedbysomeofourothersyncroexperts
fromtimetotimeandithurtstoseethis.)

Date:Fri,18Dec199812:53:06+0100

From:"Dr.RainerWoitok"<woitok@rrze.unierlangen.de>

To:DerekDrew<drew@interport.net>

Subject:Re:ViscousCouplingTest

Derek,

Herewegoagain...:)

I'veattachedtheHowToinformationtotheend.Enjoy!Andplentyof

luckwithchangingthesiliconefluid.

Derek'snote:

Rainerwasskepticalaboutmyplantochangethefluid.Asitturnedout,hewasrighttobeskeptical,andIabandonedthisidea.Istillhave
thefluid.Anyonewanttobuyitfromme?

Apartfromthat:MerryChristmasaswellasallthebestforthenext

yeartoyouaswellastoyourfamily...:)

Sincerely
Rainer

'89CaravelleGLSyncro16"

|RainerMWoitok|Phone:(+499131)8527811,27031|

|RegionalesRechenzentrum||

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|FriedrichAlexanderUniversitaet|Fax:(+499131)302941|

|MartensStrasse1|Telex:d629755tferl|

|D91058Erlangen||

|Germany|Mail:

THEMATERIALBELOWISBYRAINERREFERENCEDABOVE

VW'soriginal(German)repairmanualdoesn'tsaymuchabouthowtotest
theviscouscoupling.Theyonlyrecommendplacingtherearwheelsina

breaktestingstand.IfyouthenswitchtotheGgear(creepinggear),

thefrontwheelsshouldmovethevanoutoftheteststandassoonas
theengineisrevvingslightlyaboveidle.Ifthefrontwheelsfailto

dosotheviscouscouplingistobereplaced,VWsays.VWaddsanother

tinysentencetothis,sayingthatonlywhentheengineisrevvingat
idleandwiththeGgearswitchedin,theviscouscouplingisableto

absorballthetorquetothefrontwheelsandkeepthemfrommoving.

Tomethislastandratherillformulated(intheGermanmanual)

sentenceisthekeytotestingtheviscouscoupling.Forinmostcases
wearenotdealingwithviscouscouplingsdoinglessthantheirshare,

butratherwithhardgoingviscouscouplingswhichdon'thaveaproblem

atallinmovingthevanoutoftheteststandwiththeenginejust

idling.

Thusthereallyimportantthinghereisnotthevansuccessfullyleaving

theteststand.Onthecontrary,theimportantthinghereisthevan

notmovingandstayingputintheteststandwiththeGgearswitchedin

andtheenginejustidling.IfyourSyncrodoesn'tpassthistestyour

viscouscouplingisprobablywornoutandreadyforareplacement.Or

puttheotherwayround:aslongasyourvan'sviscouscouplingis

workingproperlyyouwillnotnoticeyourvanhasgotone.

AssoonasyouareencounteringproblemswithyourSyncrowhen
cornering,inparticularafteralongandfastdrive,orassoonas
despiteofpowersteeringsteeringbecomesabitdifficultwhen

turningandtheSyncroslowsdownconsiderablywhengoingroundacorner

...assoonasoneormoreofthesethingsarehappening,yourviscous

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couplingismostprobablydueforreplacement.Whenthetiresstart

whiningwhilecorneringitmightwellbetoolatealready...

Ioncehadallofthesesymptomsanditwasimmediatelycleartomethat

theviscouscouplingwastheculprit.Butittooksometimeformeto

react,andittooksomemoretimeforthenewviscouscouplingtoarrive

atmydoor.ShouldyoueverencountersimilarproblemsIwouldurgeyou
toimmediatelygetunderyourvanandremovethedriveshaftbetween

gearboxandfrontdiff.Ifyoufailtodothisandwaittoolong,

severedamagetothegearboxand/orfrontdiffistheprobableresult.

Removingthedriveshaftisprettystraightforward,justfourboltsand

nuts(13mm)oneitherendofthedriveshaft.Thenloosen(just

loosen,don'tremovethem)thethreenutsandbolts(17mm)whichhold

thefrontdiffinplace,sothefrontdiffcanmoveoutofthewayabit

forthedriveshafttoberemovable.Don'tforgettoagaintightenthe

17mmscrews.

WhenIwasshoppingforanewviscouscoupling(accordingtoall

reliablesourcesIcontactedtheycannotberepaired)Iaskedseveral

knowledgablepeoplehowlongaviscouscouplingisexpectedtolast.

Apartfrom"itdepends"(anemployeeatSteyrDaimlerPuchinAustria,
thefirmwhichwasproducingtheSyncrosandinparticulartheviscous

couplingsforVW)theanswersrangedfrom"some60,000km"to"between

170,000and200,000km".Minewasreplacedafter150,000kmbutI

boughttheSyncrowith80,000kmonthetachanddon'tknowforsure

whetherornotthiswasstillthefirstviscouscoupling.ButI'm

assumingitwas.

Asforthereasonwhythesiliconeintheviscouscouplinggetstoo

stiffandstartscausingtroublethepeopleIaskedunanimously

answered:tomuchstrain.However,thisisnotreferringtorelentless
offroaddrivingingroundlessmud,butrathertosmallbutpermanent
differencesinrotationalspeedbetweenfrontandrearaxlewhiledoing
normalonroaddriving.Thesedifferencesinrotationalspeedcanbe
causedbysuchthingsasunequaltirewearordifferenttirepressure.

Tirediametersshouldbethesamewithina2to4mmtolerance.Or,in

otherwords,ifyou'remeasuringthedepthsofthegroovesinyour

tires,thedifferencesshouldnotexceed1to2mm.

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Thuspeoplenotcaringtirepressureandtirewear,peoplehaving

mounteddifferenttirebrandsonthefrontandrearaxles,aswellas
peopleneverroutinelyusingtheirsparetiresoitgetswornroughly

thesamewayastheothertiresaremostprobablyruiningtheirviscous

couplingprettyfast.

Removingthedriveshaftasanemergencymeasure:

Ifyouhaveto,andprovidedyou'reslimenough,youcanremovethe

driveshaftonthebareground(atleastifit'saSyncro16"),just
withalittlehelpofthefactoryjack.Incaseyourdriveshaftwas

balancedinitscurrentposition,itmaybeagoodideatomarkthe

alignmentpointsoftheflangesbeforeremoval.Thenyou'llhavetouse

apairof13mmwrenches(duetospaceconstraintsonlyopenwrenchesare

usable)toremovefourboltsandnutsateitherendofthedriveshaft
(sometimesthenutsareonly12mm).Ifyouwanttodoitproperly

you'llalsohavetoloosen(onlyloosen,don'tremove!)thethreenuts
andbolts(17mm)whichholdthefrontdiffinplaceviarubberstops,
sothefrontdiffcanmoveoutofthewayabitforthedriveshaftto

beremovable.However,whenlyingonthebaregroundjustbelowthevan

thismightbehardtodo.Ifyourdriveshafthasgotthisrubber

elementinityoumaytrytosimplyuseascrewdrivertocautiously

separatethetwoflangesatoneendofthedriveshaft.Knockinggently
attheflangesattheotherendwillthentakethedriveshaftdown.As

totherubberelement:indieselenginedandFIvanstherubberelement

wasfacingoppositesides.Thusyou'dbettertakesomenotesasto

whethertherubberelementisatthegearboxendoratthefrontdiff

end.

Replacingtheviscouscoupling:

Toreplacetheviscouscouplingyou'llhavetopullthefront

differentialfirst.Idon'tthinkit'sfeasibletoreplacetheviscous
couplingrightunderthevanwiththefrontdifferentialinplace.

Derek'sNote:

Californiansonthelistprovedotherwisesoifyouwanttoleavethediffintheregoahead.SamWaltersdiditontheground,buthe
indicateditwasapain.

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In

particular,reassemblywouldthusbemuchmoredifficultandwouldcause

plentyofcursing.Andyou'dhavetodraintheoilfirst.Byandlarge

thereisnowitchcraftinvolvedinpullingthefrontdiff,butyou

shoulddoitwiththevanonaliftingplatformoraboveagreasepit.

Andittakestwopeopleaswellasafloorjack.

Firstofalllosenbutdon'tyetremovethethree17mmnutsalready

mentionedwhichholdthefrontdiffinplace.Thenremovethespeedo

cableaswellasthesixscrewsineachoftheinnerCVjoints.For

thisscrewsyou'llneedeithera6mmhexagonaloran8mmmultipoint
socket.Ifyouhaven'tdoneityetyoushouldnowremovethedrive

shaftasdescribedabove.Ifyouhaveafrontdifflock(never

officiallyexportedtotheUS)unplugitelectricallyaswellas

pneumatically(tagthepipessoyoucan'tconfusethemlater).Now
removethescrewholdingtheventpipeofthedifferentialandthen

removethethree17mmnutsandboltsholdingthefrontdiff.Getthe
floorjackinplaceandremovethefrontandrearmountingbrackets.
Thentogetherwithasecondpersoncautiouslymovethediffforward

alongtheskidplateandout.Lookoutforthedifflockifthereis

one.

Placethefrontdiffonyourworkbenchinsuchawaythattheflangefor
thedriveshaftisfacingupwards.Youcannoweasilyremovetheten

13mmboltswithwhichthehousingoftheviscouscouplingisattachedto

thefrontdiffwithoutriskinganyoilleaking.Liftthehousingwhich

iscontainingtheinputshaft.Youwillnowseetheviscouscoupling

itselfandalittlespacingcollarsittingontopofit.Takethis

spacingcollar,greasethetoprimofitandagainplaceitontheinput
shaftinthehousingandslightlypressitwithitsgreasedrimagainst
thebearingsoitwillstaythere.Thiswillgreatlyeasereassembling

thedifflater.Nowremovetheoldviscouscouplingandputinthenew
one.Thenapplysiliconesealingcompoundtothecontactflangeofthe
housingand,insertingtheinputshaftintotheviscouscoupling,put

thehousingbackinplace.Finally,gentlytightentheten13mmbolts
crosswise,applying20Nm(15ftlb.),andyourfrontdiffisreadyto

bereinstalled.

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Perhapsyoushouldusetheopportunitywhilethediffisstillsitting

onyourworkbenchtocheckwhathasbeencaughtbythemagnetatthe

oildrainplug.

Toreinstallthefrontdiffinthevansimplyreversethestepslaidout

above,attheverylastfasteningthescrewsofthefrontandrear

mountingbracketsaswellasthethree17mmboltsthroughtherubber

stops(apply45Nm(33ftlb.)tothese).

Toolsandtorquesneeded:

Installationofthefrontdiff:

17mmsocketandratchet,perhapswithextension.Use17mmwrenchto

counterattheotherside,45Nm(33ftlb.)

VChousing:

13mmsocketwithextensionandratchet,20Nm(15ftlb.)

CVjoints:

either6mmhexagonalor8mmmultipointsocketwithextensionand

ratchet,35Nm(26ftlb.)

Driveshaft:

Twoopen13mmwrenches(sometimesonly12mmforthenuts),35Nm(26

ftlb.)

Acknowledgements:

SpecialthanksgotoWolfgangCarolsfeldinCanada

whonotonlyproofreadthistext,helpedmewithsometechnicalEnglish

termsIfailedtofindinmydictionary,anddidthemathinvolvedin
convertingthetorquesfromNmtoftlb,butwhoalsosuccessfully

appliedtheunderlyingGermanversionofthistexttohisSyncrotomake

sureitworks:)

====================================
====================================

TomForhan'sAddendumAppearsBelow:

====================================
====================================

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We'llfolks,I'vedoneitthreetimesnowandIfinallygotitright:oncewithausedVCwithahousingleakleaked,oncewiththeusedVC
noleakbutitbound,andoncewithanewVC!ThanksDerek!

I'veannotatedDerek'soriginalinstructions(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/6865)withalotofdetailthatIlearnedthe
hardway.Originalinstructionsareinquotes,mycommentsfollow.

"4.Loosentheboltsholdingthefrontdifferentialsothatdifferentialmaybeshiftedaround."Beforedoingthis,loosenthetwoboltsatthe
toprearofthediffthatsupportitfromontop,onanupsidedown"U"bar.Don'tremovethemyet.Thetakeoutthethreemountingbolts
here,oneinfront(frontisfront),twoattherear.Allhavebignylon/rubbermountsIputajackunderthediff,andremovedallboltsand
themountsatthispoint.

"5.Shiftthefrontdiffforwardsothatthedriveshaftwillfallawayfromthefrontdiff.Shiftthatdriveshaftoutoftheway."

"6.Removetheoilfromthefrontdiffthroughtheoildrainhole.Throwthatoilawaybybringingittoyournearestautorepairshopfor
disposal."

"7.Removethe13ish?13?mmboltsholdingthebackhalfofthefrontdifferentialontothevehicleandthenpoptherearthirdofthe
differentialoffbackwards.Donotlooosenthebigboltattherearmostpointinthefrontdifferential"

Useyourfloorjacktorepositionthediffsothatitslopesdownasmuchaspossibletowardtherear.Thatwayyouwillhavecomplete
accesstoalltheboltswithoutshiftingthingsaround.Theyboltsare13MM.Iusedaratcher,two3"andone6"extensionsinvarious
combinations,andauniversaljointforthethreebottombolts.Ascrewdrivertypehandlewasveryhandyforspinningout/inoncethebolts
wereloosened.Youalsohavetheremovethe14MMbanjoboltandtwosmallcopperwashersnearthetopthatconnectstheairventhose
forthediff.

Thenjackthebackofthediffupsothatitismoreorlesshorizontalagain.Yourjackmustbeonthemaindiffhousing,nottheVC
housing.Goodluckonjust"poppingitoff",minewasgluedquitenicely,atleastthefirsttime.ThisiswhyIsuggstleavingthe"U"baron
thediffIusedtwopiecesofnominal2x2aboutafootlong,leveringagainstthesubframeandthetwosidesofthe"U"bartobreakthe
seal.Oncetherearhousingisfree,removethe"U"bar.

"8.Havesomethingonthegroundtocatchtheresidualoilthatwillspillout."

Amen.

"9.PulltheVCoutandreplace,beingcarefultoreinstallthelittlemetalwasherthatiswedgedinthere.Nospecialtoolsormeasurements
ofanykindareneeded."

First,putthecarinlstgear.ThiswillmaximizetheclearancebetweentheVChousingandtheshifterrod,whichisoneofthemanythings
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thatlimityourabilitytomovethehousingaround.Asyougentlypullbackthehousingnottoofar,ortoofast,atthestartlookinsidethe
crackbetweenthetwohousingstoseeiftheVCisgoingtostaywiththediff(good)orslidebackwiththeVChousing(bad).Ifyoucannot
gettheVCtostayonthediff,theclearanceissuesaremuchmoredifficult,youmaywanttojimmytheVCaroundandtrytogetitback
ontothediffshaftonceyouhaveafewinchesofseparation.

PlayaroundwiththejacktomovetheheightandangleofthediffaswellastheVChousingasyoutrytopullitback.Youwillhavetoget
theVChousingbackprettyfartocleareverything,andthenIfoundIcouldturnitstail90degreesorsotothedriversside,andthenIwas
abletoslidetheVCoff,andreplaceit.ThelittlemetalwasherDerekisreferringtoistheitemlabled"spacer"intheBentley,itgoesonthe
shaftintheVChousing,notontheshaftinthediffhousing,thoughitwillfit).

Reattachingthetwofaces,ofcourseuseasealantIusedLoctiteblueandmakesuretotorqueeverthingtogether,20NewtonMeters.

"10.Bolteverythingbacktogether,butboltthefrontdifferentialdownlastaftershiftingitaroundtoproperlyseatitinrelationtotherear
transmission."

Withthedriveshaftandthe"U"barreintstalled,jacktheassemblyaroundtogetitintopositiontoinstallthethreemountsandbolts
loosely,butmakesurethetopandbottomnylonhalfcirclesinthetworearmountsarealigned.Togettherighttoleftalignment,I
measuredtomakesurethedistancebetweentheVChousingcenterlinecastingmarkandtherightandleftdriveshaftskidplatemounting
pointswasthesame.

Tookitforatestdrivethisameverythingworks,turnslikeadream,novibration,norearpinionhowl(KarlMandIreplacedthetrans
withausedunitIhadlayingaroundrightbeforeIdidtheVC).

ReplacingtheVCisnotdifficultforonepersontodoinabouttwohours...thethirdtime.

Hopethishelpssomeoneoutthere

TomF.

===============================

DidmineinJuly.Slideshowisgood.onlytoolisa17mmAllensocket.Drewsaysatwohourjobthattakesfive.That'saboutright.Two
pointsnotcoveredcostmeabouttwohours.

1.Goaheadandremovethecrosspiece

2.TheVCshouldstayforward.Minecamebackwiththecoverthreetimes,butfinallystayedforward.

Makesureyoucangetthefillplugoutbeforeyoustart.

Notahardjob,justrequiresalittlepatience.

JohnParsons
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'87VWSyncro/CountryHomesPopTop

'68VWSingleCabPickup

Roswell,Georgia

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BEN'SCONTRIBUTIONONHISINSTALLATION:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To:syncro<syncro@yahoogroups.com>

MessageID:<B88A1A8F.342C%ben@kbmc.net>

From:BenMcCafferty<ben@kbmc.net>
Date:Sat,09Feb200200:21:090800

Subject:[Syncro]VCViscousCouplinginstallationnotes

ContentType:text/plaincharset=USASCII

ContentTransferEncoding:7bit

Forthearchives,Iwantedtoaddafewthoughtstothegreatpictureessay

onsyncro.orgaboutreplacingaVC.

SinceIhadthetrannyout,Ihadtheskidbarsoutofthewayalready.For

mymoney,takingthetimetoremovethembeforethisjobistimewellspent.

It's6bolts,andmakesahugedifference.

Thepicturesreferenceusingajackstand,whichis,inmyopinion,a

necessity(unlessyournameisBrutusandyoubenchpress350withone

hand).Ifoundajackmoreuseful,though,becauseitdidtheworkof

liftingthefrontdiffforme.

Thereare1013mmbolts,andone14mmboltforthebreatherhose.

Oncetheboltsareout,Ilaidunderthevanonmyback,feettothefront

bumper.Icouldthenbracemyfeetagainsttheframe,andusethemounting

brackettopulltheconeloose.Ifit'sstuck,acoupleofshotsfroma

deadblowhammer(nonmarring)shouldkickitloose.

ThenextthingIfoundthatworkedreallywellwastorotatethecone180

degrees.Todothisyouhavetofirstremovethemountingbracket(2more

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17mmbolts,3minutes).Oncetheconeisupsidedown,theslotinits
bottomsidenolongercatchesontheframeasyouslideittotherear.

Also,Ifounditessentialtoremovethefrontdiffmountingbolt,andslide
thefrontdiffasfarforwardaspossible.Iusedthejackunderthefront

difftomoveitupashighaspossibleaswell.

Goingbacktogetherwasasnapslidetheconebackinplace,flipitover,

putbackthebracket.....wait,didIputintheVCyet???:)Iendedup

usingPermatex#2,nonhardeningsealant.

OneothernotethatIthinkisworthmentioningthere'slotsof

dirt/grease/gritstucktotheundercarriageabovethefrontdiff,andit's
realllyeasytoknockitlooseandintotheopendiffwhilereplacingthe
VC,etc.Imadesuretowipeoutalldirtthatmighthavefallenintothe

conebeforereassembly.Also,someofitmaysitontopofthenewVC,out

ofsight,sobesuretogetthattoo.

Totaljobtookmeabout1.5hours,1hourthesecondtime(didtwo

yesterday).

Regards,
bmc:)

=======================================================

WhenIdidmine,itwassimilar.Ifoundthatremovingthebracketmadeiteasier.

ButwhenIpulledthenoseconebacktheVCcamebackwithit,ItriedeverythingthatIcouldthinkofwithnoluckuntilIpushedthecone
backon,thenyankeditback.ThatiswhenIlearnedthattheVCshouldstayforwardwithethediff.

JohnParsons
END

============================================================

ABOUTVIBRATIONSAFTERTHEJOB

Derek,

ThanksfortheVC...Niceandshiny...

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ThelocalVWdealerhelpedmebyputtingitintoday...ittookthemthreehoursandtheyfreelyadmittedthatitwastheirfirst/.......

Idrovethebustonightandamnotahappycamper...andwouldlikeanopinion...ifyoucan...

At35...upto45MPH...thereisaVIBRATIONthatisquitenew..(itdidnotexistbeforewiththeoldVC,,,orwiththedriveshaft
removed..).andIsuspectthatitmightbeanalignmentissuewiththedriveshaftanddifferential...IwillreturntoVWtomorrowbutmaybe
youhavecarnalknowledgeofpossibleproblemsthattheymighthaveoverlooked...

Cantheyalignthefrontandback?

TheVCsIsellarecarefullybalancedbyVWbeforeshippingandthereareoftenverysmallplatesweldedontheoutsideofthemforthis
purpose.

Obviously,then,thistellusthattheVCs,ifnotcarefullybalanced,canresultinvibration.

So,itisconceivablethattheVCthatIsoldyouiscausingthevibration.

However,Ihavesoldquitealotofthese,andtherewasnotyetasinglecaseoftheVCcausingthiskindofvibrationnorhaveIeverheard
ofanycaseseitherhereoroverseas.SincetheseareOEMVCsfromtheVWfactory,theyshouldhavebeenbalancedcorrectly.

Thereisanothermuchmorecommonformofvibrationwhichisthecenterdriveshaft.Ithinkitvibratestypicallyatthespeedsthatyou
indicate.
Failureofthatcenterdriveshaftandsubsequentvibrationisverycommon,unfortunately,anditseemspossibleyouhaveacquiredthe
disease.

Thereareavarietyofmethodsyoucanemploytofixthatdriveshaft.

MostcommonistobuynewUjointsforabout$49andputthemon.Thereisalotofinformationaboutthisprocedureinthearchivesof
theVanagonandsyncrolists.

Unfortunately,thisprocedureseemstoworkonlyabout50%ofthetimeandtheother50%,forwhateverreason,stillvibratesaftertheu
jointsarechangedandtheshaftisrebalancedatalocaldriveshaftrebalancingshop.

Somefeelthattheproblemistheexactujointordered,andthatifyouwilltakecaretoordertherightjointstherepairiseasy,simple,and
works.Thereisapostinthelastcoupleofmonthsfromsomebodywhosaid,"Hey,thesejointsIorderedworkedperfectly!"

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Othersgiveupandbuycompletenewcenterdriveshafts.Thereisaninterestingsourceofcompletenewdriveshaftsinanunconventional
formatfromafellowintheMilitarywhoiscurrentlystationednearBaltimore.IthinkBrentChristensonisusingtheseandtheyfixedhis
intractableproblem.

Unfortunately,IamnotanexpertonthissubjectandsoIdonothaveadefinitiverecommendationforyou.

TimSmith<smithtj@nbnet.nb.ca>hassomefairlyclearideasabouthowtofixtheproblemfor$49andheisnearbyinNewBrunswickso
youmightwanttofollowhisdirectivesfirstpossiblyevendrivetohisplaceandhavehimretrofityourshaftonthespotandpayhimifit
isnottoofar.

Ifresearchingthissubjectinthearchives,youwillfindmanyofthepostsbysearchingontheterm"ujoint".
Youcanalsosearchon"balanced"or"shaftvibration"or"vibration"or"centershaft"andyouwillseeotherposts.

OneissuementionedinmyviscouscouplingemailthatIsentyouintheinstallationinstructionsectionisthatwhenyoureplacetheviscous
couplingIrecommendthatyoumarktheexactorientationofthedriveshaftastowhichholesitwasbolteduptobeforeyouremoveitso
youcanreinstallitintheexactsameorientationwhentheshaftgoesbackin.Thisrecommendationwasmadebecausesomeusersreported
thatiftheyfailedtodothis,therewouldbeavibrationafterreinstallingthecenterdriveshaft.

IfyoutookmyinstallationinstructionstoarealbonafideofficialVWdealer,itisalmostcertainthathewouldhaveignoredthisadvice
sinceitisnotintheVWmanual,andhewouldhavenowayofknowinghowimportantitis,andtheydon'tlikereceivingadvicefrom
outsidersanyway.Also,sincetheinstructionsweresomewhatlengthy,thisalmostcertainlyguaranteesthatnoprofessionalmechanic
wouldactuallyreadthembecausetheysimplydonothavethetime.

Accordingly,itispossiblethevibrationcomesbecausethedriveshaftwasreinstalledinanorientationdifferentfromtheoneitcameoffthe
diffin.Ifso,youmaybeabletocurethevibrationbyremovingthedriveshaftfromthefrontdiffandinstallingitineachofthefour
orientationsoffrontdiffthatitcangoandseeifthisprocedureidentifiestheorientationthatfixesthevibration.Atleastonelistmemberin
thepasthasreportedthatthisprocedure,whichhehadtorepeatforboththefrontandrearattachmentpointsofthecenterdriveshaft,was
successfulinidentifyingthenovibrationposition.Hereportedbeingsomewhatexhausted,becausehehadtoreinstallthedriveshaftin
somethinglike16differentorientationsinordertofindthequietone.Theamazingthingisthatthroughthismadnesshewasactuallyable
togetaquietdriveshaftoutofit.Notallaresolucky,however.

Youwon'tlikelyhavetodosomany,however,becausemostlikelytheshopleftthedriveshaftattachedtothereartransmissionandnever
detacheditsoallyouhavetotryisthefrontfourorientations.

Anotherthingyoucantryistoloosenthemountingboltsforthefrontdiffandwiggleitaroundwhilethedriveshaftisattachedandthen
retightenthemountingbolts.Thisisinthemanualasarequiredprocedure.However,fewmechanicsactuallybotherwithit,andasaresult,
thefrontdiffcanbeatthewrongdistancefromthereartransmission.Youmaybenefitfromreseatingitwithrespecttothatmeasurement.

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Itistypicalfortheshoptotakethedriveshaftoutwithoutfirstlooseningthefrontdiffeventhoughthemanualsaystodothisordamage
canoccur.Whattheydoistoprythedriveshaftloosebyforceandthenitdropoutwhilethefrontdiffisstillattachedfirmlytoitsmounts.
Itispossiblethatthispryingactionbyforceisactuallythecauseofsomeofthebaddriveshaftswehavegoingaround,andthatyourdealer
therebyactuallydestroyedyourcenterdriveshafttodaybythiscommonaction.AnyprofessionalmechanicataVWdealerwhoactually
followseverythingitsaystodointhemanualwouldbefiredforlackofproductivity,andsoitdoesnotdotohowlundulyatthis.
However,itdoessuggestthatyouconsiderdiscontinuingusingaVWdealerinthefutureforrepairofyourvehicleinfavorofpeoplewho
livethisparticularvehicleintheirheart.

Stillotherssaythattheproblemisthatthefrontdiffaxisandthereardiffaxishavetobeinanexactstraitlinewithnodeviationsfrom
perfectlystraightfronttoback,andthatcarefulspacingofthemountingofthefrontdiffisrequiredtoaccomplishthis,eitherbyreplacing
andrenewingthefrontdiffmounts,orputtingshimsandspacerstheretomakesurethediffisexactlyandperfectlypointingtothecenter
driveshaftalongthesameplainasthatcenterdriveshaftsits.

Mysuggestionwouldbetotrythesereseatingsandreorientingprocedures.Iftheydon'twork,thenyoucaneitherhaveyourcenter
driveshaftrebuiltoryoucantryreinstallingadifferentVCandseeifthatfixestheproblem.ThelikelyhoodofitbeingtheVCthatis
causingthevibrationisquitelow,however.Probablythebestprocedureofallwouldbetoborrowadifferentcenterdriveshaftfrom
somebodylocaltoyou,suchasFritzRandolph,andinstallthattemporarily.Thatwouldquicklytellyouifyourcenterdriveshaftisbad.If
youdothis,don'tforgettomarkitsoyoucanreinstalltheborroweddriveshaftexactlyasitwaswhenitcameoutorthepersonyou
borroweditfrommaynotbeyourfriendanymore.

Youcanalsomakeapublicpleatothelistforthelatestondriveshaftbalancing,ujointreplacement,etc.,andsomepeoplewillblurtout
something.Mostofthemostadvancedlistmemberswillnotdothis,however,consideringtheiradvicetohavebeenpostedtothelist
definitivelythreeyearsagoorwhatever,andsorefusetomuckupthelistreissuingthesameemailtimeandtimeagain.Soitdoespayto
spendtimeinthearchives.

XeGroupsReturn:thomas.a.micka@usa.dupont.com

Received:from[66.218.67.150]byn25.grp.scd.yahoo.comwithNNFMP18Jul200214:03:130000

Date:Thu,18Jul200214:03:130000

From:"mickathom"<thomas.a.micka@usa.dupont.com>

To:DerekDrew<derekdrewATderekmail.com>

Subject:Re:VibrationAfterVCChange

MessageID:<ah6hr1+o9h7@eGroups.com>

InReplyTo:<4.3.2.7.2.20020717203905.048bb9d8@pop.rcn.com>

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XMailer:YahooGroupsMessagePoster

XOriginatingIP:52.128.30.11

Thefronttobackalignment(fromthehorizontal)ofthedriveshaft

isimportant...criticaltobalance.Thiswasshowntomebya

MercedesBenzfactorytrainedmechanicwhoattendedalloftheir

4MATICschools.YoumayrecalltheBenz4MATICwasmadealongsideof

theSYNCROsysteminAustriabySteyr.Thismechanicalignedmy

SYNCROdriveshaftquitewellandminimizedvibrationsafterIhad

installednewUjointsandtwicespinbalancedtheshaft.

Apparently,thereisalsoaVWmaintenancetooltodothis(frontto

back)alignmentfunction.Ihave'ntseenthetool,buttheoldest

servingmechanicinthelocalVWdealershiphereinWilmington,

Delaware...ontheKirkwoodHwy,youknowtheoneallegedtomehe

usedthistoolandtheyusedtohaveone!

Ifalignmentisnotcorrectthetwoendsoftheshaftacceleratein

opposingdirectionsateachfullrotation.Thiscausesanunbalanced

forcetoactontheshaftwhichwefeelasavibration.Thereisa

speedatwhichwefeelthesevibrationsmoststrongly,duetolength

oftheshaftandtheamountofmisalignment.

Thereisalsosupposedtobeabushing(bronzealloy?)insidethe

shafttubeattherubberdonutend.I'veneverseenthis,butif

worn...ithasalsobeenallegedthatspinbalanceisineffectiveto

stopvibrations.

Ithinktheformulatonovibrationisastraightshaft,aligned

fronttorearinhorizontalplanenomorethan3degreesoutof

plane,newUjoints,newrubberdonut,andbronzebushing(any

knowledgeoutthereonthis?).

MoreLinksAndInfo

==============================================================================

HOWTOTELLIFYOURVISCOUSCOUPLINGISAGGRESSIVEENOUGH

============================================================================

ThisemailcontainsadditionaltestdataabouttheconditionsunderwhichabasicallynewVC(3,000miles)willengage.Itisthefirsttime
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testdataofthisnaturehasbeenpublishedinourenglishlanguageworldandalsothefirsttimetestdataofthisnaturehasbeenpublishedto
thelist.ThereasonforthetestswastofindouthowsoontheVCwillengageundervariousconditionsoftireslippageandhowmuch
torqueitcantransmitundervariousspeeds.Byspeed,Imean,ofcourse,thedifferenceinrotationalspeedbetweenoneendoftheVCvs.
theotherend.However,asamatterofconvenience,alltestsreferinsteadtoenginerpminGgear.Forthehistoryofthesetestsandwhy
theywereconducted,seethefirstroundtestresultsreportedfurtherbelowandquotedtowardthebottomofthisemail.Additional
informationaboutthetestmethodologyappearsthereaswell.ThepurposeofthetestswastofindoutiftheVCcomesonsoonenoughto
beaneffectivetoolforoffroading,oratleasttodefineawindowinwhichtheVCislesseffectivethanasolidshaftsetup.Bywayofan
asidebeforereportingthetestresults,notethatIhavenowtransferredthehistoricsolidshaftADKfrontdifferentialtoRiverdale'sCraig
Rogerswhointendstouseitinavehiclethathasadecoupler.CraigwillbethefirstlistmemberIamawareofinNorthAmericarunninga
solidshaftVClessfrontringandpinion.ThisdifferentialwasmanufacturedbySDPinapproximatelythe1985timeperiodaspartofa
projectthattheyhadatthattimetoengineeranalternativesolutionintheeventthatthethennewviscouscouplingswouldnotbesuitable
despiteallthetheory.Aftertheydecidedtheviscouscouplingsweresuitable,itisreportedthatmanyofthedecouplerpartsandothersolid
shaftADKfrontdifferentialsweredestroyedbythefactory.TESTRESULTSGOINGUPHILLSCondition:rearaxlesdisabled.5degree
hill:vehicleclimbshillatidle(900rpm)7degreehill:vehicleclimbshillatidle(900rpmand500rpmina2ndtest)10degreehill(fairly
steep):vehicle(enginespeedhadtobeincreasedto1,100rpminordertoclimbthehillotherwisethevehicledidnotmoveTEST
RESULTSCLIMBINGOVEROBSTACLESCondition:rearaxlesdisabled.Testwastoseewhatrpmwasrequiredinorderforthe
vehicletoclimboveranobstacleinGgear."Obstacleheight"referstoaboardorcurb(square)placedinfrontofeachfronttire.Therpm
speedindicatedisthespeedatwhichthevehiclestoppedsittingstill(withtheVCslipping)andsurmountedtheobstacle.OBSTACLE
HEIGHT1.5"untilreached1,300rpm3"untilreached2,000rpm5.75"untilreached2,000rpm6"untilreached1,900rpm8"untilreached
3,200*rpm*Notethatintheverylasttest(the8"test),thevehicledidnotactuallyclimbthecurb.Instead,oneofthefronttwotireswas
turningonthedrypavementsofurthertestingofthatconditionwasimmediatelyabortedforfearofbreakingsomething.**Notealsothat
inanearliertestthedaybeforethevehiclerequired3,000rpmtoclimba5"tallobstacle,butIwasunabletorepeatthatresultthenextday
whendoingallthesefurthertestssoIaminclinedtoignorethatearliertestreportasbeingbeforeIunderstoodhowtoconductthesetests.
***Irealizethatinthetestresultsbelowthevehicleclimbeda6"highobstacleatonly1,900rpmandthatthatresultlooksstrangesinceit
wasabletoclimbearliera3"highobstacleonlyafter2,000rpmswasreached.However,thisresultisaccurate.Icanonlyguessthatthe
VCwasheatingupasthetestsprogressed,andsowasbecomingslightlymoreaggressive???Thetestwiththe8"highobstaclewhere
3,200rpmwasrequiredwasconductedthenextdaywhentheVChadhadlittletonouse.(NotsurewhatRainerwouldsayaboutresidual
heatinsidetheVCaffectingitsaggressiveness.PerhapsaftertwoyearsoftimeoffwecouldgetRainerandTimtoargueaboutthisagain.)
COMMENTARYIwassurprisedattheseresults,becauseIexpectedthevehicletostaystationeryinGatidlespeedratherthangoupthe
hillat900rpm.ThiswasallthemoreastonishingwhenIwasabletoidleupthehillat500rpm.Thismeansthatthereisalwayssufficient
torquegoingtothefrontaxleforthefrontaxletomakethevehicleclimbapavedhilluptoacertainlimit.Thelimitseemstobeabout10
degrees,whichisafairlysteephill.Inotherwords,theVCimpartsmoretorquethanIwouldhavesuspectedevenatverylowrpms.The
nexttestwastoputthevehicleintoasimulatedbolderfieldsituationinwhichagreatdealmoretorqueisrequired.Inordertodothat,I
droveuptoacurborboardsandpositionedthefronttiresagainstthiswallwiththerearwheelsoutinthestreet.Thistestwouldbe
equivalenttowhatwewouldnormallycallthe"breakstandtest"orthetestthatwenormallyusetotestviscouscouplings.Thetestisto
findoutwhethertheVCisabletotransmitsufficienttorqueforthefrontwheelsalonetosurmountthesolidwallobstaclebuttonot
transmitmuchtorqueatlowspeeds.InthistestInoticedthatwhenIlettheclutchout,andwiththerearaxlesdisabled,thatthefronttires
didnothavesufficienttorquetoclimbupandovertheobstacles.Thisisasitshouldbeandistheclassictestweaskpeopletoundertaketo
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findoutiftheirVCisstillhealthy.AstheVCsage,theytendtogettooaggressiveandthenthevehiclescannotpassthistest.Ithentested
whatrpminGgearwasrequiredtocausethevehicletoclimbovervarioussizedobstacles.Therpmrequiredforengagementinanoffroad
boulderfieldseemslikeitismostoftenaround2,000rpm,butminorobstacleswillbesurmountedmuchlessthanthisonecanthink
about1,500rpmforsmallishrocksandforreallymajorobstaclesthevehiclemayrequireupto3,200rpmforthefrontwheelsto
function.Thisnumber,3,200,isinkeepingwiththenumberreportedtousearlierbyRalf,soInolongerwonderifhecomesfromthe
planetMars.Ontheotherhand,an8"highobstacleisafairlysubstantialrockwall,sothe3,200figurewouldnotusuallyberequired
unlessoneisattemptingtotraverseatrulynastybolderfield.Onecandrawfromtheseresultstheideathatitistypicaltorequire2,000rpm
togetthefrontaxlestoworkforyouinuneventerrain,butthatinextremeconditionsonemightneedabout1,000rpmstillyetmoretoget
thejobdone.Interestingly,itseemsthatifthetorquerequirementisnottoohigh,thenthereisnodeficiencyinusingtheVCwhatsoever,
butatsomepointwhenthegoinggetsveryrough(asolid5"tallwall)thentheslippagereallyhastoriserapidlyinorderfortheVCtodo
itsjob.WhattheresultsdoNOTmeanisthattheVCisnotfunctioningbelow3,000rpm.Quitethecontrary,itappearsthattheVCis
ALWAYSassistingevenatidlespeedinGgear.TheproblemiswhentheVCisaskedtoassistaLOT.Ratherthanadecoupler,whatI
would*really*liketoseeisaCOUPLERnotadecoupler,whichonecouldusetocouplethetwosidesoftheVCinselectsituationsto
maketheVCappeartobeasolidshaftuntilthecouplerisdefeated.Ibelievethemanufactureofsuchacouplerisnotpractical,however.It
wouldbeinterestingtorepeatthesetestswithanaggressiveVCandseeiftheaggressiveonesperformbetteratsurmountingthehigh
obstaclesbelow2,000and3,000rpm,however.Becauseofmydrivingexperienceandalsointheircapacityforhelpinggettherpmsup
(whichengagestheVCearlier)myenthusiasmforthe6.17gearsetisnowskyhigh.Thereareprobablyontheorderof10syncrosinNorth
Americarunningthisgearset,includingTomForhan,JohnWessels,andmyself.WhatIobservedduringSyncrodeMayowasthatthe
syncroreallyneedshelpintheGgearareawhenthevehicleisclimbingsteepmuddynastyhillsoffroad.ALLofourvans,whetherthey
wererunning6.17gearsetsornot,haveaprobleminthisarea.Itseemswisethereforeforallofouroffroadorientedvanstogoto6.17s
eventuallyandthenadjust3rdand4thgears(andpossibly2nd)tobewhereownerswantthemtobe.Thus,changingto6.17sdoesnothave
toaffectanygearbutGand1st.Nowwiththenewsofthesetestresults,the6.17salsohaveanadditionaladvantageofhelpingvehiclesget
overthespeedthresholdforVCengagementofthefrontwheelswithouthavingtotraveltoofastdowntheroad.AsImentionedafew
weeksago,Ihavefinallybeenabletoconsolidatetheeffortsoffiveyearsofworkintoarevisedgearcalculator,basedonTimSmith's
originaldesign,tohelpownersinthinkingabouthowtosetuptheirgearsattransmissionrebuildtime.YoucanseethatnewEZtouse
calculatorhere:http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/syncrotireandgearratios.xlsIfyouhaveseenothercalculatorsorearlierversionsofthis
calculator,thisnewoneisnothinglikethoseinthelevelofguidancethatitprovidessoitisworthreviewingandorsavingtoyourhard
driveforpanickedreviewatthetimethatyourtransmissionnextneedswork.FURTHERTESTINGREQUIREDTOCONFIRMTHE
IMPLICATIONOFTHESERESULTSAfurthertestisrequiredtoconfirmtheimplicationofthesetests.Thisfurthertestwouldbetotake
avehiclethatissetupnormallywithaVCandallaxlesinstalledandhavethatvehicledriveuptovarioussizesofcurbsandpositionthe
frontwheelsagainstthatcurb.Thedriverthenexperimentstofindoutwhatrpmhehastomaintainsothathecanlettheclutchoutand
havethevehiclesurmounttheobstacles.Forvanswith2.1litremotors,itwouldnotsurprisemeifsuchvansneededtohavetherpmsup
fairlyhighinordertodevelopsufficienttorquetosurmounttheobstacle.Thereasonthatthisisimportantisthatitpointstodevelopinga
"deficiencywindow"fortheVC.Forexample,ifthevansalwaysstalloutat1,500rpminsteadofclimbingtheobstaclebutareableto
climbtheobstacleat2,000rpm,thenthedeficiencywindowisactuallynot"anythingbelow2,000rpminG",butrather,thedifference
between1,500rpmand2,000rpm.Thenarrowerthedeficiencywindow,thelessdownsidetherewouldappeartobeinhavingaVCasan
elementofourfourwheeldrivesystem.Thedeficiencywindowwillbemosteasytodevelopifweget2.1litreenginestallrpmsforthe
heightsgivenabove1.5",3",6"and8".Iwoulddothisfurthertestmyselfexceptthatmyaxleisout.Ifitturnedoutthatthemotor
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requires2,000rpmtohaveenoughtorquetodriveovera5"obstacleinavanwithastocksetupanda2.1litremotor,thentheVCwould
actuallyhaveadeficiencywindowofzeroornearzero,giventhismotorandsetup.Offthetopofmyhead,Iwouldimaginethatitwould
take2,000rpmtogetavantoclimba5"obstacle,butthisispurespeculationwithoutafurthertest.Withoutthesefurthertests,itwouldbe
hardtoputallthesetestresultsinultimateperspectiveinsofarasquantifyingthedownsideofusingaVC.BACKGROUND
DISCUSSIONTOTHEABOVEXeGroupsReturn:sentto83749170951057161191derekdrew=rcn.com@returns.groups.yahoo.coX
Sender:derekdrewATderekmail.comXApparentlyTo:Syncro@onelist.comXSender:derekdrew@pop.rcn.comXMailer:
QUALCOMMWindowsEudoraVersion5.2.0.9To:Syncro@yahoogroups.comFrom:DerekDrewXYahooProfile:derekdrewMailing
List:listSyncro@yahoogroups.comcontactSyncroowner@yahoogroups.comDeliveredTo:mailinglistSyncro@yahoogroups.comList
Unsubscribe:Date:Wed,02Jul200311:47:280400Subject:[Syncro]IsTheVCUsefulForOffroading?TestResultsIcannotresist
commentinghereonsomeinterestingandenthusiasticcommentaryfromsomeofourlistmembersabouttheusefulnessornonusefulness
oftheVCforoffroading.Forexample,inthelastweekonelistmembersaid:"Theproblemwithgoing_too_slowwithasyncroisthatthe
VCwon'tdomuchworkbelow3krpm.Thenafrontlockerisn'tofmuchuseeither."Anotherlistmembersaid:"...youarerightonwith
thisinfo.that'swhytheseriousexperiencedSyncrodriversarerunninganaggressiveVCforaddedoffroadtractionandaDecouplerfor
normaldriving.Tom'slistofhappyDecouplerusersreadsasavirtualWhoseWhointheSyncrodriversgroup,theonesthathavethem,
havethem,theonesthatdon'tjustdon'tgetit!"TheimplicationofthesestatementsisthattheVCisnotaveryeffectivetoolforoff
roadingbecauseitdoesnotreactquicklyenoughatlowspeedstoengage.IfoneisrockcrawlingandtheVCdoesnotreallyengage,thenit
isnotaneffectivetool.Thestatementsthemselvesstruckmeasincontrasttomyexperienceinoffroadingbutthiswasmerelyan
impressionandthereforeofquestionablevalidity.HaveIbeendeludingmyselfandtheabovestatementsareactuallytrue????Thislast
weekIdecidedtotestthesetheories.Ihadalreadyremovedoneofmyrearaxles,sowhatIdidwastoeffectivelyremovetheotherrear
axlebydisconnectingmyreardifferentiallockandthendrivingthevanaroundwiththereardifflockoffandon,thustestingatwhatspeed
theviscouscouplingactuallybecomesoperational.Theresults????Theresultsarethatifyoudidnotknowthatthedifflockwasbeing
appliedandthendeapplied,youwouldprobablynotnoticethattherearaxlesweredisengagedatall.Onecandriveoutofaparkingspace
atanenginerpmofaslittleas1,000revolutionsperminuteandtheVCtransmitsenoughtorquetothefrontofthevehiclesothatitdrives
almostnormally.SinceIknewthatthetestwasbeingconducted,Iwasabletodetectaslightslippagesortoflikeaclutchslippageatthe
veryslowestenginerpmssay900rpmorreallyjustidlespeedbutapplyingalmost*any*poweratallwouldcausethesensationto
disappearandthefrontaxletobecomefullyoperational.Asafurthertest,Idisengagedtherearaxlesandthenaskedmywifetodrivethe
vanaroundtheneightborhoodandaskedherifshecouldtellanythingwasdifferent.Shecouldnot.Accordingly,Iviewthetendencyof
peopletothinkthattheyneedan"aggressive"VCinordertomaximizeoffroadabilityasprobablynotwarranted.IalsofeelthatIwillbuy
andinstalladecouplerassoonasthepriceofoneisabout$200orless,butathigherpricepointsIcannotgetveryexcitedaboutthis
instrument.Infact,oneofthesorriestthingsIseeispeoplewhospendthemoneytoinstalladecouplerbeforeafrontdifferentiallock.The
lattertool,Ihavebeenabletoconfirm,isatrulyexcellentandusefultoolfortheoffroaderandIamonlysorrythatVWdidnotissuethis
asstandardequipmentinNorthAmerica.Iamnotsurewhymyexperienceissodifferentfromthatofotherswhoneedtorun3,000rpmto
bringtheirvehiclesoutofateststand.IamrunningOEMVCssoperhapsthispartlyaffectshowquicklytheVCoperates.Notsure.IfI
hadaVCthatdidnotdragavehicleoutofateststandat,say,1,200rpm,Iwouldconsiderinvestigatingitfurthertoseeifitwasworking
right.MyVChasabout2,000milesonit.
________________________________________________________
DerekDrewNewYork,NY&Washington,DC
derekdrewATderekmail.com2029667907

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Emailmeforviscouscouplings

'90SyncroWestfalia...

...seenoffroadat

http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/Syncro_Madness_Area.htm
Note:mostvaluableVanagonsitesontheplanet(forowners)are:

http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgibin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon
http://gerry.vanagon.com/files/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro
http://www.vanagon.com
http://www.syncro.org

ManyofmySyncrolistpostingsconsolidated

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/messagesearch?query=2125806486
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/messagesearch?query=2029667907
Myrefrigeratorarticle:

http://www.vanagon.com/info/articles/Refrigerator/Reefer_Madness.htm
AllAbout16"WheelsAndTheCV900.htm

http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/vanagon/All_About_16Wheels_And_The_CV_900.htm
HowToLiveWithHeavyListVolumeMailFilters

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7403
Myarticlethatshowshowtodealwithinsurancecompanies:
http://gerry.vanagon.com/files/autoinsurancemadness.html
ToviewWolfgang'sincrediblyinformativewheelarticle

http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/fitbigtiresonvanagon.htm
ToviewTimSmith'sincrediblyusefulgearingcalculator

http://users.rcn.com/derekdrew/syncrotireandgearratios.xls
Toviewtwoarticlesabouthowtothinkaboutimprovingyourgearsattransmissionrebuildtime

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7207
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/7221
Toviewanoverviewarticleaboutchoicesinlargersizedtiressee

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/11535
Toviewsome16"TrailingArmsthatenablemuchlargertiressee

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/syncro
org/files/Wheels%2C%20Tires%20%26%20Gearing/Wheel%20%26%20Tire%20Photos/16_Inch_Trailing_Arm.jpg
MyarticleaboutbeltprotectorsandCVjointprotectors
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro/message/6112
SYNCROOWNERSWHODRIVEOFFTHEROAD:

Youonlygettochangeyourringandpinionsonceevery10years

becausethat'showlongtheaveragesyncrotransmissiongoesbefore

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itsnextrebuild.Ifyouwantbiggertiresandmoregroundclearance

startplanningyourhighernumberringandpinionsetsrightnowsoyou

cantakeadvantageofyournexttransrebuild.

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