Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 14:26:22 -0400
Reply-To: Derek Drew <derekdrew@RCN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Derek Drew <derekdrew@RCN.COM>
Subject: Viscous Couplings In An Airplane!
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This email is to announce that a package of 18 viscous couplings is right
now in the air over the Atlantic ocean on the way to Dullus Airport,
Virginia for redistribution to VW syncro owners starting as early as next
week. <br>
<br>
Priority in distribution in will be given people who have emailed me
during the past four months that they want one and then new viscous
couplings will go out to others that want them until there are none left.
There isn't a good way for me to allocate these VCs without getting
complaints about it, so as before, I am going to use postmarks on
envelopes as an allocation mechanism (or email date if you use
PayPal
<a href="http://www.paypal.com/" eudora="autourl">www.paypal.com</a> is
very fast and easy). <br>
<br>
These Viscous Couplings are brand new by the OEM manufacturer and are not
rebuilt.<br>
<br>
If you have emailed me in the past asking to get in on this purchase, I
will email the particulars to you automatically. You don't have to send
me a new query.<br>
<br>
If you have read viscous coupling posts in the past and have kept up on
the subject, you may skip the rest of this email as there is nothing new
in it. <br>
<br>
If you are wondering about whether you need a new viscous coupling, here
is how to tell: <br>
<br>
1. According to the manufacturer of the viscous couplings, the VC is only
built to last 100,000kms (about 65,000 miles). I have never heard this
repeated by anyone else, however, and it would be silly to replace it
until it shows actual signs of failure. Also it would be silly, because
it is like saying all 20,000 syncros in the USA need to get their
US$2,100 VCs changed as often as they change their clutches, and this
simply cannot be possible. <br>
<br>
2. The actual sign of failure is usually that the VC gets too aggressive
and starts coming on too much and too hard. In this case it is an
emergency because then your transmission components are fighting each
other and you can destroy them quickly. You can still drive around on a
too-aggressive VC without destroying your drivetrain if you remove the
driveshaft from the vehicle--but then, of course, you will not have four
wheel drive. The symptom that would cause you to know that your VC is too
aggressive is usually that when you enter a paved parking lot and you
make tight turns after a period of highway driving that the vehicle seems
to want to stop as though you had put the brakes on--the vehicle simply
hates tight turns. Some on the list think there should be *no* scrubbing
of tires whatsoever in tight turns, I feel that a slight scrubbing or
resistance to tight turning is normal and will not hurt your car. When
the scrubbing is enough, after a period of highway driving, to actually
cause your van to want to stop then it suggests it is time to change the
VC, particularly if you have very high miles. <br>
<br>
3. Less often, the VC fails by simply not coming on at all and you do not
have traction to the front wheels. <br>
<br>
4. The official factory test is well documented in the archives, but
basically, the test is to put a two by four in front of the front wheels
(the factory leaves out the two by four but in testing list members have
found that even the factory VCs are stiff enough to require the 2x4 to
hold the vehicle back) and then jack the rear of the vehicle up in the
air with a rolling jack under the car and then very slowly and carefully
let the clutch out in first or low gear. After a couple of tries you will
find that you can let the clutch out with the engine running and the VC
will allow enough slop to let the wheels stay still at one end of the
vehicle without climbing over the two by four while the engine turns the
wheels at the other end of the vehicle. If you cannot pass this test,
then you should consider buying a viscous coupling immediately in order
to avoid rapidly destroying your transmission. <br>
<br>
More Background Stuff on VCs: <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.vanagon.com/syncros/technica/vc-expert-interview/index.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.vanagon.com/syncros/technica/vc-expert-interview/index.html</a><br>
<br>
<a href="http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon" eudora="autourl">http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon</a>
<br>
<br>
and search on these parameters: <br>
<br>
Search For > viscous<br>
The author's address is or contains > drew@interport.net<br>
Since > 1999<br>
<br>
There is an excellent article by Steve on how to replace the VC at: <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.concentric.net/~Sxs/Links.shtml" eudora="autourl">http://www.concentric.net/~Sxs/Links.</a><a href="http://www.concentric.net/~Sxs/Links.shtml" eudora="autourl">shtml</a> and click on <font color="#0000FF"><u>Replacing the VC (photos)</font></u> <br>
<br>
For that matter, visit Steve's entire site at <a href="http://www.syncro.org/" eudora="autourl">www.</a>syncro<a href="http://www.syncro.org/" eudora="autourl">.org</a>.<br>
<br>
Later this week I will try to email a notice about a breakthrough in getting half-price factory wheelwell flares direct from Germany. <br>
________________________________________________________<br>
Derek Drew New York, NY & Washington, DC<br>
derekdrew@rcn.com<x-tab> </x-tab> <br>
'90 Syncro Westfalia... <br>
...seen off-road at <a href="http://www.tiu.net/~des/vw/drew/index.html" eudora="autourl">http://www.tiu.net/~des/vw/drew/index.html</a><br>
<br>
Also seen at: <br>
<a href="http://4wd.sofcom.com/VW/snow.html" eudora="autourl">http://4wd.sofcom.com/VW/snow.html</a><br>
<a href="http://4wd.sofcom.com/VW/Campers/Campers.html" eudora="autourl">http://4wd.sofcom.com/VW/Campers/Campers.html</a><br>
Note: most valuable Vanagon sites on the planet (for owners) are:<br>
<a href="http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon" eudora="autourl">http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon</a><br>
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