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Date:         Sun, 7 Jun 2009 12:42:00 -0700
Reply-To:     Brendan Slevin <totorovan@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brendan Slevin <totorovan@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Found my Syncro project.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Well now it just so happens that a 7 passenger syncro popped up on CL for $500. The guy hadn't driven it all winter and finally charged the battery to drive it. It started giving him trouble like it wasn't charging, said he jumped it and it ran again so he drove it to the shop he likes to have it looked at. On the way it started running poorly and died. He had it towed to the shop where the tech began to diagnose it. Meanwhile, fed up with putting money into it for the last 12 years of being the second owner (lots o' reciepts in the glove box) he posted it on CL. I called and went to look at it at the shop.

It is an 87 with 164k on it. It was purchased 12/87 in Vermont but, thankfully, moved away from the salt to Bend sometime in 88. The first owner kept it here in Bend until 96 an sold it to the second owner who moved to Chicago until 2000 when he moved back to Bend. In that time it definitely got some rust underneath, but nothing too cancerous. The two receipts that caught my eye ar both from September 2006, $1400 for a clutch job and some other minor bits and $300 for tires, not great tires, but new nonetheless. That was at 160k. the odo and speedo seem to function just fine, and he did say he hadn't driven it much in the last few years.

After filling out the paperwork with him and parting with five crisp, hard-earned Benjamins, he left and I set to work. Checked oil and coolant. I brought my old working alternator and Totoro's battery. First I saw the battery in it was sitting disconnected at 12.4V so I hooked up the ground and turned the engine over. It started right up and idled well (better that Totoro and quieter), and the battery jumped to 13.8V. So it's charging and the battery seems fine. I let it idle a bit then revved it up a bit. It started running worse and worse and the oil light came on. Shut it off and started again. Idles fine, no oil light, then started to run bad again. Disconnect the O2 Sensor. Starts, idles great, revs good. Idles fine. Oil light again.

The oil pressure light is supposed to come on under low pressure conditions over 2000 rpm. That is where it would come on each time. I added some thick like honey oil additive and carefully and gently drove it the 3 miles home trying to keep it under 2000 rpm.

The coolant light started flashing about halfway home with the needle having barely moved off the bottom of the gauge. I stopped and checked the coolant, everything seemed ok, for good measure I topped off both the expansion tank that was a bit low and the pressurized tank that was also a bit low. Drove the next mile home without incident.

I didn't see any receipts for a new engine or rebuild, so at 164K, the chances that this engine is due some rebuild love are very high. Definitely a project, but I have the free 2.1 with 30k sitting there ready to seal back up. It is now going in the Syncro instead of Totoro. Otherwise it drives, shifts, sounds way better than Totoro.

Oh, and it has a rear locker. [image: Happy] Woot woot!


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