Date:         Tue, 1 Dec 1998 15:25:16 +0100
Reply-To:     "Dr. Rainer Woitok" <woitok@RRZE.UNI-ERLANGEN.DE>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Dr. Rainer Woitok" <woitok@RRZE.UNI-ERLANGEN.DE>
Organization: RRZE (Regionales Rechenzentrum Erlangen)
Subject:      Re: Front locking diff, Syncro Q
Comments: To: Andreas <anjar@ONLINE.NO>
Comments: cc: vanagon@VANAGON.COM
In-Reply-To:  Msg <003d01be1b7d$7c98c040$2a134382@default> of 1998-11-29
              10:48:53 +0100 from anjar@ONLINE.NO
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hello Andreas and everybody else,

On Sun, 1998-11-29 10:48:53 +0100, Andreas wrote:

> ...
> If youre on ice or snow, I found the quickest way to get the diff lock to respond is by deliberately losing traction with a bit too much gas, with the emphasis on a BIT too much, dont be brutal.

I  beg to disagree.  The first  law of off road  driving is not to loose
traction.  Neither   deliberately nor involuntarily.   By  the  way, the
second and third laws of off road driving are not to loose traction :-).
If you're starting to  loose traction you've  already got stuck  in most
cases.

And there's really no need to get the diffs locked prematurely.  If both
wheels of an axle have good contact to the ground  and do provide enough
traction  that's just fine ...   then there just isn't  any need to lock
the diffs.  If there is traction, a locked  diff doesn't improve things.
Nevertheless on unsave ground you  will drive with  the diff lock switch
pulled, just as a  precaution, so in case  one wheel starts slipping the
diff will really lock immediately.

As to unlocking the diff, after pushing in the diff lock switch it helps
to repeatedly steer  a little to the  left  and then to  the right side.
This  will take  any remaining  tension from   the diff lock   so it can
disengage.  That's also what the German operator's manual says.

I hope that helps

Sincerely
 Rainer

'89 Caravelle GL Syncro 16"

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