hello,
firstly we would like =
to apologize
for posting what is almost the same message twice. it took a =
little while
to figure out what questions to ask. what we're trying to find are =
answers to
questions about the fine points of the syncro part of the vanagon. =
there
is a noise(low hum), or vibration that starts at about fifty miles an =
hour and
is not very loud or distracting (sounds more like the start of a problem =
than
the end of a part).
the problem that =
we are having
is that most shops won't look at it, and the ones that will don't =
understand the
syncro or how it works. we were recommended a mechanic by another =
vanagon
owner(local). it is a two man shop, the proprietor/head mechanic drives =
a mint
vangon carat, the mechanic working for him also drives a vanagon, =
and the
proprietor/head mechanic's son drives a '91 vanagon syncro. from the =
background
he described (plus there were four or five vanagons on the lot when we =
arrived)
we thought for sure that we had found a good person to work on our van. =
however,
when the proprietor was test driving it, he pointed to the dif-lock knob =
and
said "have you ever engaged the four wheel drive?" which =
belies a
major lack of understanding of the basics of the system, which makes us =
question
his diagnoses. he seems to be a vanagon expert in all other regards, and =
we feel
confident to have him do the straightforward vanagon work, oxygen =
sensor, et
al... the tough part is the following.
is there anyone we can =
write to or
call who could answer the questions;
in what way(ways) can =
the viscous
coupling "go bad"? (fluid locks up early/never locks? plates =
get
damaged?)
what other parts of the =
drivetrain
would suffer as a result of this?
what would the symptoms =
of damage
caused by overly worn and subsequently mis-matched tires(yikes!)
be?
is
there such a thing as a replacement viscous coupling, what is the =
availability,
and are they $4000?
would a botched
u-joint replacement on a driveshaft put it out of balance, and how would =
one go
about repairing/replacing it?
what other parts of the =
drivetrain
would suffer as a result of this?
there are a couple of =
other minor
troubles, rough idle, roller mechanism on door, etc. but these can be =
fixed by
us or the van mechanic.
many thanks to all!
thanks for the replies, they are always =
informative,and valuable!
moon and brenda
86 gl syncro