I thought I = would drop a post to say "Hi" My van is running very well. I = now have about 8,000 miles on my new engine. I had to replace the distributor. The hall sensor failed. It started shutting off = after driving for about 30 minutes. Sometimes it would restart sometimes = not. I have not had a recurrence of the problem since replacing = the distributor. I have just replaced the CV boots on the front. = My '86 now has over 220,000 miles on it. My last rebuilt engine lasted = about 160,000 miles. They are both VW rebuilds.

I still = have a leak on my coolant tank. If anyone has a good used one, I would be = interested in buying it. I started using the heaters again. The = temperatures here in Arkansas have started to get chilly in the morning. I think I = have a leak on the rear heater core. I smell antifreeze from time to time = when I run it. I guess its time to pull it out and see how bad it is.

After following all the = posts on tires, I decided to try for an inexpensive replacement tire. I = bought Goodyear Viva radials. I wanted to go with an truck tire but = didn't want to pay allot. My Syncro isn't a camper, so my loads are fairly light. The Viva's are P205-75R-14. The load rating is = 1532lbs. at 44psi. Treadware 400, traction and temperature are both = B's. The tire is supposed to be an 80,000 mile tire. I paid $43.00 = mounted and balanced. I am running them with 44psi in the rear and 40psi in = the front. The tread pattern is open and fairly aggressive. The = tire is not an all terrain tire, but I think it would do very well in dry or = slightly wet conditions. My gas mileage increased quite a bit. I = haven't calculated it but I used but I could only get about 250 miles on a = tank of fuel before. Now I get close to 300 miles on a tank. The = tires have a stiff side wall and handling is very good. The tread is full = depth across the tire. This helps channel water out from under the = tire. We'll see how the tire works. I know many of you are looking for a = cheaper tire for your vans