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luVWagn
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Joined: February 21, 2008
Posts: 1340
Location: Snoqualmie (WA)
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 Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 1:26 pm Post subject: Re: warning, loooong post ahead |
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EDIT: Added tire info that Jon requested...
| Jon_slider wrote: |
A quick rundown on Syncro Gearing
The "final Drive" of 5.43 is what we call the Ring and Pinion. There is one in the rear Transaxle, and one in the front Differential. Most likely those came stock on your van.
the 0.70 is a taller 4th gear. An excellent choice.
My Tdi makes too much noise above 3000rpm and I don't go above that for long.
I also have a 5.43 Ring and Pinion and a 0.70 4th. With my 245x75x16 tire, rated for 3048 pounds at 80psi. They produce 70mph@3000rpm in 4th. I use 32psi front, 40psi rear.
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Thanks for the quick tutorial, much appreciated
| Jon_slider wrote: |
if you give me your tire size as listed on the sidewall, I can tell you your gearing speed at 3000rpm in 4th. Please also give me your tire max load in pounds and max psi, listed on the sidewall, and I will give you a recommended inflation for front and rear.
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MABOR VAN JET (BRAND??) 195/75R16 107/105R SPEED RATING
TREAD 5 PLY
SIDEWALL 2 PLY
MAX LOAD SINGLE 2150
MAX LOAD DUAL 2040
MAX PSI COLD 70
CURRENTLY AT 45 PSI
| Jon_slider wrote: |
to figure out your 3rd gear (there are two choices), determine how fast the van goes in 3rd at 3000rpm and I can tell what gear is in there.
My 1.08 3rd produces 45mph @ 3000 rpm, with my tires, and 53mph@3500rpm
the alternative 1.14 3rd would give me 43mph@3000rpm, again with my tires.. Tires are part of the gearing calculations. Even without knowing what gears are installed, as a rule of thumb, 3000rpm is ok for cruising for hours at a time, 3500rpm only for short hill climbs. You will quickly discover that 3000rpm is pretty loud and 2500rpm is much more relaxing, but it may not produce the cruising speed you need. With my tires, 2500rpm gives 58mph in 4th.
<snip>
65mph is a reasonable target for your gearing, depending on tire size.
I sometimes use 3rd uphill to go 53mph @ 3500 rpm, but it is not only loud, it creates more heat from the Turbo. It causes my intercooler fan to come on. More reasonable for longer climbs is 3200rpm, which is 48mph with my tire.
<snip>
You will have tons of power in 3rd to go uphill, thanks to your excellent 5.43 Ring and Pinion. You just need to limit RPM to about 3000rpm and accept whatever speed that produces.
Watch your EGT closely (do you have an Exhaust Temperature Gauge, I hope so). If you are going uphill in 4th and you see any more than 1250F, you should slow down, and shift to 3rd. 1250F is my do not exceed EGT (except for very short periods of time, like 5 minutes). EGT in 3rd at 3000 rpm will be about 200F lower than in 4th
My EGT at 65mph flat highway is 1000F. You can maintain that temperature all day long. |
Virtually positive that there is no EGT (ETG?) installed, based on the interior pics I've seen. Is that reported out via the ECU over OBD-II / vagcom? If so, i do have a BT OBD-II dongle and the Torque Pro app on a tablet device - but I doubt those will show me this particular reading.  I guess EGT goes on my list of ugprades - not great for a long drive home, including some hills. I'll be sure not to push it up hills faster than 60mph at any point - slow lane, blinkers if necessary, etc.
For lack of EGT, would these work as a rule-of-thumb:
- Cruise in 4th, ~65mph, ~3300rpm or so - depending on tire size.
- Hill climb in 4th if not too steep, don't exceed 60mph. If necessary, down-shift to 3rd, don't exceed 55mph (EDIT from 60) and 3500rpm?
Much obliged!
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'91 Syncro 16 Reimo Hightop Conversion, eTDI |
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Zeitgeist 13
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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EGT = Exhaust Gas Temperature
EGT is what a pyrometer displays.
I suspect that if the engine tuned to stock specs, you'll be fine. But, should you desire more oomph, then there's always chip-tuning, larger injectors and even a bigger pump head, so a pyrometer becomes a crucial data gathering tool to monitor for safe operation under load.
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hans j
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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EGT readings will also depend on where the sensor is placed. I'm with Jon on temps, I DO NOT let mine go over 1250F even though I know that is below the safe limit of my engine.
65mph at 3300 rpm is doable, but it gets kind of annoying. I drove like that for a while before I got a new transmission.
I would consider using the load reading on the scanner to tell you what is a safe speed over passes. So if you have a lot of pedal left, you are probably safe. If you are mashing on the pedal to keep that speed up the hill, you might want to just slow down and shift gears and keep it at a reasonable RPM.
Before I got my taller gears, I could climb the local mountain in 4th gear at 60mph and still be at or under my EGT temp limit. I think I would just have to let off the last mile or so. This mountain is freeway speed, 6% grade for at least 4 miles! I also noticed my EGT temps went down after installing a cat on the exhaust.
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luVWagn
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Joined: February 21, 2008
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Location: Snoqualmie (WA)
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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| hans j wrote: |
EGT readings will also depend on where the sensor is placed. I'm with Jon on temps, I DO NOT let mine go over 1250F even though I know that is below the safe limit of my engine.
65mph at 3300 rpm is doable, but it gets kind of annoying. I drove like that for a while before I got a new transmission.
I would consider using the load reading on the scanner to tell you what is a safe speed over passes. So if you have a lot of pedal left, you are probably safe. If you are mashing on the pedal to keep that speed up the hill, you might want to just slow down and shift gears and keep it at a reasonable RPM.
Before I got my taller gears, I could climb the local mountain in 4th gear at 60mph and still be at or under my EGT temp limit. I think I would just have to let off the last mile or so. This mountain is freeway speed, 6% grade for at least 4 miles! I also noticed my EGT temps went down after installing a cat on the exhaust. |
Thanks Hans - tips on quieting the ride via intake/exhaust mods, or just general notes, are much appreciated. If cat-on-exhaust can help my EGTs (once I get a gauge), and ALSO help eliminate more noise, that would be a nice double bonus 
I'm sure intake/snorkel stuff accounts for some of the noise too? I don't think the engines are THAT loud at 3000+ RPM in a Jetta, right?
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Jon_slider
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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Your tire is slightly smaller than I would recommend, it is 28" diameter and produces a speed of 64mph@3000rpm. 45psi in the rear is perfect for that tire, I suggest you try 40psi in front. If that works OK, I suggest you test 37psi in front.
by "works ok" I mean, when you are in a curve the van should track true in your lane position under constant throttle. I suggest you use cruise control for that, if you have it. If you find that the van tends to drift to the inside of the curve, 37psi will bring your line back on true track. You could fine tune this to your taste. It partly depends on how much heavier your rear axle is than your front. It is important to note that this tuning should happen at a constant speed.
If you decelerate that does not count. If you accelerate, that does not count either. Because decelerating will cause the van to tighten its radius, and accelerating will cause the van to tend to go wide in the turn. The goal is to not need constant steering corrections at constant speed in a curve. If you first drive with 45 psi both front and rear, you will find yourself making many steering and throttle corrections in a curve, to hold your line.
You could go to a larger tire, to bring up your speed at 3000rpm.
A 225x75x16 would give you 67mph@3000rpm, and with your 5.43 R&P it would be an excellent match for your gearing. I would strongly recommend this tire size for your R&P. Check the date code on the tires, if more than 6 years old, replace them. And of course if there are any sidewall cracks, get rid of them.
Since you are new to Syncro, know that you MUST rotate all 5 tires including the spare. Do NOT fail to rotate a same size spare. It will destroy your Viscous coupling.
> Virtually positive that there is no EGT (ETG?) installed, based on the interior pics I've seen. Is that reported out via the ECU over OBD-II / vagcom?
I believe yes, your Torque app should have an EGT reading that comes from the ECU
> For lack of EGT, would these work as a rule-of-thumb:
- Cruise in 4th, ~65mph, ~3300rpm or so - depending on tire size.
- Hill climb in 4th if not too steep, don't exceed 60mph. If necessary, down-shift to 3rd, don't exceed 55mph (EDIT from 60) and 3500rpm?
Yes 65mph is fine, it will probably be about 3050rpm
your gearing is very strong, you might be able to stay in 4th on most hills
I don't recommend going uphill at 3500rpm unless you can keep your EGT below 1250F. You risk burning up your Turbo, and EGT is your feedback loop for that.
If you are in 3rd for a long grade, I suggest you stay closer to 3200 rpm. If your third is a 1.08, then 3200rpm will give you 46mph, if your third is a 1.14, it will produce 44mph@3200rpm, and if your third is a stock 1.225, then 3200rpm will produce 41mph. It is OK to go 3500rpm in third, in order to shift into 4th on flat ground.
Due to your smallish tire, I do not expect you to have very high EGT, but you will need to go slowish.
to know whether 4th is pulling well enough at 65mph and 3050rpm, watch your EGT and keep it below 1250. otherwise, downshift, after slowing down to 45mph.
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TequilaSunSet
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| Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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It was great meeting you and your very cool wife Brian... and your new van too! 
Awesome find! I am so jealous! I love all the room you have inside and all the damn storage space!
I also want to thank you and your lovely wife for the adult beverages and kick ass sushi YUM!
Brian and me with my large ass head (I swear the camera added 30lbs just to my skull!) 
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1985 Hightower Vanagon 1.8T- Gone
1972 Panel Bus- Gone
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1964 Euro Sunroof Bug- Gone
1969/72/63 Sunroof Bug- Gone
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luVWagn
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| Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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Cheers Bruce (TequilaSunSet). Home safe today, ~1000mi, pics and details tomorrow. I'm shattered, and ain't no IdahoDoug!
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Jon_slider
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TequilaSunSet
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 8:16 am Post subject: |
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Glad ya made it home safely Brian... waiting for your write up and pics!
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Don't harsh my mellow...
1985 Hightower Vanagon 1.8T- Gone
1972 Panel Bus- Gone
1967 Bug- Gone
1964 Euro Sunroof Bug- Gone
1969/72/63 Sunroof Bug- Gone
1975 Brazilian Bug in the Philippines 🇵🇭- New to me |
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BavarianWrench
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| Brian I'm looking forward to the updates. Your rig is sweet! I just bought a Reimo Syncro too. I'm curious about how you will convert to US spec, electrical (land connection) and propane are different. Is your propane stored in removable Euro spec tanks that mount in the back cabinet? Also any specs on that fridge? It too is cool like the rest of the rig. Props and Congratulations on a successful maiden voyage. |
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Zeitgeist 13
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:00 am Post subject: |
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Congrats on the successful return trip...and welcome to the elite corp of WA residents who nab Vans in Cali and drive them back to the land of rain, slugs and caffeine.
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'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
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TequilaSunSet
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:49 am Post subject: |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| Congrats on the successful return trip...and welcome to the elite corp of WA residents who nab Vans in Cali and drive them back to the land of rain, slugs and caffeine. |
Actually from Holland (I think) but the rest of ya can stop pillaging Cali
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Don't harsh my mellow...
1985 Hightower Vanagon 1.8T- Gone
1972 Panel Bus- Gone
1967 Bug- Gone
1964 Euro Sunroof Bug- Gone
1969/72/63 Sunroof Bug- Gone
1975 Brazilian Bug in the Philippines 🇵🇭- New to me |
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Zeitgeist 13
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:19 am Post subject: |
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Yes, but the beginning of his road saga is where the golden bears roam wild and free. My current van was from Thousand Oaks...where the suburbs meet the suburbs and strip malls. 1100 miles later, it's now an urban assault vehicle
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Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
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luVWagn
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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Day 1 - Seattle, Fremont, Napa, Calistoga - 100mi
So, left at at 4:45AM on Thursday, for our 6:50AM one-way flight to San Jose airport.
Of course, had to flaunt the Superbowl Champions nonsense while at SeaTac:
Arrived at Autotek in Fremont, to meet with Peter Plank who has been very gracious throughout my ordeal of importing a non-running vehicle (upon arrival). The van was guarded by the fierce dog Lucy  :
We wanted to make use of the stove facilities in the van, but it seemed to have a metric hook-up (no surprise), and I couldn't find any adapters to make this fit local propane bottles/valves of various types. Any ideas folks?
San Francisco in the distance:
Napa and surrounding vineyards:
Sushi lunch with Bruce (I wish we had a #TequilaSunSet mechanism here?) was fantastic, he picked a great spot!
Wagyu beef carpaccio:
These vines are in jail:
A beer flight in Calistoga:
No hang-over the next morning equals Jump For Joy!
I love Arbutus trees, used to see loads of them up on Vancouver Island:
[Administrator note: Non-VW photos are deleted from the Gallery]
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TequilaSunSet
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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Awesomeness... glad the trip home was thumbs up all over. However... had I know you were a seahawks fan, I would have let the air out of your tires  
Enjoy the new toy and keep the other van
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Don't harsh my mellow...
1985 Hightower Vanagon 1.8T- Gone
1972 Panel Bus- Gone
1967 Bug- Gone
1964 Euro Sunroof Bug- Gone
1969/72/63 Sunroof Bug- Gone
1975 Brazilian Bug in the Philippines 🇵🇭- New to me |
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luVWagn
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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Day 2 - Calistoga to Mendocino to Fort Bragg to Standish-Hickey - 157mi
After a nice slumber in the Bothe Napa Valley State Park near Calistoga, my wife and I made our way for a "quick" perusal of the Castello di Amorosa tourist-trap and estate:
The construction quality was impressive, and it will be interesting for future generations to see this place in about 50-100 years, with some weathering and aging. Right now, it feels fairly authentic but a bit too "new" - not quite Disneyland-ish, but it doesn't feel "right" either. (We did just spend 10-days in France recently) It had pretty amazing views from the ramparts:
After leaving there and driving a fun and windy route to Mendocino, we headed onwards up the coast to Fort Bragg. Had lovely seafood in Fort Bragg, including Ceviche and fresh caught Salmon:
No, this van is not the holy grail (more on that later), but managed to catch a gorgeous Pacific sunset along the way:
Managed to thankfully avoid two deer on the way to Standish Hickey State Park for an overnight stay, arriving around 9PM. Thankfully, the fridge was fully functional during this trip, and we had managed to pick up some delicious prosciutto and cheese and beer the day before in Napa. Prosciutto was from this excellent charcuterie, The Fatted Calf.
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luVWagn
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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Day 3 - Leggett to Jedediah Smith, Grant's Pass, Crater Lake - 336mi
Day three was a long one, but at least we managed to grab a quick snack and excellent conversation at The Peg House in Leggett to start the day, and then onwards.
Spotted this nice air-cooled down by the beach, he obviously had some experience with the zombie deer hordes:
Stopped in Eureka at Great Western Clothing Company to do some boot shopping for my wife, but somehow managed to only find things for myself  - Before and After:
In search of some big trees, we investigated Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and even saw an itchy Elk:
Stopped for a snack and nice dip in the tolerable Smith River at Jedediah Smith State Park.
After this, we pretty much hauled ass through Grant's Pass in Oregon, and eventually finishing at Crater Lake in darkness, again managing to avoid the hordes of deer who lingered along the road edges like zombies near a convoy.
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'91 Syncro 16 Reimo Hightop Conversion, eTDI
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luVWagn
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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Day 4 - Crater Lake to I-5 to Home - 412mi
Really didn't do much at this point - it was now Sunday, wanted to minimize the ongoing costs of my wife's car parked at the airport, and we had our dog Meagan to retrieve as well. This was the longest solid driving day, mostly highway, and not without some problems.
Main issue was that the van loves oil like I love beer - it either consumes, leaks, or both. And with the long highway drive, i noticed faster oil "consumption", as well as oil on my back hatch  . Every 300mi or so on the trip, i would add more oil, but on this section, i was having to add oil more often, and even had the buzzer go off once on a sharp corner! 
However, managed to get home safely, and could do some comparison shots of Humpy with Mossy, my current van:
More thoughts and findings on the van in upcoming posts, as well as trouble-shooting requests for some of the oddities discovered thus far.
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Zeitgeist 13
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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We probably saw those same elk, and most definitely swam in the same section of Jedediah Smith State Park just this summer.
We'll need to see your crankcase breather setup, in order to help determine potential sources of of coil consumption. Pics of oil leakage would also be helpful
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'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
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luVWagn
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| Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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Some findings with the van so far...
o The van eats oil. Guzzles it. Leaks it. Wants to bathe in it. [-]
o Need to service the diesel heater, see if it just needs a cleaning or new filter or complete overhaul. It doesn't work. [-]
o The 220V hook-up and battery charger will need replacing with 120V equivalent, along with the internal van hook-up. This was known, but still going to be a bit of a hassle. [-]
o I had three occasions where the van spontaneously popped out of 4th gear at highways speeds This is unexpected considering the tranny had a big overhaul by Aidan Talbot in 2013. It also has some problems staying in 'R'. [-]
o The van has some judder at around 45-50mph in 4th. See above about disappointment and gear-box overhaul. [-]
o I think the van may have been moved on a dolly from Sacramento to Fremont, potentially ruining my viscous coupler. How can I self-test? [?]
o The fridge works on 12V, and didn't drain my house batteries entirely on any night's usage. It also worked quite well for beer even at setting #2. [+]
o The ceiling height above bed is brutal, I'm either going to try sleeping the other direction, or contemplate removing the above-bed cabinet (but not the upper upper above-ved cabinet). [-]
o There is no longer a tach. There was one before the van arrived. Communication with Autostadt on the topic has been somewhat problematic. [-]
o There are no auxiliary gauges, and it sounds like lots of folks favour them in a TDI, such as EGT, boost, temps, etc. [-]
o There are no screens on any of the double-glazed windows, so opening a window just means bugs. In fact, I'm not clear on how I can even fit screens with these windows  [-]
o I got pretty good mileage on this trip, probably around 25mpg, which is alot better than the 18mpg I get with my 2.5 Subaru in the 2WD westy. [+]
o There is rust, but I knew about it. Will be interesting to see how long I can survive before just sending the thing to Dylan  [?]
o Would like to upgrade to nicer rims and tires, but nothing pressing just yet. May just clean up the existing rims and remove the hubcaps for now - thoughts? [?]
o Storage space in a high-top is fantastic. I love it! [+]
o ISRI seats seemed ultra-firm at first, but I didn't find them uncomfortable during the trip, they have armrests, rotate, and are in good condition. [+]
o Cruise control is not working, no idea about effort/cost to get this fixed. It is an after-market cruise setup, but hopefully leveraging whatever the ECU or other TDI bits offer? I really could've used cruise on the last day of the trip... [-]
o The van has an electronic automated clutch system, but did not try it out during the trip. It does seem to energize and manipulate the pedals. [?]
o No jack or tire-iron in the van, time to visit Das Mule in Issaquah! [-/+]
o At some point, the flares were incorrectly mounted to the wheel-well instead of the door , creating lots of rusty damage now. [-]
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