I discovered something a bit worrying today.
My trans is out for a rebuild - a saga on its own! - and I had the tank dropped
- another saga! - to investigate the filling problem. The workshop found a
nest of hoses lying on the top of the tank, which proved to be the vent hoses
for the front diff, trans and engine. No collector box, no check
valves, no nothing - just lying there.
If ever there was a dust and muck trap, it has to
be the top of the Syncro tank. The great worry is that these pipes do
indeed breathe. Air is expelled as the diff, trans and engine warm up, and
it sucks back in when they cool down. The danger here is that dust and
muck will suck into the breather pipes. (The workshop, on their own
initiative, is routing the pipes into a single pipe and running it up into one
of the rear pillars.)
I haven't cross checked on ETKA yet, but someone
might know if they were ever fitted with check valves or any form of
protection.
Les Harris
Syncro_T3_Australia