Stranded in New England

1
Interesting story guys and gals. After installing a decoupler and enjoying 2WD we headed off for 7 day campimg tip full of enthusiasm. First stop friends who live in an awesome mud brick house in the back blocks of the New England area. Place called Rockvale. Driving along on Friday night about 45 km from Ebor on the road to Guyra waiting to get to a turmn off to the Rockvale Rd. Lights give a flicker. Odd!!!! Then again. Hmmmm. Then suddenly at 100 kph they go out. Quickly try the high beam option by pulling back the stalk and I still have lights. Ann hold the lights on while I drive and change gear etc. Then engine give a sputter and stops dead!!!! We pull over. Still have lights on high beam but engine will not turn over. Luckily I got a waek mobile signal and our friend John comes to opur rescue. In case its the battery we try jumper leads. Still no good. We tow the veghicle to a side road and leave it for the night.

Drove back in the morning and tried a couple of things. My suspicion is the ignition switch as it feels a bit different. Tried to hot wire without success. Lack of knowledge. Back to John's house ring the NRMA and then wait on the Guyra Rd for the NRMA man. We go to the car. He cannot diagnose but also thinks it could be the switch. Relay was clicking with fiddling thye key in the switch but engine would not crank. Tip tray called. I wait in freezing van for 1 1/2 hours for a trip to Auto Electrician in Armidale. We get there at 4.45 pm push Syncro into workshop. The expert get a couple of wires and the car starts straight away. Yep, electrics inside switch are stuffed. He is on the case on Monday but camping holiday on hold until we see what he can do on getting parts on Monday. Back up is a jury rigged ignition switch to get us on the road.

Lucky I have NRMA Premium. They were great. Have a hire car and they paid for taxi etc. We are about 36 km from Armidale.

Luckily we are in a great house with good friends. House has no power or services but does have a Telstra dish. Hence I can send email. We have heaps of food and wine, firewood for roaring fires. A forced relaxation time.

Next step is a call from the Auto electrician on Monday.

Oh the joys of owning 20 year old cars.

Will keep you posted, Peter

PS. Ken will be pleased to know I have a new bull bar from Sydney awaiting installation later next week and by the way he has two black ones left if anyone is interested. Ken at Ambula, Old Pittwater Road.
2

Peter,

Ignition switches are a problem on most old vehicles, not just the Syncro.  A new switch (still available) will fix the problem.  When touring, many Syncro owners will carry a new switch in the toolbox as a spare, particularly if they are still on the original switch.

Older Beetles were notorious for this and it was made considerably worse by the fact that they had only 6 volts – on a good day – to start with!

The switch failure is due to corrosion of the contacts and it can be restored to service by thorough cleaning of the contacts and coating with white petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline).  It can be kept on board as a spare.

Pics of the new bull bar would be appreciated when you pick it – pics of the bar before and after fitting would be great.

Les

 

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of anni43elli
Sent: 03 July 2010 13:30
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Stranded in New England

 

The expert get a couple of wires and the car starts straight away. Yep, electrics inside switch are stuffed. He is on the case on Monday but camping holiday on hold until we see what he can do on getting parts on Monday. Back up is a jury rigged ignition switch to get us on the road.

Oh the joys of owning 20 year old cars.

Will keep you posted, Peter

PS. Ken will be pleased to know I have a new bull bar from Sydney awaiting installation later next week and by the way he has two black ones left if anyone is interested. Ken at Ambula, Old Pittwater Road .

3
the ignition switch is ..
so inexpensive,
so small,
so underbuilt,
so easy to just pop onto the plug on the back of the ignition switch mechanism for testing purposes,
that it's silly not to have a spare under the back seat.
Look at all the aggravation it would have saved just to have that little spare part on board.
 ( course you probably met some nice folks  you wouldn't have otherwise  !  ) .
 
and ..no headlights, but holding high beam stalk works..
that's usually  pretty sure sign ignition switch is wonky.
 
really, they are weak,  and it's standard practice to carry a Remote Starter Switch ..
( with trigger wire hidden in the engine compartment ) for self-rescue, stator troubleshooting etc.
.......and that little ignition switch thing.
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: anni43elli
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 8:30 PM
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Stranded in New England

 

Interesting story guys and gals. After installing a decoupler and enjoying 2WD we headed off for 7 day campimg tip full of enthusiasm. First stop friends who live in an awesome mud brick house in the back blocks of the New England area. Place called Rockvale. Driving along on Friday night about 45 km from Ebor on the road to Guyra waiting to get to a turmn off to the Rockvale Rd. Lights give a flicker. Odd!!!! Then again. Hmmmm. Then suddenly at 100 kph they go out. Quickly try the high beam option by pulling back the stalk and I still have lights. Ann hold the lights on while I drive and change gear etc. Then engine give a sputter and stops dead!!!! We pull over. Still have lights on high beam but engine will not turn over. Luckily I got a waek mobile signal and our friend John comes to opur rescue. In case its the battery we try jumper leads. Still no good. We tow the veghicle to a side road and leave it for the night.

Drove back in the morning and tried a couple of things. My suspicion is the ignition switch as it feels a bit different. Tried to hot wire without success. Lack of knowledge. Back to John's house ring the NRMA and then wait on the Guyra Rd for the NRMA man. We go to the car. He cannot diagnose but also thinks it could be the switch. Relay was clicking with fiddling thye key in the switch but engine would not crank. Tip tray called. I wait in freezing van for 1 1/2 hours for a trip to Auto Electrician in Armidale. We get there at 4.45 pm push Syncro into workshop. The expert get a couple of wires and the car starts straight away. Yep, electrics inside switch are stuffed. He is on the case on Monday but camping holiday on hold until we see what he can do on getting parts on Monday. Back up is a jury rigged ignition switch to get us on the road.

Lucky I have NRMA Premium. They were great. Have a hire car and they paid for taxi etc. We are about 36 km from Armidale.

Luckily we are in a great house with good friends. House has no power or services but does have a Telstra dish. Hence I can send email. We have heaps of food and wine, firewood for roaring fires. A forced relaxation time.

Next step is a call from the Auto electrician on Monday.

Oh the joys of owning 20 year old cars.

Will keep you posted, Peter

PS. Ken will be pleased to know I have a new bull bar from Sydney awaiting installation later next week and by the way he has two black ones left if anyone is interested. Ken at Ambula, Old Pittwater Road.

4
Peter,as well as an ignition switch,sounds like you are up for a headlight switch too!Common problem.The switch can burn out after continual hi-beam.Has happened to me in two T3s.I always carry a spare now.You could have other issues as well,you will know soon enough.

--- In Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com, "anni43elli" <peter@...> wrote:
>
> Interesting story guys and gals. After installing a decoupler and enjoying 2WD we headed off for 7 day campimg tip full of enthusiasm. First stop friends who live in an awesome mud brick house in the back blocks of the New England area. Place called Rockvale. Driving along on Friday night about 45 km from Ebor on the road to Guyra waiting to get to a turmn off to the Rockvale Rd. Lights give a flicker. Odd!!!! Then again. Hmmmm. Then suddenly at 100 kph they go out. Quickly try the high beam option by pulling back the stalk and I still have lights. Ann hold the lights on while I drive and change gear etc. Then engine give a sputter and stops dead!!!! We pull over. Still have lights on high beam but engine will not turn over. Luckily I got a waek mobile signal and our friend John comes to opur rescue. In case its the battery we try jumper leads. Still no good. We tow the veghicle to a side road and leave it for the night.
>
> Drove back in the morning and tried a couple of things. My suspicion is the ignition switch as it feels a bit different. Tried to hot wire without success. Lack of knowledge. Back to John's house ring the NRMA and then wait on the Guyra Rd for the NRMA man. We go to the car. He cannot diagnose but also thinks it could be the switch. Relay was clicking with fiddling thye key in the switch but engine would not crank. Tip tray called. I wait in freezing van for 1 1/2 hours for a trip to Auto Electrician in Armidale. We get there at 4.45 pm push Syncro into workshop. The expert get a couple of wires and the car starts straight away. Yep, electrics inside switch are stuffed. He is on the case on Monday but camping holiday on hold until we see what he can do on getting parts on Monday. Back up is a jury rigged ignition switch to get us on the road.
>
> Lucky I have NRMA Premium. They were great. Have a hire car and they paid for taxi etc. We are about 36 km from Armidale.
>
> Luckily we are in a great house with good friends. House has no power or services but does have a Telstra dish. Hence I can send email. We have heaps of food and wine, firewood for roaring fires. A forced relaxation time.
>
> Next step is a call from the Auto electrician on Monday.
>
> Oh the joys of owning 20 year old cars.
>
> Will keep you posted, Peter
>
> PS. Ken will be pleased to know I have a new bull bar from Sydney awaiting installation later next week and by the way he has two black ones left if anyone is interested. Ken at Ambula, Old Pittwater Road.
>
5
I suggest the headlamp switch is probably OK - remember that the headlamps
go out when you turn off the ignition ie controlled by ignition switch.

To reduce headlamp deterioration fit relays to reduce the current and
therefore the heating effect on the headlamp switch. OR you could do as I
have done and fit HID headlamps. These only consume 35 watts and are far
brighter than halogen lamps. Fitting higher power halogen lamps only heats
up your headlamps and (as I found out ay considerable cost) cracks your
headlamp lens. HIDS kits are readily available on Ebay. Just state the bulb
type and temperature you want - don't go above 6000K - they are blue and
result in the police booking you. For high/low beam type in "bixenon HID".
The kits are basically plug and play except for having to mount the
transformer case. They were around the $120 mark when I fitted mine.

Cheers,

Tom



From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of bencroft96
Sent: Saturday, 3 July 2010 2:09 PM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England





Peter,as well as an ignition switch,sounds like you are up for a headlight
switch too!Common problem.The switch can burn out after continual
hi-beam.Has happened to me in two T3s.I always carry a spare now.You could
have other issues as well,you will know soon enough.

--- In Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia%40yahoogroups.com> , "anni43elli" <peter@...>
wrote:
>
> Interesting story guys and gals. After installing a decoupler and enjoying
2WD we headed off for 7 day campimg tip full of enthusiasm. First stop
friends who live in an awesome mud brick house in the back blocks of the New
England area. Place called Rockvale. Driving along on Friday night about 45
km from Ebor on the road to Guyra waiting to get to a turmn off to the
Rockvale Rd. Lights give a flicker. Odd!!!! Then again. Hmmmm. Then suddenly
at 100 kph they go out. Quickly try the high beam option by pulling back the
stalk and I still have lights. Ann hold the lights on while I drive and
change gear etc. Then engine give a sputter and stops dead!!!! We pull over.
Still have lights on high beam but engine will not turn over. Luckily I got
a waek mobile signal and our friend John comes to opur rescue. In case its
the battery we try jumper leads. Still no good. We tow the veghicle to a
side road and leave it for the night.
>
> Drove back in the morning and tried a couple of things. My suspicion is
the ignition switch as it feels a bit different. Tried to hot wire without
success. Lack of knowledge. Back to John's house ring the NRMA and then wait
on the Guyra Rd for the NRMA man. We go to the car. He cannot diagnose but
also thinks it could be the switch. Relay was clicking with fiddling thye
key in the switch but engine would not crank. Tip tray called. I wait in
freezing van for 1 1/2 hours for a trip to Auto Electrician in Armidale. We
get there at 4.45 pm push Syncro into workshop. The expert get a couple of
wires and the car starts straight away. Yep, electrics inside switch are
stuffed. He is on the case on Monday but camping holiday on hold until we
see what he can do on getting parts on Monday. Back up is a jury rigged
ignition switch to get us on the road.
>
> Lucky I have NRMA Premium. They were great. Have a hire car and they paid
for taxi etc. We are about 36 km from Armidale.
>
> Luckily we are in a great house with good friends. House has no power or
services but does have a Telstra dish. Hence I can send email. We have heaps
of food and wine, firewood for roaring fires. A forced relaxation time.
>
> Next step is a call from the Auto electrician on Monday.
>
> Oh the joys of owning 20 year old cars.
>
> Will keep you posted, Peter
>
> PS. Ken will be pleased to know I have a new bull bar from Sydney awaiting
installation later next week and by the way he has two black ones left if
anyone is interested. Ken at Ambula, Old Pittwater Road.
>
6
Peter.
This is an extraordinary coincidence. Last tuesday we were going through ebor on the way to Guyra when our van lost all power and was very sick. I tried all the usual checks with no result. In the box of spares was the air flow metre attachment to solve vanagon syndrome. Bingo all now running well ,longreach tomorrow. Vanagon syndrome or ebor yowie air? Good luck Bill en Marg.
--- In Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com, "anni43elli" <peter@...> wrote:
>
> Interesting story guys and gals. After installing a decoupler and enjoying 2WD we headed off for 7 day campimg tip full of enthusiasm. First stop friends who live in an awesome mud brick house in the back blocks of the New England area. Place called Rockvale. Driving along on Friday night about 45 km from Ebor on the road to Guyra waiting to get to a turmn off to the Rockvale Rd. Lights give a flicker. Odd!!!! Then again. Hmmmm. Then suddenly at 100 kph they go out. Quickly try the high beam option by pulling back the stalk and I still have lights. Ann hold the lights on while I drive and change gear etc. Then engine give a sputter and stops dead!!!! We pull over. Still have lights on high beam but engine will not turn over. Luckily I got a waek mobile signal and our friend John comes to opur rescue. In case its the battery we try jumper leads. Still no good. We tow the veghicle to a side road and leave it for the night.
>
> Drove back in the morning and tried a couple of things. My suspicion is the ignition switch as it feels a bit different. Tried to hot wire without success. Lack of knowledge. Back to John's house ring the NRMA and then wait on the Guyra Rd for the NRMA man. We go to the car. He cannot diagnose but also thinks it could be the switch. Relay was clicking with fiddling thye key in the switch but engine would not crank. Tip tray called. I wait in freezing van for 1 1/2 hours for a trip to Auto Electrician in Armidale. We get there at 4.45 pm push Syncro into workshop. The expert get a couple of wires and the car starts straight away. Yep, electrics inside switch are stuffed. He is on the case on Monday but camping holiday on hold until we see what he can do on getting parts on Monday. Back up is a jury rigged ignition switch to get us on the road.
>
> Lucky I have NRMA Premium. They were great. Have a hire car and they paid for taxi etc. We are about 36 km from Armidale.
>
> Luckily we are in a great house with good friends. House has no power or services but does have a Telstra dish. Hence I can send email. We have heaps of food and wine, firewood for roaring fires. A forced relaxation time.
>
> Next step is a call from the Auto electrician on Monday.
>
> Oh the joys of owning 20 year old cars.
>
> Will keep you posted, Peter
>
> PS. Ken will be pleased to know I have a new bull bar from Sydney awaiting installation later next week and by the way he has two black ones left if anyone is interested. Ken at Ambula, Old Pittwater Road.
>
7

Bill,

The coincidence in this is unbelievable! 

I had a phone call from Francesca on hour ago.  She is out near Orbost and is suffering a power loss that has stopped her.  I have been going through the manuals to see what ticks all the boxes and had concluded that it was more likely to be the AFM than anything else and was just about to ring her when your post came through. 

When you refer to “attachment”, is it the modified AFM harness that VAG released to cure this problem or did you have a spare AFM on board?

Les

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bill
Sent: 03 July 2010 15:35
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

Peter.
This is an extraordinary coincidence. Last tuesday we were going through ebor on the way to Guyra when our van lost all power and was very sick. I tried all the usual checks with no result. In the box of spares was the air flow metre attachment to solve vanagon syndrome. Bingo all now running well ,longreach tomorrow. Vanagon syndrome or ebor yowie air? Good luck Bill en Marg.

8
Hi all,

Thanks for the introduction, Les. Yes, a bit of a coincidence and a week for breakdowns, apparently. Holed up in a motel in Orbost thanks to RACV Total Care (not quite as convivial as your digs, Peter).

Well, here's hoping that it's merely the AFM... Van had been running OK on this trip, despite a bit of intermittent Vanagon Sydrome. No obvious Vanagon Syndrome (i.e. bucking) at the time that it died on us, however. It began to seriously struggle up the hills (even more so than usual for a laden Syncro) and temp gauge began to climb over half. Pulled over to have a breather and a think and oil pressure light began to flash (no buzzer, though). Plenty of oil and water upon inspection. RACV came and she wouldn't start, so on the truck back to Orbost. Will ship back to Volkwerke in Melbourne on Monday (large towing bill number 2 for RACV - they're not going to like our Syncro). I'm a bit concerned about our cooling system failure back in December - hope I didn't cook the engine. Have driven it very little since then. First thing will be to do a compression test. After that, I may or may not be asking for advice about engine reconditioning/replacement. She's still only done 135 000 kms, but maybe she's had a hard life... It would me great if it was merely the AFM, of course.

If anyone else has any words of wisdom I'd love to hear from you!

Regards and commiserations to our fellow strandees,

Francesca.

On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 3:46 PM, Les Harris <leslieharris@optusnet.com.au> wrote:

Bill,

The coincidence in this is unbelievable!

I had a phone call from Francesca on hour ago. She is out near Orbost and is suffering a power loss that has stopped her. I have been going through the manuals to see what ticks all the boxes and had concluded that it was more likely to be the AFM than anything else and was just about to ring her when your post came through.

When you refer to “attachment”, is it the modified AFM harness that VAG released to cure this problem or did you have a spare AFM on board?

Les

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bill
Sent: 03 July 2010 15:35


To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

Peter.


This is an extraordinary coincidence. Last tuesday we were going through ebor on the way to Guyra when our van lost all power and was very sick. I tried all the usual checks with no result. In the box of spares was the air flow metre attachment to solve vanagon syndrome. Bingo all now running well ,longreach tomorrow. Vanagon syndrome or ebor yowie air? Good luck Bill en Marg.


9
Francesca

Gee really sorry to hear of your problems. Wish I was at home to offer you some support from Mallacoota. There is a really well respected mechanic in Nicholson near Bairnsdale by the name of  De Jong who specialises in European cars but you already seem to have things ready to retreat back to Lloyds. RACV will start thinking of some kind of conspiracy going on out here in Far East Gippsland after having to flat bed my syncro from Traralgon to Mallacoota. Told me quite adamantly "no more towing from here on end".Drove my car all the way to Melbourne and took it straight away to Volks Care to give it a thorough looking over. Must say though that she drove well, and that the temp gauge staged glued to the one spot,(just to the right of the warning light) and felt "cool OK" in the engine bay. Boris thinks he may have a little knowledge of the history of my van. Enjoy Orbost for what it's worth. Woodwork gallery is excellent and if you could get to Marlo to see the paddlesteamer 'Curlip' and the Marlo pub. Go well.
 
Regards

Michael


From: Francesca Coles <fcoles6@gmail.com>
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 3 July, 2010 5:19:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

 

Hi all,


Thanks for the introduction, Les. Yes, a bit of a coincidence and a week for breakdowns, apparently. Holed up in a motel in Orbost thanks to RACV Total Care (not quite as convivial as your digs, Peter). 

Well, here's hoping that it's merely the AFM... Van had been running OK on this trip, despite a bit of intermittent Vanagon Sydrome. No obvious Vanagon Syndrome (i.e. bucking) at the time that it died on us, however. It began to seriously struggle up the hills (even more so than usual for a laden Syncro) and temp gauge began to climb over half. Pulled over to have a breather and a think and oil pressure light began to flash (no buzzer, though). Plenty of oil and water upon inspection. RACV came and she wouldn't start, so on the truck back to Orbost. Will ship back to Volkwerke in Melbourne on Monday (large towing bill number 2 for RACV - they're not going to like our Syncro). I'm a bit concerned about our cooling system failure back in December - hope I didn't cook the engine. Have driven it very little since then. First thing will be to do a compression test. After that, I may or may not be asking for advice about engine reconditioning/ replacement. She's still only done 135 000 kms, but maybe she's had a hard life... It would me great if it was merely the AFM, of course.

If anyone else has any words of wisdom I'd love to hear from you!

Regards and commiserations to our fellow strandees,

Francesca.

On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 3:46 PM, Les Harris <leslieharris@ optusnet. com.au> wrote:
 

Bill,

The coincidence in this is unbelievable! 

I had a phone call from Francesca on hour ago.  She is out near Orbost and is suffering a power loss that has stopped her.  I have been going through the manuals to see what ticks all the boxes and had concluded that it was more likely to be the AFM than anything else and was just about to ring her when your post came through. 

When you refer to “attachment”, is it the modified AFM harness that VAG released to cure this problem or did you have a spare AFM on board?

Les

From: Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Bill
Sent: 03 July 2010 15:35


To: Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australi a] Re: Stranded in New England

Peter.


This is an extraordinary coincidence. Last tuesday we were going through ebor on the way to Guyra when our van lost all power and was very sick. I tried all the usual checks with no result. In the box of spares was the air flow metre attachment to solve vanagon syndrome. Bingo all now running well ,longreach tomorrow. Vanagon syndrome or ebor yowie air? Good luck Bill en Marg.



 
10
Thanks, Michael. I hope you get a clean bill of health from Volkscare; it's great you made it there without any problems. Good to have some tips on how to spend a day in Orbost.

Francesca.

On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 6:18 PM, Michael Rayner <mrayner51@yahoo.com> wrote:

Francesca

Gee really sorry to hear of your problems. Wish I was at home to offer you some support from Mallacoota. There is a really well respected mechanic in Nicholson near Bairnsdale by the name of De Jong who specialises in European cars but you already seem to have things ready to retreat back to Lloyds. RACV will start thinking of some kind of conspiracy going on out here in Far East Gippsland after having to flat bed my syncro from Traralgon to Mallacoota. Told me quite adamantly "no more towing from here on end".Drove my car all the way to Melbourne and took it straight away to Volks Care to give it a thorough looking over. Must say though that she drove well, and that the temp gauge staged glued to the one spot,(just to the right of the warning light) and felt "cool OK" in the engine bay. Boris thinks he may have a little knowledge of the history of my van. Enjoy Orbost for what it's worth. Woodwork gallery is excellent and if you could get to Marlo to see the paddlesteamer 'Curlip' and the Marlo pub. Go well.
Regards

Michael


From: Francesca Coles <fcoles6@gmail.com>

To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 3 July, 2010 5:19:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

Hi all,


Thanks for the introduction, Les. Yes, a bit of a coincidence and a week for breakdowns, apparently. Holed up in a motel in Orbost thanks to RACV Total Care (not quite as convivial as your digs, Peter).

Well, here's hoping that it's merely the AFM... Van had been running OK on this trip, despite a bit of intermittent Vanagon Sydrome. No obvious Vanagon Syndrome (i.e. bucking) at the time that it died on us, however. It began to seriously struggle up the hills (even more so than usual for a laden Syncro) and temp gauge began to climb over half. Pulled over to have a breather and a think and oil pressure light began to flash (no buzzer, though). Plenty of oil and water upon inspection. RACV came and she wouldn't start, so on the truck back to Orbost. Will ship back to Volkwerke in Melbourne on Monday (large towing bill number 2 for RACV - they're not going to like our Syncro). I'm a bit concerned about our cooling system failure back in December - hope I didn't cook the engine. Have driven it very little since then. First thing will be to do a compression test. After that, I may or may not be asking for advice about engine reconditioning/ replacement. She's still only done 135 000 kms, but maybe she's had a hard life... It would me great if it was merely the AFM, of course.

If anyone else has any words of wisdom I'd love to hear from you!

Regards and commiserations to our fellow strandees,

Francesca.

On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 3:46 PM, Les Harris <leslieharris@ optusnet. com.au> wrote:

Bill,

The coincidence in this is unbelievable!

I had a phone call from Francesca on hour ago. She is out near Orbost and is suffering a power loss that has stopped her. I have been going through the manuals to see what ticks all the boxes and had concluded that it was more likely to be the AFM than anything else and was just about to ring her when your post came through.

When you refer to “attachment”, is it the modified AFM harness that VAG released to cure this problem or did you have a spare AFM on board?

Les

From: Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Bill
Sent: 03 July 2010 15:35


To: Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australi a] Re: Stranded in New England

Peter.


This is an extraordinary coincidence. Last tuesday we were going through ebor on the way to Guyra when our van lost all power and was very sick. I tried all the usual checks with no result. In the box of spares was the air flow metre attachment to solve vanagon syndrome. Bingo all now running well ,longreach tomorrow. Vanagon syndrome or ebor yowie air? Good luck Bill en Marg.




11
Most of the T3 switches that I have seen failed is due to overheating or the plastic body breaking.
High wattage lights are a common cause as well as heavy keys.
They are the same switch in Beeles, Kombis, Golfs, Passats etc, so they are easy to get.
I should really carry a spare!



> Les Harris <leslieharris@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
>
> Peter,
>
> Ignition switches are a problem on most old vehicles, not just the
> Syncro.
> A new switch (still available) will fix the problem. When touring, many
> Syncro owners will carry a new switch in the toolbox as a spare,
> particularly if they are still on the original switch.
>
> Older Beetles were notorious for this and it was made considerably worse
> by
> the fact that they had only 6 volts - on a good day - to start with!
>
> The switch failure is due to corrosion of the contacts and it can be
> restored to service by thorough cleaning of the contacts and coating
> with
> white petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline). It can be kept on board as a
> spare.
>
> Pics of the new bull bar would be appreciated when you pick it - pics of
> the
> bar before and after fitting would be great.
>
> Les
>
>
>
> _____
>
> From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of anni43elli
> Sent: 03 July 2010 13:30
> To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Stranded in New England
>
>
>
> The expert get a couple of wires and the car starts straight away. Yep,
> electrics inside switch are stuffed. He is on the case on Monday but
> camping
> holiday on hold until we see what he can do on getting parts on Monday.
> Back
> up is a jury rigged ignition switch to get us on the road.
>
> Oh the joys of owning 20 year old cars.
>
> Will keep you posted, Peter
>
> PS. Ken will be pleased to know I have a new bull bar from Sydney
> awaiting
> installation later next week and by the way he has two black ones left
> if
> anyone is interested. Ken at Ambula, Old Pittwater Road.
12
Francesca.
 How you coping with Orbost. Forgot to mention whilst your there, Cabbage Tree and Errinundra Plateau although I'd image that would be pretty chilly at present. What is this 'Vanagon Syndrome' that every one talks about. Hope it's not contagious.
 
Regards

Michael


From: Francesca Coles <fcoles6@gmail.com>
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 3 July, 2010 8:15:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

 

Thanks, Michael. I hope you get a clean bill of health from Volkscare; it's great you made it there without any problems. Good to have some tips on how to spend a day in Orbost.


Francesca.

On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 6:18 PM, Michael Rayner <mrayner51@yahoo. com> wrote:
 

Francesca

Gee really sorry to hear of your problems. Wish I was at home to offer you some support from Mallacoota. There is a really well respected mechanic in Nicholson near Bairnsdale by the name of  De Jong who specialises in European cars but you already seem to have things ready to retreat back to Lloyds. RACV will start thinking of some kind of conspiracy going on out here in Far East Gippsland after having to flat bed my syncro from Traralgon to Mallacoota. Told me quite adamantly "no more towing from here on end".Drove my car all the way to Melbourne and took it straight away to Volks Care to give it a thorough looking over. Must say though that she drove well, and that the temp gauge staged glued to the one spot,(just to the right of the warning light) and felt "cool OK" in the engine bay. Boris thinks he may have a little knowledge of the history of my van. Enjoy Orbost for what it's worth. Woodwork gallery is excellent and if you could get to Marlo to see the paddlesteamer 'Curlip' and the Marlo pub. Go well.
 
Regards

Michael


From: Francesca Coles <fcoles6@gmail. com>

To: Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com
Sent: Sat, 3 July, 2010 5:19:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australi a] Re: Stranded in New England

 

Hi all,


Thanks for the introduction, Les. Yes, a bit of a coincidence and a week for breakdowns, apparently. Holed up in a motel in Orbost thanks to RACV Total Care (not quite as convivial as your digs, Peter). 

Well, here's hoping that it's merely the AFM... Van had been running OK on this trip, despite a bit of intermittent Vanagon Sydrome. No obvious Vanagon Syndrome (i.e. bucking) at the time that it died on us, however. It began to seriously struggle up the hills (even more so than usual for a laden Syncro) and temp gauge began to climb over half. Pulled over to have a breather and a think and oil pressure light began to flash (no buzzer, though). Plenty of oil and water upon inspection. RACV came and she wouldn't start, so on the truck back to Orbost. Will ship back to Volkwerke in Melbourne on Monday (large towing bill number 2 for RACV - they're not going to like our Syncro). I'm a bit concerned about our cooling system failure back in December - hope I didn't cook the engine. Have driven it very little since then. First thing will be to do a compression test. After that, I may or may not be asking for advice about engine reconditioning/ replacement. She's still only done 135 000 kms, but maybe she's had a hard life... It would me great if it was merely the AFM, of course.

If anyone else has any words of wisdom I'd love to hear from you!

Regards and commiserations to our fellow strandees,

Francesca.

On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 3:46 PM, Les Harris <leslieharris@ optusnet. com.au> wrote:
 

Bill,

The coincidence in this is unbelievable! 

I had a phone call from Francesca on hour ago.  She is out near Orbost and is suffering a power loss that has stopped her.  I have been going through the manuals to see what ticks all the boxes and had concluded that it was more likely to be the AFM than anything else and was just about to ring her when your post came through. 

When you refer to “attachment”, is it the modified AFM harness that VAG released to cure this problem or did you have a spare AFM on board?

Les

From: Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Bill
Sent: 03 July 2010 15:35


To: Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australi a] Re: Stranded in New England

Peter.


This is an extraordinary coincidence. Last tuesday we were going through ebor on the way to Guyra when our van lost all power and was very sick. I tried all the usual checks with no result. In the box of spares was the air flow metre attachment to solve vanagon syndrome. Bingo all now running well ,longreach tomorrow. Vanagon syndrome or ebor yowie air? Good luck Bill en Marg.



 



 
13
> Michael Rayner <mrayner51@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> What is this 'Vanagon Syndrome' that every one talks about.
> Hope it's not contagious.
> Regards
> Michael
>

Read about it here

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gary2a/rack/afmharness/afmharness.htm
14
Les. Modified AFM harness. Bill
15
I think we can say we're surviving Sunday in Orbost. Entertainment is a bit limited without the use of a vehicle to see attractions in the surrounding area. Fortunately the Curlip is out of action at the moment anyway. We're looking forward to the day when we can go for trouble-free jaunts out of town... Lucky we had to cancel the trip to the Flinders Ranges in retrospect - we could really have been stranded somewhere very awkward. Trying not to anticipate too much more pain in the hip pocket in advance of a definitive diagnosis. I don't like the fact that the loss of power escalated over several days, and that she now won't start.

Francesca.


On Sun, Jul 4, 2010 at 2:46 PM, Bill <marg_bill@westnet.com.au> wrote:

Les. Modified AFM harness. Bill


16
Many thanks Phil for filling me in (pun intended). Concise and understandable even to me. Have you or other members installed these 'harness' to the AFM or carry them as an emergency spare.
 
Regards

Michael


From: "plander@optusnet.com.au" <plander@optusnet.com.au>
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sun, 4 July, 2010 1:14:52 PM
Subject: Re: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

 



> Michael Rayner <mrayner51@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> What is this 'Vanagon Syndrome' that every one talks about.
> Hope it's not contagious.
> Regards
> Michael
>

Read about it here

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gary2a/rack/afmharness/afmharness.htm


 
17

Thanks Bill.

 

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of Bill
Sent: 04 July 2010 14:47
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

 

 

Les. Modified AFM harness. Bill

18

Thanks for all the posts. Sending this via satellite in the back blocks. Re the switch, when I took off the male connection there was melted white plastic. I had to force it off. Overheating obviously the cause. Having a great time here with friends while we await the call from the Auto Electrician tomorrow. Fancy another Syncro expiring on the Guyra Rd and then also Francesca.

 

Things do happen in threes!!!

 

We have a had a great meal tonight and have just got out the guitars.

 

Will keep you posted.

 

Peter

 

19
Michael and all,
 
A bit of light reading on the AFM issue ...
 

Hesitation, cough cough: http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=805

A bit of novel trivia .... GoWesty states in the above article … “We are currently working on a completely new system that does not use the Digifant computer at all. This new system, which is currently in the testing phase, features a state-of-the-art computer made in Australia.”

 

Running issues: http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=929

 

Rebuilt AFM: http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=4026&category_id=&category_parent_id=

 

New AFM: http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=2377&category_id=253&category_parent_id=

 

Signal filter: http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=3825&category_id=2377&category_parent_id=

 

AFM user servicing: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Syncro_T3_Australia/files/Digifant%20Fault%20Finding/

 

My view is one should first attempt to service ones own AFM as described in the last article found at the last link above.

Secondly if one is patient, the signal filter can be purchased secondhand for around $50 plus on eBay or The Samba. Or else try getting a new one for free from your local VW dealership if you can demonstrate to them the requisite symptoms and show them the attached pdf file.

 

I also think it is an inconvenient truth that choosing to ignore the AFM maintenance issue, then sooner or later you will get stranded, inconvenienced and financially put out.

 

Cheers.

Ken 


 
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
From: mrayner51@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2010 22:21:18 -0700
Subject: Re: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

 
Many thanks Phil for filling me in (pun intended). Concise and understandable even to me. Have you or other members installed these 'harness' to the AFM or carry them as an emergency spare.
 
Regards

Michael


From: "plander@optusnet. com.au" <plander@optusnet. com.au>
To: Syncro_T3_Australia @yahoogroups. com
Sent: Sun, 4 July, 2010 1:14:52 PM
Subject: Re: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australi a] Re: Stranded in New England

 



> Michael Rayner <mrayner51@yahoo. com> wrote:
>
> What is this 'Vanagon Syndrome' that every one talks about.
> Hope it's not contagious.
> Regards
> Michael
>

Read about it here

http://www.teluspla net.net/public/ gary2a/rack/ afmharness/ afmharness. htm



 

Find it on Domain.com.au Need a new place to live?
20

Hi All,

 

I am truly sorry that some of our friends got stuck in the middle of nowhere but on the bright side, Isn’t it heart warming to read how committed and positive you are about this little hiccup in life you are. This is the true SYNCRO spirit, well done.

Tomorrow first thing, I will order 3 switches for the fleet, Since of today we have 3 Syns in the yard (my thanks to Ken, who alerted me to the last one)

 

Anyway, I better fill yous in what happened to me yester/today, I took the  early flight to Brissi from Port Mac. To arrive with 3 hrs delay. I was greeted  by Ross who picked me up from the a/p in the most beautiful Trakka I have seen in a long time. We went to his sister’s house where I had a look at the bus I had bought and Elke had paid for by bank transfer. I had such good vibes talking to the seller over the phone that we paid without having seen the vehicle. And as it turned out Ross , the seller, also a greenie/permaculturist/enviro – save the world fanatic like me, had kept this Trakka in pristine condition. It looks like he’s never driven it in bad weather or rain!!  Ross was the second owner, the first one , an engineer, bought it from , then, Northshore Volkswagen at Brookvale(Sydney) in 1990. He bought it as a BRONCO TRAKKA ,and lots of original docs came with it. It has the original brushed Trakka roo-bar and the polished rear bumper with towbar. There is also documentation and the stamped license plate in the right foot well, so registering should be possible ( you never ever know your luck in NSW). A few extras which I didn’t notice in the ad  are a supa dupa Sony sound system, 2 swivel seats, Trakka front sports front seats, hot/cold water which works, 3 awnings, heaps of recovery gear, plus Bentleys,4 new tyres, 4 new shocks, new brakes, 1 new battery (last week), aricon, and heaps of other little thingos like cup holders, reading lights , 2 gas cylinders etc etc.... and best of all, there is not dint or scratch in the paint work.

After having had my tea and home baked organic cake and ready to hit the road and unfamiliar with QLD road users  I asked Ross for advice on the road tolls  to be paid going South, he simply said not to worry about that as he had advised the authorities and he had already paid the tolls..............

There you go...it doesn’t have to be doom and gloom when you buy on the net......

 

Hope to see you soon   Hartmut

 

 

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Les Harris
Sent: Sunday, 4 July 2010 3:33 PM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

 

 

Thanks Bill.

 

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bill
Sent: 04 July 2010 14:47
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: Stranded in New England

 

 

Les. Modified AFM harness. Bill