VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER 1990 T4 / 4.G Owner's Guide

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CONTROLS
AND
EQUIPMENT

Brake
booster
The brake booster works
only
when
the engine is running.

WARNING

When the vehicle is moving while the engine is not running, more force on
the brake pedal is required to bring the
vehicle to
a
stop. Conditions affecting braking
efficiency
Moisture or road salt

WARNING
•
Under
certain
climatic
and
operating
conditions such as passing
through

water, driving in
heavy
rain or after
washing the vehicle the effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced. In
winter
ice
can accumulate on the brake pads,
linings, discs and drums. Cautiously
apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry,
ice
coatings will be cleaned off after a
few cautious brake applications.
• Driving for an extended period of

time
on salt covered roads
without
using
your
brakes can also affect brak­
ing
efficiency. The accumulated salt

coating
must be cleaned off the brake

discs
and brake pads be
a
few cautious brake applications.
• Do not "ride the brakes" by resting

your
foot
on the pedal
when
not in­
tending to brake.
This
may cause the brakes to overheat, premature wear
and increased stopping distance. • Before descending
a
steep grade, re­
duce speed and shift transmission into

a
lower
gear or
lower
driving position to control speed. Do not
ride
the
brakes or hold the pedal
down
too long, or too

often.
This
could cause the brakes to get hot
and
diminish
braking efficiency.
New brake pads or linings • New brake pads and linings do not have
optimum friction properties and must be
"broken in" during the initial 100 to 150
miles
(150 to 200 kilometers) of normal
city driving. You can compensate for this by applying more pressure on the brake

pedal.
This
also applies later
when
new
pads or linings are installed.

Brake
fluid level • If the brake fluid level is too low,
malfunctions or
even
a failure in the brake
system could result.
Therefore,
it is important to check
your
brake fluid level
regularly. See page 108 for more details.
Low brake fluid is indicated by the brake
warning light (see page 43).



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CONTROLS AND
EQUIPMENT

=ailure
of one
brake
circuit
I the brake pedal travel should suddenly
icrease,
one of the brake circuits may

_ave
failed. Should this happen, you will
m able to bring your vehicle safely to a

s:op,
however, you will have to push hard­
er on the brake pedal and it will take a onger distance to stop the vehicle.
Con­

tact your Volkswagen dealership for as­
sistance.

Brake
wear

~he brakes on our automobiles are still subject to wear depending largely on oper­ating conditions and driving habits. On ve­

hicles
which are driven mostly in stop-and-
50 city
traffic
or which are driven hard, the
crake linings should be checked by your

Volkswagen
dealer more often than
specified
in the Maintenance brochure.

Front
spoiler
If you
install
a
front
spoiler on
your
vehi­
cle, be
sure
the air
flow
to the
front

brakes
is not
obstructed,
otherwise
the

brake
system
could
overheat.
Parking
brake
lever

The parking brake lever is located between the
front
seats.

• To set the parking brake, pull the lever

until
strong resistance is
felt.
The parking
brake must be pulled up all the way so
that

the vehicle cannot be moved. When the ig­ nition is on, the brake warning
light
will

light
up.
• Depress brake pedal and hold while re­

leasing
parking brake. To release the park­
ing brake, pull the lever slightly up, de­

press
the release
button
(arrow), and then
push the lever all the way down. When the parking brake is fully released, the brake
warning
light
will go out.
WARNING

•
Release
the
parking
brake
fully.
A

partially
engaged
brake
will
overheat

the
rear
brakes,
reduce
their
effective­
ness and cause excessive
wear.

•
Always
set the
parking
brake
when

parking
your
vehicle.
Move
the
selector
lever
to "P"
(Automatic
transmission)

or
move
the
gearshift
lever
to "R" or "1"
(Manual
transmission).
On
hills

also
turn
the
wheels
toward
the curb.
31


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CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT
MANUAL TRANSMISSION
B25-352
Gearshift lever
Start engine with gearshift lever in Neu­

tral,
clutch pedal depressed.
Always depress the clutch pedal fully
when changing gears. Do not hold the vehicle on a steep hill with the clutch pedal partially depressed. This may
cause premature clutch wear or dam­

age.

Resting your hand on the shift lever
knob while driving will cause premature
wear in the transmission. The forward gears and the reverse gear
are arranged as illustrated.
Reverse
Shift into Reverse only when the vehicle is not moving.
To engage Reverse, move lever to left, press down, move further to left and them
push forward. Especially after some

driving,
depress the clutch pedal fully and rest the shift lever in Neutral for a few
seconds before shifting into Reverse.
Back-up lights go on when you engage Reverse gear with ignition on. JB25-519
Low-speed traction gear (L)
(Syncro models only)
The vehicle is equipped with a four speed manual transmission which has a
addi­

tional low-speed traction gear (L).
Engaging the Low Gear
Move the gearshift lever as far as possible
to the left in neutral, press down and move lever still further to the left and then pull
back.


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CONTROLS AND
EQUIPMENT

THE
DIFFERENTIAL
LOCK*
(SYNCRO)

When driving around a curve, the outside
.vheels
turn
more than the inside wheels.

A
gear set, part of the transmission, called :he differential, compensates for the differ­
ence.
If, however, one wheel gets on a slip­ pery surface and starts to spin, the
differential will not transmit power to the
ether wheel. The car will be stuck. The
dif­

ferential lock will allow power to be trans­
mitted
to both wheels to help get the vehi-
:!e
moving again. Because the differential
5
then unable to compensate for corner-
~.g, vehicle handling and maneuverability

.'.ill
be reduced. Therefore the differential zck may only be used under limited condi-

:ons.

WARNING
Locked
differential
cannot
compensate

for
cornering
and
therefore
increases

tire
wear,
reduces
vehicle
maneuvera­
bility,
driveability
and can
impair
vehi­
cle
handling
performance.
See
detailed
instructions
on
next
page.
Using the
differential
lock

Engage
or disengage the differential
with

the knob shown in the center of the instru­ ment panel.

WARNING

To
reduce
the
potential
for loss of
vehicle
control,
only
use the
rear

differential
lock
under
the specific and
limited
circumstances described on
the
next
page.
When
the
knob
is
pulled
or pushed.
engagement or disengagement is ony initiated. The actual locking of the differ­
ential can be delayed if the wheels are rotating at substantially different speeds.
When driving around a corner it could also happen
that
the lock will not engage or

disengage.

Under
such conditions slow down and
drive in a straight-ahead direction so
that

the lock may engage or disengage.
The
warning
light
above the knob indi­
cates
the operational condition of the lock:
• The
light
comes on only when the lock

has
engaged properly.
• The
light
goes out again once the knob

has
been pushed in and the lock has actu­
ally disengaged. If the warning
light
does not
light
up, after selecting the differential
lock, and after an extended drive, the elec­
trical system and the lock should be

checked
by your VW dealer.
e applicable


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CONTROLS
AND
EQUIPMENT

WARNING
Never
lock the differential when...
•
driving on paved roads. When the

differential
is locked, the rigid connec­
tion between the rear wheels has
a
rub­
bing
effect on the tire when cornering.

This
leads to increased tires wear and
also
to "jerking motion" when the
vehicle is being steered. The differ­

ential
lock*
for the rear axle must only be used when the vehicle is stuck or is in immediate danger of becoming

stuck;

•
one wheel is spinning. First bring
the spinning wheel to a
standstill,
and only then engage the
differential.
This
prevents damage to the drive train or
uncontrollable acceleration leading to
loss
of control and personal
injury.

See
"Driving Tips" on pages
79-84
also.
•
The vehicle is being towed - see page

139
also.

•
Testing the vehicle on a dynamome-
*where applicable 1) further information is given on page 84.



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CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION*
p R
f

N d
D
2
f

1 :'B33-395
Selector lever positions
WARNING Apply foot brake when engaging Drive or Reverse.
P - Park
Engage Park only when the vehicle is
sta­

nnary. Therefore, when parking your .snide, apply the parking brake first, and
:nen move the selector lever completely to cosition P. To do this depress the but­
ton in the handle of the selector lever and push it through R to P. The transmis-s on is then mechanically locked.
Depending on the model, your vehicle
~iay be equipped with an Automatic Shift _ock (ASL). To move the shift lever from
re
P-Park
position to any other position,
".vhere applicable you must depress both the brake pedal
and the button into handle of the selector lever.
Shift out of the Park position, before re­ leasing the parking brake.
When the vehicle is parked on a steep
hill,
shifting out of Park may be a little harder.
This is due to the vehicle's weight exerted on the transmission.
Warning buzzer
A warning buzzer will sound when you open the driver's door with the selector lever left in any other but
P-Park
position.
The warning buzzer will go off as soon as the selector lever is moved to the
P-Park
position.

R - Reverse
Reverse should be selected only when the
vehicle has come to a full stop and the en­
gine is running at idle speed.
Before you move the selector lever to the
reverse position you have to depress the
push button in the handle of the selector
lever.
N - Neutral
Shift to this position for standing with
brakes applied. Depending on the model, your vehicle
may be equipped with an Automatic Shift
Lock (ASL). To move the shift lever from
the N-Neutral position to any other
posi­

tion at speeds below 3 mph (5 km/h) or when the vehicle is stationary, you must
depress both the brake pedal and the button into handle of the selector lever.
Do not use Neutral for coasting downhill.
Coasting downhill with the transmission in Neutral and the engine not operating
will result in damage to the Automatic
transmission.
D - Normal driving position
Position D is for normal city and highway

driving.
It ranges from zero to top speed, and all three gears shift automatically,
depending on engine load and driving

speed.

2 - Position for hilly stretches
This position is to be used for mountain driving or slow driving, and also when you
want to make use of the engine's braking effect. In "2", only the first and second
gears will engage automatically.
The road speed must not exceed 54 mph or 87 km/h. Therefore, only shift down into position "2" when vehicle speed is
below this speed. It is not necessary to let
up on the accelerator. 35



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CONTROLS
AND EQUIPMENT
1 - Position for steep hills

This
position is to be
used
for mountain
driving
or
slow
driving.
It
also
provides
for
maximum
engine
braking effect. To
engage this gear depress the push but­
ton in the handle of the selector lever
first. In "1" the
transmission
will
stay
in first
gear
and will not upshift.
The road speed must not exceed 33 mph
or
53 km/h. Only shift down into "1"
when the speed is below this speeds.
WARNING
Do
not shift to a lower driving position
until vehicle speed has dropped below
the specified limits otherwise engine
speed
will
suddenly increase and may

cause
engine damage and
loss
of
vehicle control. Driving the automatic transmission
Starting the engine

The
selector
lever
must be in Neutral or Park. If one of the driving
positions
is

engaged
a
safety
switch will prevent the
engine
from
being
started.

Emergency
starting

Your
Volkswagen
with
Automatic
Transmis­
sion
cannot
be started by
pushing
or tow­
ing.
If
engine
does
not start
because
of
dis­

charged
battery, the
vehicle
can be started
with jumper
cables.
Refer
to
"Emergency

starting
with jumper
cables".
Should
the

engine
fail to start
consult
your
nearest

Volkswagen
dealer.
Selecting
a driving position
WARNING
•
Apply the foot brake before select­
ing a driving position when the vehicle

is
stationary.
When the selector lever is in a driving
position,
the vehicle may creep even at
idle speed. Therefore, do not release
the parking brake or foot brake until

you
are ready to move, because power
is
transmitted to the wheels as soon as
a driving position is engaged.

•
Do not accelerate
while
selecting
a driving position. At this
time
the en­
gine must run at idle speed so
that
no undue stress
will
be placed on the auto­
matic clutches in the transmission.

•
Never have any position engaged
when checking in the engine compart­ ment. Make sure the selector lever is

securely
locked into the P position
with

the parking brake firmly set. Otherwise, any increase in engine speed may set
the vehicle in motion, even
with
the parking brake applied.




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CONTROLS
AND
EQUIPMENT

•
Never shift into Reverse (R) or Park
(P) when the vehicle is in motion.

•
Do not remove the key from the ig­
nition steering lock until you have
parked the vehicle, because removal
of the key
will
lock the steering wheel.

•
If the selector lever is unintention­
ally moved into Neutral (N)
while
driv­

ing,
take
your foot off the accelerator pedal and
wait
until the engine speed

has
dropped to idling before selecting
a driving position.
Maneuvering
•'/hen
alternating between forward and

-averse
- for
instance,
while
maneuvering

ne
vehicle
into a tight parking
space
-
:nly
shift when the
vehicle
has
come
to a
full stop and the
engine
is running at idle
soeed.
Stuck
in snow, mud or sand

When
alternating between forward and
reverse
in an effort to free the
vehicle,

depress
the
accelerator
pedal
slightly

while
the
transmission
is in
gear,
and
release
the
accelerator
pedal
while

shifting.
Do not
race
the
engine
and
avoid

spinning
the
wheels.
Do not repeat
"rocking"
back and
forth
with
wheels

spinning
at high engine speed and heavy
throttle,
as serious damage may
be caused to the automatic transmis­

sion
and other critical parts.

Kickdown
device

The
kickdown
device
gives
maximum
acceleration
when the
accelerator
pedal
is

pressed
down
past
the full throttle
posi­

tion.
Depending
on
road
speed
and
engine
speed,
either the upshift is
delayed
(forced
throttle) or the box
changes
down

into
the next lower
gear.

WARNING
Be
careful when using the kickdown on

slippery
roads. Rapid acceleration may

cause
skidding.
Stopping

•
When
stopping briefly, at a traffic light

for
example,
it is not
necessary
to
move

the
selector
lever
to
Neutral.
Simply
apply

the
brakes.
To start
again
release
brake
and
accelerate.

•
The driving
positions
must
never
be

used
for holding the
vehicle
at rest
uphill.

Always
use your foot
brakes
when
stopped
on
inclines.

WARNING
•
Never get out of the driver's seat
when the engine is running and the
selector
lever is not securely locked in
the P position.

•
If you must leave the vehicle move
the selector lever securely into the P
position
and apply parking brake
firmly.
Towing

To
tow the
vehicle
see instructions
"Emergency
towing" on
page
138.




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CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT
STEERING LOCK/IGNITION/STARTER
SWITCH

The
steering is equipped
with
an
antitheft
ignition lock.
Switch
positions
1 -
Ignition
off/steering can be
locked.
•
Pull
out the key and
turn
steering wheel until it
locks.

WARNING
• This position
only
locks the
steering

wheel
and not the
shift
control
lever.
Sudden and
unexpected
vehicle
move­

ment
may occur if the
shift
control

lever
is
moved
out of P
(Park)
(automa­

tic
transmission)
or out of
gear
(manual

transmission)
and the
parking
brake
is not
firmly
set.
•
Never
remove
key
from
steering
lock
or
turn
key off
while
the
vehicle
is moving. The
steering
wheel
will
lock,
causing loss of control.

2-
Ignition
on/steering free. If it is difficult to
turn
the key from po­
sition 1 to 2, gently move the steering
wheel until the key turns freely.
3
- Starter engages.

Key
returns to Pos. 2 as soon as it is

released.

"Starting procedures" see next
pages.

In position 3, the power supply to
headlights, windshield wipers,
blower motor and rear window defog-

ger
is temporarily interrupted to
con­

serve
battery power.

Before
the starter can be operated again
the key must be turned back to position 1.

The
non-repeat lock in the ignition switch prevents the starter from being operated
when engine is running as this could

damage
the starter.
In position 2 and 3 several warning/in­
dicator lights will come on.
Refer
to
"Warning/indicator lights" for details.
Chime If you leave the key in the ignition/steering
lock, the chime will sound when the
driver's door is opened. This is your reminder to remove the key and lock the

doors.


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CONTROLS
AND
EQUIPMENT

STARTING
PROCEDURES
WARNING
•
Fasten safety belts before driving.

•
Never
start or let the engine run in a
confined or enclosed, unventilated

area.
Exhaust fumes from the engine
contain carbon monoxide, which is a

colorless
and odorless gas. Carbon monoxide can be
fatal
if inhaled.

•
Never
leave engine idling unatten­

ded.
An unattended vehicle with a run­
ning
engine is potentially hazardous.

•
Do not park or operate the vehicle in

areas
where the hot exhaust system may come in contact with dry grass,

brush,
fuel
spill
or other
material,

which can cause a fire.

•
Do not leave engine unattended at

idle.
When starting engine, be ready to
drive off immediately. Maintain moder­
ate
speed until the engine is
com­

pletely warm. Remember that
your
en­
gine performs best at operating
tem­
perature.
Automatic
Transmission
Engine will only start with selector lever in
Neutral or Park.

Manual
Transmission
Start with gearshift lever in Neutral, clutch

pedal
depressed, so that the starter only

has
to crank the engine.

Starting
engine
•
Do not depress accelerator pedal
when starting. At extrem low temperatures
the engine will probably start better, if you depress accelerator pedal slighly.

•
As soon as the engine starts, release
the ignition key.

•
If the engine does not start the first time
or
stalls,
turn
the ignition off and restart. Depress the accelerator pedal slowly
during the second starting attempt.

•
Operate the starter for no more than

10
seconds.
•
Allow about 30 seconds between each

starting
attempt.
STOPPING
ENGINE

Do not stop engine immediately after
hard or extended driving. Keep engine
running for about two minutes to pre­

vent
excessive heat build-up.
WARNING
•
Before you check anything in the
engine compartment, stop the engine and let it cool down. Hot components

can
burn skin on contact.

•
The radiator fan switches on auto­

matically
when the coolant reaches a cer­

tain
temperature and will continue to run
(even
with ignition off) until the coolant
temperature drops.

39




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