Syncro Worshipper - forgive me I cannot help myself.

[Diamond Hell]

Hi, my name's Thomas and I worship at the altar of vehicles wearing the Syncro badge.

I currently have an '89 Golf Syncro and a T4 Caravelle Syncro. I'm getting better - weaning myself on to 2WD and later cars - our daily driver is a Passat Estate SE 130 TDI 4Motion and there is the 2WD T25 Transporter pickup.

That'll be the pickup with the Audi 2.2 turbo motor in the back of it then.

Ah dear, forgive me father for the things I do to VAG vehicles....

See y'all at Combe this Saturday. I'll be in the Silver Golf2 that goes round corners a bit quick (the pick up isn't quite ready).

[Col]

Nice bit of passion there.

Look like you are now the resident 'syncro' guru on here ;)

Know nothing about the syncro system, is it the same or similar to the haldex system?

[Diamond Hell]

The Syncro system is dead simple, actually. Unlike the heavy Haldex system the Syncro system has a viscous coupling at the centre. This is basically a can that is inserted into the drive train front to back and takes fixed drive in one end and out the other. Inside the can are a load of plates, half of which are attached to one end and half of which are attached to the other end. These plates are in a fluid which stiffens if there is movement between either end.

The whole thing looks like this:

http://diamondhell.com/images/stories/GolfSyncroPressPics/2S.jpg

The only added complexity is a freewheel on the rear diff, which is vacuum operated.

There's quite a few videos of my buses and cars doing stuff on Youtube here (http://www.youtube.com/DiamondHell).

Enjoy.