BUYING A LATE MOD VAN

**DOUBLECAB** · 24-05-2005, 04:09 PM

Hi Guys...If one is looking at buying a late mod (1997 onwards) 2.5L van,what should one be looking for/be aware of?

Are there any probs with the auto boxes?
Are there any probs with the 4wd vans ?
Whats the good/bad info on the diesel vans?

Anything else I should know...???

Thanks .....DOUBLECAB

Anonymous · 24-05-2005, 05:14 PM

i have a 86 caravel auto its never been touched and never gives trouble changes very smoth as for the t5 i have never heard any good reports from anyone
there is an old guy near me who had a t3 and traded in on a t5 and now all he does is sit and tell me how sorry he is for selling the t3

imported_brackie · 25-05-2005, 06:25 AM

G'day, Doublecab...
Welcome to the forum. Early days yet (not even a week old!) so our knowledge base is still a little thin. Can't help much with vans as I've never had one. But diesel engines...Well! The diesel in the vans is a VAG common-part special. All VAG diesel are essentially Golf diesels with a varying number of cylinders, bore sizes and strokes. They are of very strong and sound construction and should give 1000s of km of trouble free work. IF they are properly maintained. And that's where the problem can lie. Most people who bought them thought that they could be treated the same as a petrol motor. I've seen diesel Golfs with the original fuel filter in place and 250,000km on the clock! Another thing with diesels (and really all motors) is that they need to be serviced according to the type of work that they do. Long journeys they love. Short trips kill them real fast. So, if you didn't do long runs you change the oil and filter very regularly...Even after just a couple of thousand km. Dirty fuel and water kill fuel injection gear. Fuel filters should be changed more often in situations where you are likely to get contaminants in the diesel and in winter when water can get in when you are filling up or when service stations allow their tanks to get low. Injection pumps (if you change your filter regularly) should last forever. Injector nozzles will erode (again more quickly in heavy duty applications) and should be replaced before they drip or their spray patterns go wonky and pit the pistons. NEVER overheat a diesel! You just won't get away with it. Tolerances are so small and stresses so high because of the 23:1 compression ratio that it does major damage. And it goes on. If you buy one from new and you service it properly it will do a million km without trouble. If you buy it used and the previous owner(s) didn't look after it you have got expensive trouble. Good luck!

**Bluerex** · 31-05-2005, 07:29 PM

Our 2.0l 1995 T4 is a little "flatulant" in that the exhaust man has developed a crack long-ways in the casting. This is common (according to Peter from Canberra VW) but not dangerous.
Otherwise for a vehicle of it's age it is brilliant!!!
I keep thinking about trading it on a later model but other than an after-market air-con upgrade... why bother?

C

**WEDEL.1** · 21-07-2005, 04:49 PM

Steer clear of early (91-95 big steering wheel) automatics. They are trouble!

Problems do not seem to exist with manual trans.

Maris

20v kit car · 21-07-2005, 08:24 PM

welcome doublecab am happy to advise on the t4 range being very familar with extensive knowledge based upon experience...97 on is the better choice regards 4 wheel discs and improved front suspension geometery..... 2.5 petrol engine code AET with simos injection system is a very reliable unit...check for correct g12 or g12+ coolant being used in the engine..down side is the watercooled oilcoolers can corode and leak water to the radiator ..which is a easy enough fix be it messy...ask about cam belt service[good for 100thou]..with aftermarket air con there are belt troubles the factory nippon denso system is best and very reliable..with little belt fatuige although the tensioner can seize and the plastic tensioner will melt ....10% failure factor.engine mounts [hydro type] wear and cause the engine to sag..auto particular which will cause the exhaust to wear a hole in the steer rack..around the 140-160k region.only use premium or better fuel as the excessive heat will cause the exhaust manifold to crack. the later auto box 97 on is ok there are probs with transmission coolers leaking[poor coolant choice] some boxes develop flaring between gears..its critical the original vw transmission fluid is used...small% suffer from electronic failures within the valve bodies. check lowwer g/box mounts on the auto's as they cop a hammering. the 5sp box is pretty good, listen for any 5th gear whine as many boxes were low in oil level and tend to burn 5th gear....can be fixed in car.wera and tear items in the front end check for movement in upper and lower ball joints.4wd syncro's work well but dont have a low ratio ..basically a std ratio box as the 2wd..tyre size is critical on all 4 wheels ,there is only a 5% wear factor between all tyres otherwise the viscous will poo itself..to test the system a simple u turn will give the driver feed back of windup thru the wheels..or if you can spin the front wheels there is a problem . the 2.4 diesel }AAB] code is only 66kw so the power is lacking. cambelt service and pump timing is critical..belts between 60-90 thou..tdi 60 thou...glow plugs suffer in colder weather 3 are easy to change the other 2 are sh*t. wateerr pump failure in the 2.4 d can cause top end destruction as the valves are not free of piston protrusion...2.0/2.5 petrol are. hope i haven't scared you off but the t4 is way superior to any other van of mileage/age on the market...as for the t5 it is THE BEST VAN EVER..i run a 2.5 tdi auto 128kw and cant fault it..still own the t1 t3. cheers steve

imported_brackie · 22-07-2005, 07:45 AM

Good on ya, Steve. You're a legend! Very comprehensive.

**DOUBLECAB** · 23-07-2005, 03:00 PM

Thanks to everybody for the info posted.

Regards...doublecab

**Bug_racer** · 26-04-2006, 01:13 PM

Everything that steve says is correct except that 2.5 petrol is not free running , it shares same bottom end as diesel . Steer clear of all Autos , they are problematic even on the last of the t4's . Stick with 2.5 petrol manual 1997 onwards , altough 1998 would be better as they received blue dash lights

**jets** · 08-05-2006, 10:52 AM

I can't say for certain whether the 2.5 petrol is an interference motor or not. Although it may have basically the same bottom end, the diesel has a much higher comp. ratio hence the interference. This was evident with the mk1 golf petrol & diesel motors.

The ideal T4 is 2000 on 2.5 TDI with manual trans. Lots of power with up to 40 mpg.