Most Vanagon manuals incorrectly state the final drive ratio for the syncro
transmission. The manuals state that the final drive ratio is 5.43 in the
rear and 4.86 for the front final drive. This is, of course, impossible as
they have to be the same. The actual ratio for the rear is 4.86.

Just for the hell of it, everyone with a Vanagon manual should print out this
note and use it as a reminder to open page 34.1a and cross out the 5.43
figure and put in the 4.86 figure. The 5.43 figure is from the diesel but VW
never sold a Diesel 4x4 5 speed transmission in the USA. Some poor bastard
trying to figure all this out with your manual 10 years from now (possibly
you) will thank you. It is conceivable that this error was corrected in the
new version of the manual that was issued in 1993 or so but I don't know.

If you have the microfiche repair manual things are confused also since they
list the diesel transmission (Code DX) and omit mention of the Code AAK and
Code AAN transmissions which were actually used in the USA. 

Seems to me we have some bonk brains preparing the manuals we depend on.

derekdrew@aol.com