>Hi folks, a question for those who have driven BOTH a Syncro and 'normal' 
>vanagon.
> -->  Is the clutch on the Syncro supposed to take thigh muscles like a 
>Russian weightlifter to push in? (ah, Olga, is this politically correct?) My 
>old '85 had a very easy clutch to push in, car like effort. The '87 Syncro 
>clutch is like a truck, my ass comes off the seat (almost, it seems). Is 
>this normal, ie beefier clutch plate springs in Syncro, or is something 
>seriously wrong. I have thoroughly bled the system, it was really stiff this 
>winter, likely water in the clutch fluid. That helped, but it's still twice 
>as stiff as the 2WD vanagons was. Ideas?   tia,  tim s.
>
>
I have driven both and there shouldn't be any difference.You may have a 
broken throw out arm in the bellhousing or bad bushings.Bad hoses or 
cylinders may also be the problem.