A couple of questions for Syncronauts and other alternative tranny types:

I've been browsing through my Bentley book, pondering the meaning of an
unstable 1st gear (not in my van but in a prospective purchase), and I
discovered that the Syncro is not alone in its '5-speed' (094-4WD)
status.  According to the book there is also a 2wd 5-speed tranny (094),
which, according to the diagrams, seems to have the same 1st gear/reverse
gear setup as the 094-4WD except that it doesn't have a 1st-gear idler
gear.  It also seems to have come attached to the diesel engine as an
alternative to the 4-speed setup.

My questions:

1. What is the idler gear's function, and why doesn't the 2wd 5-sp. or
4-sp. tranny have it?

2. Can a 2wd 5-sp. be attached to a waterboxer, or only to a diesel
engine?

3. Can a differential lock be retrofitted to this 2wd 5-sp?

Thanks for any ruminations (please reply or cc to my _personal_ address),

Marcus Elia
'84 Westfalia
(considering buying an '88 Wolfsburg)