Volkswagen Type 2 (T3)

The Volkswagen Type 2 (T3) was the third generation of the Volkswagen Transporter and was marketed under various nameplates worldwide – including the Transporter or Caravelle in Europe, T25 in the UK, Microbus in South Africa, and Vanagon in North and South America.

It was larger, heavier, and more angular in its styling than its predecessor, the T2 but shared the same rear-engine, cab-over design. It was produced in a rear wheel drive version as well as a 4WD version marketed as "Syncro."

The T3 was manufactured in Hannover, Germany from 1979 until 1991. Production of the Syncro (mostly for official use, like postal service or German army) continued until 1992 at Puch in Graz, Austria, where all 4WDs were built. A limited number of 2WD models were also produced at the Graz factory after German production had come to an end. South African production of the T3 continued, for that market only, until 2002.

The T3 was the final generation of rear-engined Volkswagens.

History

Following the Type 2 T2, the Type 2 T3 initially featured air-cooled engines; later years had water-cooled engines. Versions produced in South Africa from 1990 until 2002 featured an Audi five-cylinder engine.

Volkswagen marketed the Westfalia camper variant throughout the T3 production, with features including a raised roof (either pop-up or fixed), refrigerator, sink, and stove.

Examples built between 1979 and 1985 featured round headlights and
basic steel or chrome-plated steel bumpers with plastic end-caps. Air-cooled models (1979 to mid-1983) lack the lower grill above the radiator of the water-cooled models, except on models with factory air conditioning. Production of the Syncro four-wheel drive model began in late 1984, with the world premiere taking place at the Brussels Commercial Vehicle Show in January 1985. The original Syncros came equipped with the gasoline 1.9 with and a "4+G" gearbox, with the G being a low gear for offroad use (''Gelände'' in German).

1986 model year models received revisions including a rev counter/tachometer, more fabric choices, redesigned air conditioning, enlarged water-cooled engine with a more advanced engine management system, and redesigned transmissions. Exterior changes included rectangular headlights (on selected models), and different paint options. Alloy wheels and larger fiberglass bumpers with trim along the rocker panels were optional (standard on Hannover and Wolfsburg Edition vans). For 1990 and 1991 model years, a "Carat" trim level was available which included all available options except the Westfalia conversion and Syncro.

Some 1979 through 1981 models received 6 welded-in metal slats covering the engine ventilation passages behind the rear windows. All later models had black plastic 16-slat covers that slotted in at the top and screwed down at the bottom.

During the 1980s, the U.S. Army and Air Force in Germany used T3s as administrative (non-tactical) vehicles. In military use, the vehicle's nomenclature was "Light Truck, Commercial".

T3 B32

Porsche created a version called B32 in a limited edition. The van, based on the luxurious Carat model, was equipped with the 3.2 liter Carrera engine and was originally developed to support Porsche's testing activities in Algeria. Ten of these were built, with some sold by Porsche to special customers, even having a Porsche VIN. Porsche themselves also used the Porsche-engined bus to transport staff rapidly. Top speed was around , although Porsche only claimed to ensure that the numbers could be replicated with nine people in the car and with the air conditioning on full.

Other versions

There was one other six-cylinder engine used in the VW Transporter: the Oettinger WBX6. The development of this engine was originally contracted to Oettinger by Volkswagen; it was derived from the regular four-cylinder Wasserboxer and meant for projected use in the T3. When VW abandoned the project, Oettinger bought the rights to the design and put it on the market. As such the six-cylinder shares many parts with the four-cylinder Wasserboxer. The WBX6 was originally only available with a three-speed automatic transmission, incorporating many Audi 100 parts to accommodate the higher power and torque.

Features

With the internal combustion engine and transaxle mounted very low in the back, the T3 had much larger disc brakes in the front, and drums in the rear. Axle weight is very nearly equal upon both the front and back ends of the vehicle. Unlike the T2 before it, the T3 was available with amenities such as power steering, air conditioning, power door locks, electrically controlled and heated mirrors, lighted vanity mirrors, and a light above the glove box (some of which were standard equipment in later (non-commercial vehicle) models).

The automatic was a standard hydraulic three-speed unit, the same 090/010 unit as used in Audis of the era. These featured a cast aluminum alloy case for the transmission section and a cast iron case for the final drive section.

The 091 manual transmission was a four-speed unit, featuring a lightweight aluminum alloy case; from 1983 a 5-speed transmission was available as an option on certain models; a 5-speed was fitted as standard on Syncro four-wheel-drive models.

The automatic features a 1.0 ratio top gear, while the manual features a 0.85 top gear.

The oil filler tube for the engine is located behind the flip-down license plate door, as is the oil dipstick and the power steering fluid reservoir (when fitted) on Petrol models. Diesel models have the reservoir in the front right corner of the engine bay. Early models had a twist-on/off non-locking gas cap right on the outside just under and behind the passenger side door. A locking cap was standard on later models. 4 Wheel Drive (Syncro) models have the fuel tank in the rear above the transmission so the filler is on the right-side rear corner. The spare tyre lies in a tray under the very front of the van (as the engine is in the back), just below the radiator.

Volkswagen T3, Club Joker, 1981, Air-cooled, one front grill

Engines

Because of the engine placement, a T3 has nearly equal 50/50 weight distribution fore and aft. The early air-cooled engines were somewhat expensive to produce and had some reliability problems. Volkswagen originally meant to replace them with the Golf's inline-four engine but the cost of re-engineering both car and engine made them opt for updating the flat-four instead. An overhead-cam design was mooted but rejected as a willingness to rev was considered to be of less importance than low-end flexibility and low cost. The new 1.9 L "Wasserboxer" (for a water-cooled boxer) was also originally considered for use in certain other Volkswagens such as the Gol, which still relied on the old air-cooled flat-four at that time.

The U.S version 1.9 liter and up water-cooled gasoline engines experienced significant and repeated problems with cylinder head surface erosion and coolant leaks. 2.1 L engines suffered the same, mostly due to not having the antifreeze changed often enough, and the use of phosphated coolant, which caused corrosion in the cooling system.

Petrol/gasoline

There were four general petrol engine variants between 1979 and 1991, with several sub-models. All were overhead-valve push-rod horizontally opposed four-cylinder engines. Available engine options differed between regions. Aftermarket VW specialist Oettinger also offered the WBX6, a six-cylinder version.
* Air-cooled (1979–1983) ''(similar to the Porsche 914)''
** 1.6 L (1584 cc) (50 bhp/37 kW) (Serial # CT) air-cooled, single Solex 34 PICT-4 carburettor (not available in the United States)
** 2.0 L (1970 cc) (70 bhp/51 kW) (Serial # CU or CV) air-cooled, twin Solex 34 PDSIT-2/3 carburettor or fuel injected (Bosch L-Jetronic) flat-four in the 1980 to 1983 models
* Water-cooled (1983 onwards)
** 1.9 litre engines:
*** 1.9 L (1913 cc) (83 bhp) (Serial # DH) water-cooled (or "Wasserboxer") engine used for the 1983 to 1985 models, which used a fuel injection system known as "Digijet" (Digital Jet-tronic)
*** 1.9 L (1913 cc) (59 bhp) (Serial # DF) 8.6:1 compression ratio, 34-PICT carburetor
*** 1.9 L (1913 cc) (76 bhp) (Serial # DG) 8.6:1 compression ratio, 2E3 or 2E4 carburetor
*** 1.9 L (1913 cc) (55 bhp) (Serial # EY) 7.5:1 compression ratio, 34-PICT carburetor
*** 1.9 L (1913 cc) (89 bhp) (Serial # GW) 8.6:1 compression ratio, Bosch Digijet electronic fuel injection
** 2.1 Litre engines:
*** 2.1 L (2109 cc) (95 bhp) (Serial # MV) Wasserboxer, used until the end of Vanagon importation into the US in 1991. This engine used a more advanced engine management system known as Bosch "Digifant" which now digitally managed ignition timing as well as fuel delivery.
*** 2.1 L (2109 cc) (90 bhp) (Serial # SS) 9:1 compression ratio Wasserboxer
*** 2.1 L (2109 cc) (112 bhp)(torque 128) (Serial # DJ) 10.3:1 compression ratio, Digijet injection, only sold in European countries not requiring catalytic converter.

The Wasserboxer featured an aluminum case, cylinder heads, and pistons, and a forged steel crankshaft. The Wasserboxer, as with all VW boxer engines has a gear-driven camshaft. It also featured Heron, or "bowl-in-piston" type combustion chambers where the combustion takes place within the piston bowl area, and not just in the cylinder head as would be the case with flat top pistons. The switch to water-cooled boxer engines was made mid-year in 1983. T2 transporters or 'bay window' vans, produced in Brazil until 2013, were switched to inline-four-cylinder water-cooled engines and a front-mounted radiator in 2005.

* Oettinger WBX6 (aftermarket)
** 3.2 L (3164 cc) (165 bhp) VW-Oettinger Wasserboxer, fuel injected.
** 3.7 L (3664 cc) (180 bhp) VW-Oettinger Wasserboxer, fuel injected.

Diesel engines

In contrast to the standard flat-four gasoline engines, all diesel engine options were of an inline-four configuration. The turbodiesel arrived in January 1985.
* 1.6 L (1588 cc) (37 kW / 50 PS / 49 bhp) (Serial # CS) Naturally aspirated diesel I4. In the US this was available on 1982 and 1983 models only.
* 1.6 L (1588 cc) (51 kW / 70 PS / 69 bhp) (Serial # JX) Turbocharged I4.
* 1.7 L (1715 cc) (42 kW / 57 PS / 56 bhp) (Serial # KY) Naturally aspirated I4.

U.S. model variations

In the U.S., the T3 was sold as the Vanagon, which is a portmanteau

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