AN ACR FLC HAS TROUBLE TRACKING V213 WHEN THE SAX VOR APPARENTLY GIVES INCONSISTENT COURSE INFO. LATER; THE FLC GOES OUT OF THE PROTECTED HOLDING AREA WHILE HOLDING AT AN INTXN OFF OF THE SAX VOR.

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THIS WAS AN ACR FLT FROM BOS TO EWR. WE HAD DIFFICULTY JOINING V213 TO SAX. THERE WAS A VERY STRONG XWIND AND THE SAX VOR WAS UNSTEADY AND OSCILLATING FROM CTRED TO FULL SCALE DEFLECTION. ZBW TOLD US WE WERE OFF THE AIRWAY (V213) AND GAVE US A HEADING TO JOIN. THE CTLR STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROB NE OF SAX. THE OSCILLATIONS OF SAX VOR CONTINUED; BUT I FELT WE WERE WITHIN LIMITS OF THE AIRWAY. WE WERE THEN GIVEN HOLDING AT SHAFF INTXN AS PUBLISHED; WHICH CALLS FOR L HAND TURNS. JUST BEFORE TURNING L THE VOR NEEDLE AGAIN WENT TO FULL SCALE R; INDICATING WE WERE L OF THE AIRWAY. UPON TURNING L WE EXPERIENCED A STRONG TAILWIND AND THE CTLR TOLD US WE EXCEEDED THE HOLDING LIMIT AND TO MAKE A SHARPER TURN TO THE L. AFTER TURNING BACK INBOUND WE STILL HAD DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING THE RADIAL DUE TO WIDE OSCILLATIONS ON BOTH VORS CAUSED BY THE SAX VOR. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO EWR AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE FAA TAKE SOME CORRECTIVE ACTION TO PROVIDE PROPER VOR SIGNALS IN THIS CONGESTED AIRSPACE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THAT THE VOR COURSE INDICATOR WAS MOVING CONTINUOUSLY AND THE CTLR (ZBW) TOLD HIM THAT THIS WAS NOT AN UNUSUAL PHENOMENON FOR THE SAX VOR WHEN APCHING FROM THE NE. THE RPTR ALSO SAID THAT THEY ALMOST ASKED FOR VECTORS; BUT THE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY. THE NEXT ARTCC CTLR (ZNY) WAS UPSET WHEN THE COMBINATION OF IMPROPER VOR INDICATIONS AND A STRONG XWIND TOOK HIS ACFT OUT OF THE HOLDING PATTERN'S PROTECTED AIRSPACE. THE RPTR SAID THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN THIS TRACKING PROB BEFORE ON THE MD80.