TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:57 pm

Don't know if anyone will find this valuable or not, but as I begin to fiddle and diagnose my own Vanagon troubles I sometimes come accross parts that I have no idea who, what or why they are. The Bentely may show it, but its not labeled; I'll see it listed under a half dozen names in the classifieds, and usually even my local VW mechanic is stumped. Nevertheless the Samba is a rich source of experience and it is threads like these that get me good and "learned."

So, perhaps this thread could be of use for those in similar situtations, perhaps even a "sticky?"

This past weekend I was once again tinkering with my 89 2.1L tintop, cleaning up the FI parts from an earlier tranny oil cooler fail (oil in the coolant) when I pulled the following sensor off of the intake boot. This sensor sits between the oil/case tower hose and the intake boot to the throttle body. It showed the oil/water deposits of my latest problem and a whole bunch of other gunk; it was not until I pulled a clean one off my spare 2.1L that I noticed that the interior of this hose adaptor has a copper shield that receives a current. What is it for, what do you call it and how does it work?

Terry Kay in his ad ( http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=302892 ) calls it a vent line heating element. What does it heat the pressured air from the case?

I already replaced this one with a cleaner one, but I would still like to know what this component is. Thanks in advance.

Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:06 pm

pg 17

http://shoebox-electronix.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/8385_UMTG_9-26-08.pdf

Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:10 pm

that looks like the gizmo in the oil breather line that heats up the oil vapor

Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:15 pm

Vent Line Heating Element (Canadian vehicles only)
A heating element is used on the crankcase vent line to prevent icing during cold engine operation. This element can be checked with an ohmmeter. The circuitry to operate the heating element is protected by an in-line 5A fuse, located in the wiring connector box in the engine compartment.

Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:15 pm

ok, here is mine -- a new entry

You are lying underneath the 2.1L motor Van on the LH side at the rear ahead of the engine and look up. The big tube in front of your face is an exhaust header.

You see this:

The blue plastic thing to the right in the pic (outboard LH side of the Van) is the Temp II (aka, Temp 2) sensor, which is a common replacement item for keeping the Digifunky Digfant system happy.

Now, name the other sensor with the black rubber boot on it that is towards the front of the pic ...

Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:31 pm

Temp sender for dash temp gauge. I call it Temp3, since Temp1 and Temp2 are already taken by the Fuel Injection system.

Mark

randywebb wrote: ok, here is mine -- a new entry

The blue plastic thing to the right in the pic (outboard LH side of the Van) is the Temp II (aka, Temp 2) sensor, which is a common replacement item for keeping the Digifunky Digfant system happy.

Now, name the other sensor with the black rubber boot on it that is towards the front of the pic ...

Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:42 pm

gl98115 wrote: pg 17

http://shoebox-electronix.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/8385_UMTG_9-26-08.pdf

Excellent resource thanks, already downloaded a bunch of new documents for my personal repair manual.

Wed Jun 13, 2012 3:22 pm

Here is a view of the top of an automatic trans. equipped 1986 Van, take by looking forward from the engine compartment just under the firewall.

Is it labelled correctly?

Also, if that is a gnd. then where does it go?

Wed Jun 13, 2012 3:45 pm

If that "ground" wire is a curved piece of steel it is a support for a hose that goes across the top of the tranny on some models.

Mark

randywebb wrote: Here is a view of the top of an automatic trans. equipped 1986 Van, take by looking forward from the engine compartment just under the firewall.
Is it labelled correctly?
Also, if that is a gnd. then where does it go?

Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:05 pm

Thx Mark - that must be it.

Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:08 pm

Here is another pic - brown wire but cannot be a ground, as it is on a sensor

is it an oil pressure sensor? if so, which one?

Thu Jun 14, 2012 12:43 pm

looks like the 0.8 bar pressure sensor for over 2000 RPMs?

Thu Jun 14, 2012 6:33 pm

Bentley 17.7: "0.9 bar (13.1 psi) oil pressure switch (from 1986)"

Ummm...how is it you're not finding this stuff in your Bentley...???

Thu Jun 14, 2012 7:05 pm

randywebb wrote: Here is another pic - brown wire but cannot be a ground, as it is on a sensor

VW often used brown wires with white stripes for switched grounds. Why they went with plain brown wires in this instance is a mystery. Forward of the connector in the engine compartment the wires have different colors.

I have always considered this small harness to be pretty shoddy. VW should have used special wire that could handle high temps and/or should have shielded the wire well.

Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:40 pm

dhaavers wrote:
Ummm...how is it you're not finding this stuff in your Bentley...???

First, thanks for posting your info.
I thought the idea of this forum was to help people with their Vans, and the idea of this thread was to help people ID parts on their Vans (?), which is not particularly well done by the Bentley manual, even in B&W.

Wildthings - VW is the low buck car manf. in Germany - even the high buck manfs. began a series of cost (and quality) cutting measures in the 1980s, so...

Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:22 pm

randywebb wrote: Wildthings - VW is the low buck car manf. in Germany - even the high buck manfs. began a series of cost (and quality) cutting measures in the 1980s, so...

Yeah, but the most effective cost cutting measure was to reduce warranty cost. This part didn't help there.

Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:43 pm

randywebb wrote: ...the idea of this thread was to help people ID parts on their Vans...
I get it - you're covering everything the Bentley doesn't.

So far, so good...only 1,042 pages to go...

:wink:

Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:16 am

This seems to be a great game! I'm assuming it's a drill to see who knows their Vanagon and Bentley the best... Is there going to be a prize? or if I stump everyone do I get a prize?
Jeff

Fri Jun 15, 2012 1:55 pm

dhaavers wrote: randywebb wrote: ...the idea of this thread was to help people ID parts on their Vans...
I get it - you're covering everything the Bentley doesn't.

So far, so good...only 1,042 pages to go...

:wink:

The Bentley is simply not organized in terms of "get familiar with the mechanical parts on your vehicle" -- and BTW the Vanagon Bentley is the worst one I've seen.

I don't have to do this -- it seems more valuable than "look at the butt end of everyone's van"

Fri Jun 15, 2012 4:59 pm

Sorry - no disrespect...I totally agree re: Bentley.

IMO, & knowing how the "search" function works around here, I feel it's probably better to wait for someone
to ask a specific question rather than try to cram every possible answer into a single helpful(?) thread.

But...go for it.

Peace out.