Winning the Vanagon Battle

[tates1882]

Hi,
So Ive had my 88 vanagon gl wolfsburg ej22 for 2 weeks this saturday, and boy what an adventure it has been. I wrote a previous thread about my initial trip home: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=660829&highlight=tates1882

Since then its been one thing after another but hey at least vw are easy to work on. Heres a list of problems and solutions:
1. PO installed larger headlights with no relay. Fix: installed new switch and load relay.
2. Belts squealing on 2.2 subie motor, upon inspection i found the mounting bolt on the tensioner had been stripped. I could have helicoiled it but I decided a new bosch alternator would be worth it, so I installed a new.
3 New alternator not charging, the old one charged just fine but I never had a battery light on the cluster and the aftermarket volt gauge showed a consistent 14.5v when running as did my dmm. Which lead me to believe I had a bad new alternator, so I exchanged it and still nothing, after testing at the connector for alternator I find that I'm getting no sense signal and the old alternator was fried so it would charge all the time(awesome to drive 13 hours in 100+ degrees! can you say boiling battery). After posting this:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=661186&highlight=
(thx btw kalispel) I found the blue wires they were plugged in, although at the alternator the sense wire was blk/wh and in the box they were blue, I figured that because my instrument cluster was toast it was causing the no sense problem. Installed the vanagon.com cluster fix and still no sense signal, well thankfully I'm a master electrician and machine troubleshooting just happens to be my area of expertise. So I decide that the wiring harness is the culprit and open it up, after chasing the blue wires for 2 hours i find they go in a loop through the engine compartment harness and not to the front of the van(grrr)!! Well along the way I did find and repair 10+ splices that were two wires twisted together with a couple wraps of electrical tape, one the #8 from jbox to starter post had one of these splices and it was secured to the freaking fuel line, replace the whole wire with #6. I built a new wiring harness for the alternator light and 5 spare wires for future use, installed it, connected the sense wire to dash cluster and like magic we have charge!!!! woot woot.
4. Instrument cluster, odometer not working, oxs light on, speedo whines. Fix: Installed instrument cluster fix, found and repositioned small drive gear for odometer(didn't last very long, fix on the way), replaced the speedo cable bypassing the milage sensor underneath the van. Changed the tach, speedo and idiot stickers with the smallcar subie stickers and rewired the cluster so the check engine light was connected to ecu. It was flashing like crazy, so out comes the scanner and I get 8 faults. More on this later. Also failed to realize that I needed to ground the high oil pressure wire coming from the instrument cluster to stop the effen buzzing, got it now.
5. Passenger side upper cv clicking loudly, upon inspection all cvs are in poor shape. Fix: Order and installed new cvs and axles from rocky mountain westy, going to rebuild the oem axle with 944 cvs.
6. Engine temp running at the higher limit. Fix: New fan coolant switch
7. Check engine light, codes:
p0130 front 02 sensor, tests within limits.
0136 rear 02 no rear 02 sensor on my van, no cat just a 30" glass pack.
0500 speed sensor fault, I have a small car vss and the ecu was receiving a clean 5v pulse. So tests good
1100 starter switch malfunction, I could never figure this one out.
1101 neutral position switch, my vans a mt and pin 82 is grounded, stumped!!
1120 start signal high voltage, never figured this one out either.
1540 speed sensor malfunction, again tests good!
So WTF is going on, I beat my head against the van all week trying to figure out what was causing all these faults, the engine purrs like a champ, fuel consumption is about 19mpg in city and 22 hwy. Theres no way possible the van would run that good with that many faults, so while randomly searching the internet I came across a yahoo answers link with a guy that had all the same faults. The solution was unplug the stupid test mode green connector at the ecu and like magic no faults!!!!!!(double GRRRR!!!)
8. Replaced the fuel lines and installed a blazecut.
9. Replaced the right side heater cable and all lever knobs.
10. Replaced heater blower and switch.
11. installed hard start relay.
12. Replaced tons of little body clips and fasteners.
13. Installed scan gauge driving computer and removed aftermarket gauge set.
14. Replaced the shifter tabs with gowesty kit. Re-aligned the shifter linkage, what an effen PITA.

I think I have him in pretty good shape, I need to flush the coolant and replace the plastic pipes but that will be later. Also the gas gauge is non op, hopefully its the sender and not the gauge, I get 9v on the gauge terminals! Anybody have any thoughts? I will also be servicing the transmission and changing the rear wheel bearings in two weeks, any special tools required?

So what I have left to do before the October road trip:
1. Install new hightop conversion from NAHT.
2. Aux Battery Kit
3. Fabricate and install sink and stove cabinet.
3. Install propane lines from swing away to stove.
4. Change headlights out to the rectangular e series.
5. Replace exterior bulbs with led and install flasher relay.
6. Upgrade brakes!! I'm very torn between small car discs on all four corners or go westy big brakes and finned drums. Anyone with either setuo that installed the upgrade themselves feel free to voice your opinions.
7. Replace seals around windows.
8. Fabricate and install customer front and rear bumpers.
9. fabricate and install swing aways.
10. Install fridge
11. Sew curtains
12. Re-seal gas tank

Geez the list is long and expensive, cuts down our van trip time. I wish the wife and I were only 4ft tall so we could just keep the tintop. Anyways more to come as the build progresses.
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88 Vanaru, ej22, naht

[jimf909]

Holy cow. That's quite a list in a short amount of time. It's taken me years to get many of those things done. If cost of projects is cutting into trip time, I'd suggest reconsidering some of the projects. Bumpers, big brakes, etc. may not be absolutely necessary.

Keep up the great progress and post pics!
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- Jim

[tates1882]

[tates1882]

Forgot to add to the list, Cruise control!!! An absolute must as both the wife and I have screwy lower backs do to an accident in 2010!!
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88 Vanaru, ej22, naht

[iliketowalk]

Edit: Didn't realize it's a build thread - have at it...
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1986 Weekender "Birch"

[tates1882]

knocked some items off the list:
Resealed the gas tank and replaced the sender.
Gas gauge works!!!!
Picked up the hi top and trimmed it to fit the van, waiting for the adhesive and insulation.
Replaced the front window seals, what a difference at 70mph.
Replaced the step pads with small car diamond plate, installed white gauge faces from small car so the tach matches.
Replaced all vacuum lines and ordered a new charcoal canister.
Installed new from driver hi beam reflector and replaced all adjuster screws.
replaced the missing passengers mirror.
Replaced fuse cover.
removed non op ac unit.
replaced two interior map lights.

Thats it for now. We took him on a 980 mile road trip and only had a small issue with the accelerator cable attachment point at the pedal. It worked its way loose and of course on a hill we lost acceleration.
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88 Vanaru, ej22, naht

[Gnarlodious]

Good grief! Another “par for the course” thread!
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Vanagon ’83 diesel AAZ w/Giles injection, 5spd 4.57R&P+TBD and a '78 diesel Rabbit

[tates1882]

[tates1882]

Well finally have all the various parts and pieces rounded up to do the hightop install, we won't be attaching it till the 21st. Tonight we gave the inside a good scrub down with soap and water, tomorrow we will cut in the windows and fan, attach the backing for both and run the electrical for the two overhead lights and fan. Also I will be adding some extra circuits behind the forward bulkhead and on the rear ceiling for future solar. We will be laying the wire flat against the fiberglass and attaching every 12" with adhesive, I will be sleeving the wire in small pieces of heat shrink where the adhesive makes contact. No point in compromising the wire insulation with chemicals and then burying at the bottom all the layers. Some ppl use tape right on top of the insulation but we are finishing using flex form carpet glued directly to the prodex insulation and I don't want to see any humps.

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88 Vanaru, ej22, naht

[Back Porch Picker]

Looking Good !
How many tubes of Evercoat and Sikaflex does it take
and what colors are you using?

[tates1882]

[tates1882]

Made a little progress

Darkness came to quickly.
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88 Vanaru, ej22, naht

[furrylittleotter]

Damn.

Someone has been busy!!!


I'm impressed.

Onward and upward.

Neil2

[Back Porch Picker]

[tates1882]

Wrong glue for foam. whoops

Right glue

Spacers attached

Wiring for the lights and fan. Changed my mind and just used tape.

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88 Vanaru, ej22, naht

[jimf909]

Great progress!

I'll be interested to see your wiring for future solar. Do you think you'll mount it in the front (I inferred that from your post but may be wrong).

Is that a Fantastic vent, and if so, which model? If not, what vent did you choose?

Love this thread!
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- Jim

[tates1882]

A little more progress
solar wires

solar

fitted prodded ready for glue

traced the prodded layout

3/5ths of the way done

all done, will tape seams and trim the insulation down in the morning before the headliner goes in

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88 Vanaru, ej22, naht

[tates1882]

[tates1882]

[tates1882]

Already for the flex form.

First area of flex form and lights. Woot woot

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88 Vanaru, ej22, naht