1979 carburetor to fuel injection conversion

[Wasted youth]

[SGKent]

[airschooled]

[ImAddicted]

Don’t forget, there’s California, then there’s the rest of the country. I had to go Boston for DHS training in June, while the visible air quality there’s is not significant during normal times, the smell definitely is (Boston has a decent public transportation system). My June trip was the first time in 45 years I could walk by a bakery in Southy and actually smell the goods.
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1979 Transporter (sold)
KC1MUR

[SGKent]

according to that NPR article, the way I read it, both Archie Bunker and Meathead are alive and well.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[airschooled]

I found this set of injector seals in my stash, which has a lip. When installed as on the left injector, installation is MUCH easier since the seal sits completely in the bracket. For years I've thought the large injector seals were not shaped right, and skew the seal before it's compressed into place, like on the right injector. (Also, aren't these new phone cameras amazing??)

Details are important, see, like this Inspector Otto signature on the left tin, which I masked off for historical preservation. Used up my old stash of rattle can gloss black out of boredom, waiting on the last shipment of gaskets and hoses. I like to do the entire installation in one push to avoid missing actually important details…

Free Air-Schooled sticker and beverage cozy for the first one to answer what the stamp really means.
Robbie
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Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com

[Clementine79]

The stamp was a form of quality control inspection approval correct?

I.O. "in Ordnung" engine checks out OK off the production line

[KentABQ]

How's the conversion coming along?
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[airschooled]

[airschooled]

[airschooled]

Not a lot to do waiting on parts… For some reason, this donor system had all matching parts except the double relay, which is a bummer because I really like the look of the OG metal relays…

Today was the Day Of Goodies.

Waiting on ONE more parts delivery, I was still able to install the bulk of the FI system.

Once the heat let down, I was able to run the wiring harness in the stupid '78+ spot behind the plenum… So uncivilized…

If anyone has questions about any of this process, please ask! I don't like grabbing my phone with dirty fingers, so I don't take nearly as many pictures as I intend to… The build up was pretty routine, something like:
TTS
Spark plug wires, (occasionally removed for re-routing, never touching!)
Fully-assembled plenum/TB/AAR bracket
AAR, with short hose
TS2
Intake runners with hoses pre-installed
Vacuum lines
S-boot
Air hoses

Honestly, I never remember when the best time to run the wiring harness is. On earlier cars where it runs in front of the plenum, I think it should be installed earlier in the process. On the later setup like this, it almost doesn't matter when you run the harness. If this was my personal car, I would really like one of Kyle's harnesses, but the harness I had for this conversion was the nicest OG harness I've ever seen for sale, and it was cheap.

Tomorrow will see the pump, lines, and AFM/filter installation. Should be good to fire up after that and begin toooooning.

Robbie

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Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
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[andrewtf]

Remember this little "do-dad" that was secured to Big Emma?
An Auto Trans Temp Switch.

I didn't see it in your pile-o-stuff for the conversion. Need one?

Thanks to Tcash for diagram and part identification
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'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' (Pan American highway trip paused for a make over)
'77 Riviera - Murphy' (being reborn.... slowly)
'63 Austin Healey

[SamboSamba22]

Andrew, you're a good fella!

Looking good Robbie. I'm sure I'll have some questions for you, customer just dropped off a 79 California emissions Auto Westfalia.

With a wonderful transmission shutter and 3 cylinders attempting to make entering the shop bay easier


Sam
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The Bus Barn Ltd. Co.

Oct. ’67 Double Cab (’68 Crew Cab)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-44412.png]Click to view image[/URL]
March '69 Delivery (Panel Bus)
[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-44414.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[Clatter]

Ah, the legendary '79 CA thermal reactor.
At 14.7 stoich it runs hot enough to make it's own plasma!

Bunch of great info here.
Years ago, i was the only one on earth who cared about the mysterious '79 CA.


Good thing i don't work on these things for a living;
I'd never be letting the customer decide anything.
Seeing all the goo stuck to the fan grille,
Can only guess what's between all of cooler/cylinder/head fins.

Was trying to reach thru my monitor and take those tins off!

It's only a few tin screws.
But, yet, they pay you to paint and polish the tins??
Guess you have to draw the line somewhere.

-Quote
"Normally I'm in the "don't buy parts that they won't check" camp, but the CA-spec emissions requirements are way too narrow to pass without a good 3-way cat."
Maybe they've changed the levels/law, but i can get thru a CA smog (visual notwithstanding) in our area without a cat on an otherwise stock motor.


Best thing about a '79 CA setup is that you can un-plug the O2 sensor and run it open loop like an earlier bus.
Tune it without the sensor to your favorite rich/cool/dirty live-a-long-time settings,
Then plug in the 02 sensor to get thru smog.
When it gets too hot from running hard at stoich, unplug the sensor and watch your CHTs drop way way down before your eyes..
(I put mine on a switch )
Here in cool Santa Cruz, i usually run it plugged in because we just sit in traffic or drive two-laners by the cool coast.

No way I'd leave it plugged in on a loaded highway trip.
The heads would melt into liquid and run onto the street!

Great build.
Love to see all of the parts i used to put in my pockets at the PNP BITD.
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[mikewire]

Awesome work Robbie! Hey where'd you source those silicone intake and air hoses?

[THall]

[airschooled]

Thanks for the quick response, Tim! Do you love Volkswagens? Think music is cool? Are you looking for an unpaid summer internship? Air-Schooled is now interviewing for a Reply Response Time Coordinator!

Clatter, they are not paying me to clean and paint the tins. I'm a special snowflake when it comes to getting my hands dirty, so I clean every engine I work. I would rather spend an hour cleaning an engine once, than an hour scrubbing my arms every time I work on it. They are not paying me to do a lot of things, but if I want to spend an entire afternoon making sure all the hose clamps are planar because five months of work dropped out from under me and time and money are now illusions, I'm gunna.

So it's been a while…

If you love the size 13 ABA clamps but can't get them over the good 7mm BugHaus hose:

I'm waiting for the cat and other exhaust components to get here, but I thought I'd use this week to dial in the tune before the cat gets here… No-start #1 was the damn fuel pump wiring having the same size rings for both lugs… Glug glug, goes the gas tank… Startup #2 ran with sad aplomb on two cylinders.


Link



Startup number three was the winner… We'll play a game later for another chance to win an Air-Schooled Merch Mailer. Why were cylinders #2 and #4 dead? Listening to the "repaired" second half of the video, you'll hear that there was barely any lifter tick, so my hint is that hydraulic lifters sitting for a month did not cause this. Happy guessing.

Got two good pretests in today, but forgot to grab a pic of the printouts. The first test failed "Gross Polluter" status, for being 3X over on CO, 4-5%, and double the limit of HC. NOx passed/failed the low/high by hairs. The second test passed CO with .3/.4%, failed both HC but got much closer, and passed NOx with ~1,100ppm readings. The new cat should get us way under the HC limit and help with NOx too; I just want to make sure we're running this engine efficiently enough to work the cat properly, without overheating it and making Magnaflow sad. It is a weekend cruiser/show car, not a Road Warrior, so daily driving using a smog tune won't be an issue.

Robbie

(Damn parcel trays won't let the parking brake lamp switch off… And the tach is whacky, gotta get a diode in line… And the steering wheel is crooked…)
_________________
Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com

[SGKent]

make sure that those "gross polluter" tests are pre-tests and don't get sent in, or it is a world of grief. Instead of a bi-annual test they will turn it into an annual test.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[airschooled]

[THall]