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Buggeee
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Joined: December 22, 2016
Posts: 4925
Location: Stuck in Ohio
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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 Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:21 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Ahhhh yes, the sticker! I almost quit my job a bunch of times this winter as I've been overworked and...you guessed it...underpaid! Hahaa, but things are getting better.
As for the hitch - there will definitely be some mounting going on 
Thanks Duncan!
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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DuncanS
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Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:15 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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All talk and no sticker. Seriously, Congrats on the hitch. Hope it's a frame mount and not a bumper one.
Looking forward to hearing about both Iceland and the adventures in Freddie.
Duncan |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:12 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Hello you guys!
That was a long winter - not as harsh as some we've seen here, but it was long nonetheless.
Temps are creeping up and I'm ready to get back into Freddie.
Me and Christina are getting married in a few weeks, by then the weather should be glorious and after our trip to Iceland in May, we'll be doing some adventures in Freddie!
We took him around the block last weekend, he had no power, a sticky lifter as usual, so there's a little bit to do before we can get him out on the road.
We hope you guys have had a good winter and it wasn't too dangerous.
Best wishes, Pilch
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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DuncanS
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Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2023 9:07 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| May the God of the Hall sender have mercy upon us. |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2023 6:44 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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You guys are all Vanagon Guru's.
Everyone who has contributed to Freddie's thread deserves a beer and a sew on embroidered patch.....actually, I feel a sticker coming on....yup, a sticker.
I work in the vehicle graphics industry so I shall design and send out a Vanagon Guru sticker for you all to get in the mail. It's not much, but it's our tribute to you all for your tireless help and positive support. I'll get working on that and ask for your mailing addresses here soon.
We appreciate every word you guys write down here. Reading all of this above brought me peace, and the idea that I can fix this issue, so I owe you all a big one.
Lots of love, peace and axle grease, Gary, Christina and Freddie.
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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DuncanS
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2023 6:10 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| The Pilch wrote: |
I jumped in and Freddie started right up, the tach did one little flicky thing. I found that odd.
What on earth is a Hall Pickup? |
| danfromsyr wrote: |
tach acting odd is a key thing here.
I'd inspect the wiring plug and the wires inside the distributer very closely for looseness or chaffing |
Engines need to have some way to tell the spark plugs when to fire. They used to use points in the distributer. Now they use a device called a Hall effect sender which has no contact points, just a magnet with some other stuff you don't need to know about which do the same thing as points, but with greater reliability and precision of timing.
Engines used to have carburetors which created a gas/air mix which was ready all the time to be pulled into the cylinders when the valve opened. Now they use injectors which are triggered to send the right amount of gas into the cylinder depending on load, RPM and some other stuff you don't need to know about. Without going on too long about how the injectors and air get to the cylinders on a T3 (Vanagon), the Hall sender does the injector thing too.
Without the Hall sender, you have no running capability atal, atal.
Since this is part of the dizzy (distributor), a replacement is very easy, but you need to know about timing and have a light for that. There is plenty on this in Bentley or ProTraining, so....... https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-d186504?sei...B#overview
BUT, remember the signal from the dizzy has to get to the ECU which then tell the injectors and spark to happen. It might be the wires or their connection to the engine harness from the dizzy, in which case, check them out carefully, especially at any plugs or connections. You don't need plugs, that was for assembly at the factory, so shrink insulated butt connectors are better as there is less chance of corrosion.
The tach--It gets its signal from the coil which in turn get's its signal from the ECU. The wire runs from the coil, way back aft, all the way forward to the gizmo at the dash. If for any reason that wire gets grounded, from age or mouse related chomping, and happens to intermittently touch some body metal, then the engine will skip, or quit until it moves off the metal by a bump, shutting the door when you get out or heat related movement. Thus Dan's comments are well placed.
Duncan |
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sanchius 
Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2007
Posts: 1559
Location: IN
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2023 4:15 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| The Pilch wrote: |
| What on earth is a Hall Pickup? |
It has been fun watching you and your wife's journey with your van.
And most of us here have been noobie Vanagon owners at some point in our lives asking that same question: "What on earth is a Hall Pickup?"
This is a transition point that signals you are moving to the next level of Vanagon ownership: advancing from reactive fixing to proactive maintenance and upgrades. The highest level, Vanagon Guru, is still a decade or so away if you keep at it.
For years I was in the first camp, reactive fixing. We also had a very reliable, powerful, and professionally maintained LWB Astro van with working everything that we used for many crosscountry and camping trips with the kids while I puttered on my Westy. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the Westy, put up with its spectacular unreliability, but never spent the time to get to know that much about it mechanically or electrically because we always had the Astro to fall back on when the Westy broke down.
When the Astro reached the end of its service life and the kids were graduating and dispersing to their lives, I had a decision to make: get another boringly reliable American van or go all in on making the Westy as reliable as I could. The cost was going to be about the same. The coolness and challenge of the Westy won out over the reliability of a soul less American van and I dove in to learn and do everything needed to keep a semi-stock Vanagon alive. The first step was getting very proficient at using TheSamba search functions so I could learn from the experience and pain of others on what needed to be done. The rest require time, $$$, and labor.
Things I have done that have brought me great peace of mind on our Westy are:- Renewing all the fuel lines & upstream fuel system (tank, crossover lines, pump, and filter),
- Completely renewing the cooling/HVAC system: radiator, heat matrix, water pump, thermostat, and ALL the rubber bits.
- Renewing the front heater system and adding relays to the med & high speed settings,
- Renewing all the wheel bearings, CVs, flexible brake lines, & suspension/steering bushings,
- Renewing the shifting system, accelerator cable, & ignition switch,
- Cleaning all grounds, adding additional grounds and a hidden kill switch, installing fresh batteries,
- Relaying the headlights & horn to get the load off the switches,
- Doing the high-torque starter conversion,
- Adding an oil pressure gauge that sits right in front of me,
- And the big one: rebuilding the WBX engine from the case up to a higher spec. Much of this is documented here: Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet
Since I was in this for the long haul and was lucky enough to live in places with multiple Pick-n-Pull boneyards within easy reach, I also slowly accumulated a deep set of known-good spares to keep on board to use as hot-swaps for the fails that commonly put vanagonauts on the side of the road: distributor+Hall sensor, coil, fuel pump+filter, 2 ignition switches, 2 belts, old accel cable, an ECU, and a Bentley manual. In the garage are a couple spare AMMs, throttle bodies, catalytic converter, and a bunch of other parts. At this point, the only big things that remains to renew are the transmission & engine wiring harness, upgrading to metal fore/aft coolant lines, coolant tank and vapor recovery tanks, replacing the aging BFGs, and maybe think about adding AC since we now live in the land of humidity.
So now, after a lot of time, money, and effort, I finally have a reliable Westy.
The big challenge now is finding time to use it while keeping bad drivers from running into me.
Good luck on your journey and keep up the good storytelling...
_________________
The Syncro years (2005-16) - The 2WD years (2017-23) - In Hoosierland (2023-now)
Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet - Sanchius & Tuna: The Video
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32987
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2023 3:20 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Initially, mine started right back.
When it started missing and the tach jumped around, I could kick it into neutral turn off the key (DO NOT PULL IT OUT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS! ) Start it back up and all was well.
Then that stopped working.
I needed to stop and turn it off, then restart.
And then it stopped starting well, it would crank and fire and stall.
I'd check for spark after the stall and I had spark!
Then it would start and stall.
I think the Hall would produce a few sparks but cease doing so after it fired.
Then a few times there wasn't a spark..... check again and there was!
Sit a bit, it would fire right up and off I went!
It was mind numbingly frustrating chasing an intermittent self healing problem!
A simplistic explanation is that The Hall replaces the points.
It signals the ECU to create a spark and to fire the injectors.
Your symptoms sound like my early symptoms.
Good luck!
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos
Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert |
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danfromsyr
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Joined: March 01, 2004
Posts: 15345
Location: Syracuse, NY
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2023 9:29 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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tach acting odd is a key thing here.
I'd inspect the wiring plug and the wires inside the distributer very closely for looseness or chaffing
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| Abscate wrote: |
| These are the reasons we have words like “wanker” |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2023 9:09 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Hi guys, thank you so much for your input @djkeev, @sanchius and @DuncanS
I read all of those links you guys posted.
I did notice when I got to her pull-over spot, I jumped in and Freddie started right up, the tach did one little flicky thing. I found that odd.
That was the only issues I witnessed.
So I have some questions for you Legends Of The Vanagons:
Vanagon Syndrome effects 85's? I ask, because the Van Cafe Hall Pickup tech data states VS for 86 and on vehicles.
What on earth is a Hall Pickup?
One of my guesses was the computer and the coil etc was hotter than all hell and fury. Should I replace the coil as good practice, and also would some kind of shroud work to reflect heat away? Has anyone done that?
Very interesting reading and I appreciate the information from you guys. Thanks again so much.
Oh and we used Freddie as a hauling truck this evening, full of furniture, a good 20 miles, hot as hell, zero issues.
Bless the Vanagon and all who sail in them.
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32987
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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sanchius
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Joined: May 03, 2007
Posts: 1559
Location: IN
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DuncanS
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Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2023 4:45 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Sounds like an ECU reboot issue. Vanagon Syndrome? Do you have a capacitor on the AFM?
Duncan |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2023 7:29 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Hi guys!!
Just a quick update and to say hope you are all well and enjoying your summer.
Freddie did a huge road trip this weekend, from Pleasant Grove Utah to Richfield and back, which is 270 mile round trip. I'll have wifey send me some pics (I didn't go) of the camp spot and stuff, but he was trouble free the whole time...
HOWEVER...about 8 miles from home, wifey said he lost power in 3rd gear - bogged down enough to worry her...so she pulled over to the side of the road and called me.
I was there in 20 mins and he started right up and drive home the rest of the way with zero issues.
Now, I bow to your guys' superior knowledge, and I'm not sure what to do with the information i just typed out, but do those computers get a bit crazy when they are extra hot? It was SUPER hot today, all I can think of is that, because when he cooled down a little bit, there were no issues at all.
Maybe a blocked cat? But the final stretch home saw zero issues.
Do these fuel pumps go bad gradually or just flat out fail?
I really needed to be in the van when this happened.
I'm not even calling it a breakdown, he did a hot ass trip this weekend and she and Freddie loved it.
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 2:00 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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This Sunday we did a 50 mile round trip in Freddie. It was the hottest day of the year, at 103F.
Fun had: Bucket loads
Issues arisen: 0
He ran like a swiss watch, so we are very glad about that.
Here he is, sitting proudly after his run, with the ever increasing Volkswagen contingency at our house.
Hope you are all keeping safe and well, and cool!
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:54 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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On Saturday, it was a miserable 105F here in Utah. I know there are hotter places but Moses Sandals it was uncomfortable. So with limited time due to imminent death, I ran to a few stores to see how to spruce up the rear side marker lenses.
I went for a $2.79 punt, on this tosh...
Which actually didn't look too bad...
It doesn't dissipate the light particularly well, but I think that's more down to the tired old lenses than the film. Still, does the job for now!
We drove Freddie hard this evening, got him wound up, and then checked the cooling system with a flashlight for leaks...no leaks, or steam, so I think we can say, for now, the expansion tank debacle is behind us. But make no mistake, we have our beady eyes on him, we listen to him, and most of all we love driving him.
That's all for now fella's, cheers and have a blessed week.
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:45 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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| DuncanS wrote: |
Still lots of good stuff. Radiator?, rear hatch, slider, front heat exchanger box ?????
Duncan |
You are right Duncan, there's definitely some more stuff there. We are going to go back, because on this occasion, I was on my lunch break with limited tools, so time was of the essence!
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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DuncanS
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Joined: October 17, 2013
Posts: 4583
Location: New Hampshire
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| Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 8:50 am Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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Still lots of good stuff. Radiator?, rear hatch, slider, front heat exchanger box ?????
Duncan |
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The Pilch
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2013
Posts: 729
Location: Utah
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| Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2023 12:13 pm Post subject: Re: Our '85 fix-up-and-enjoy Vanagon |
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All the above duly noted thank you guys.
The new tank arrived, and we'll be replacing it this evening.
On my lunch break today, I decided to look at the Pick n Pull inventory, and lo-and-behold they had an 86 Vanagon.
The Pick n Pull is less than 3 minutes from my work so you know what happened....
This poor little guy was sat there...
He had been picked over real good. Barely anything of value, however, I did pull the following:
2x rear side marker lights and bulb holders (the lenses are faded but not broken)
2x rubber step covers for driver/pass step-up area
1x Sliding door rail cover beading
1x sliding door latch rubbery flap thingy still attached to a good seal.
2x sun visors in good shape.
many many interior trim clips
Some side markers for my old Dodge elsewhere in the yard.
There was barely anything else left. I was hoping for the captains chairs rotating bases and the sliding side window latches but alas, all gone. Poor guy.
Upon looking at these pictures I did spot the sliding door in the background, leaning up against another vehicle DOH!!! We will go back and get that in wifeys minivan.
Also I'm wondering if it's worth pulling the z bed frame out, maybe that's worth something to someone? The seat back was still there but the bum part was gone.
That's all for today fella's hope you are all safe and well.
_________________
'85 Vanagon GL, weekender package, 1.9 wbx named Freddie/ '61 Beetle named Ringo/ '78 Dodge Monaco which is nothing like the Bluesmobile so please don't cast that oily rag upon it. |
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