Bostig RG1 install group....anyone? Also RG2 etc!

alnvilma · Samba Member Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 395

westylife et al,
I finally got around to moving my Bostig air box to the cool side and here are my contrary thoughts!:
-How you guys fit a 5/8" hose on that box spigot is beyond me! Not close even with a heat gun. I slit the hose twice and used a clamp. Absolutely no way it would stay w/o a tight clamp.
-I took it for a drive and detected NO discernible noise reduction! In fact, I swear it's louder Surprised

Perhaps your snorkel setup was way loud initially?
Oh well, no harm. Really puzzled after reading about opposite results.

scottychop · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 7:52 pm Post subject:

Mine is pretty loud also. I don't have the resonator on the intake though...

westylife · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 9:15 pm Post subject: Re: air box mod

westylife · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 9:44 pm Post subject:

Installed the Bostig heat shield today and that thing looks sexy!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

_________________
1983.5 Westfalia Bostig RG1

MsTaboo · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:04 pm Post subject:

JudoJeff · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:19 am Post subject: RG-3 air box mod

alnvilma,

I picked up a new airbox with the resonator, and it is quieter. I didn't dare install the old air box with my plastic welding. Too embarrassed at that pile of dung. I used a 5/8 brass hose connector, tapered on both sides, to attach the hose, and jammed it into the airbox connection. Wanted something solid. The 5/8ID hose should fit over things without a problem.

I don't know if the snorkel caused more noise, I'd suspect the long black hose first.
_________________
________________________________________
1989 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Burned up on 7/31/16.
1987 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig & Rebuilt, sold
1986 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig Sold May 10, 2021
1999 Ford GTRV Westfalia camper (30% bigger Westy layout)

Rodknock · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:34 am Post subject:

alnvilma · Samba Member Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 395

westylife & JudoJeff,
I bought a new/used air box, cut off the feet. It has the resonator.
Another drive today with same results: zero change in decibels.
Hey westylife, with your heat shield and new wheels, you're getting half serious there! Very Happy

I was about to pop for the Gowesty 15" set but now you have me wondering about the garage!
I thought their wheel packages like yours, were near as can be to original diameter! I wonder why yours now sits higher?
I have the Contour oil pan on my Zetec and prefer any ground clearance I can muster w/o the HC pan upgrade.

kourt · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 4:39 am Post subject:

Greetings Bostig enthusiasts,

Some followup thoughts on automatic transmissions and the Bostig conversion:

Following my initial install, my previously sealed transmission began to leak ATF at the torque converter seal. Long story short, it actually turns out I had a cracked torque converter, possibly due to too little end play. I replaced the torque converter and replaced the seals, and everything was fine. That was back in May. The new torque converter came from Van Cafe, but was made by Precision of New Hampton and was painted blue:

http://www.gopnh.com/Transmissions.cfm?Transmission_id_cat=010

I started to notice another ATF leak at the bell housing (torque converter seal again) in August. A long trip on a hot day (100 degrees) up a mountain resulted in a sudden, dramatic dumping of ATF when we stopped to cool off.

Note that I am running the GoWesty automatic transmission cooler. It's a good product, and the extra volume of ATF, combined with the cooler's design purpose (passive cooling), give me more confidence in the transmission under heavy loads and higher power inputs from the Zetec. The little ATF thermostat in the cooler lines is working fine--tested with an IR thermometer.

http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=4481&category_id=&category_parent_id=

What I've noticed is that the change in dipstick angle for the automatic transmission in the Bostig conversion is significant enough to consistently give false indication of ATF levels.

The waterboxer AT dipstick position sits at a lower angle, which makes the difference between the two principal ATF level markings on the dipstick much more subtle. At that lower angle, a change in volume must be indicated by a larger distance between the two ATF level markings.

Raise the angle of the dipstick (as shown by the red line in the photo) as the Bostig conversion does and you get a dipstick whose calibration marks are 1) higher than stock, and 2) too far apart to properly express the change in fluid volume at higher temperatures when measured at the new angle.

Therefore, if you were to check the AT fluid level (engine running, warm transmission, on a level surface), filling to the lower mark of the two marks on the dipstick would actually be overfilling.

Remember that in the stock ATF dipstick position, the difference between the two calibration marks is a very small amount of ATF--perhaps eight ounces of ATF, and possibly less.

Raising the dipstick as is done in the Bostig conversion calls for 1) lowering the calibration marks, and 2) narrowing the distance between the low and high calibration marks on the dipstick.

I'm not saying this is a huge problem with the conversion, but in my case (very heavy full Westy, driving in really hot weather) this change in proper ATF level may have led to chronic overfilling in my case, which may have led to blown seals when the transmission was worked to peak load at high temperatures.

My proposed solution is to simply score the dipstick at a lower point to provide a new mark for proper ATF filling.

This all comes to me following my fourth transmission drop on my van, where I pulled the whole transaxle out and resealed it completely (new seals at torque converter, drive flanges, AT pan, differential pan, pinion seal carrier, and trans/diff joint).

This photo shows the simple winch I built to raise and lower the transmission without assistance. The winch itself is mounted on a single 2x4 block that floats in the slot in the larger 2x4 frame. It allows the winch to be moved freely but still provides stability.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016KABFC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also note that I checked the vents on the transmission and both are perfectly clear and venting air as needed.

The prior service of the differential used a silicone gasket maker product to seal the pan--that was leaking--so I bought a seal and bedded it in a light film of Permatex Motoseal. That reseal seems to be working now.

Fluid used in the transmission is Mobil 1 ATF and Mobil 1 75w90 gear oil in the differential. There are no shifting problems. I am running a stock governor, but I am giving serious thought to shaving it to raise the shift points a little:

http://my.tbaytel.net/guskers/trans.pdf

One more thing of note--my forward transmission mount had sufficiently loose rubber to lead me to believe that it was not giving the whole transmission enough stability to function properly. I bought a new transmission mount bushing from T3 Technique to solve this problem. That bushing uses their softer yellow poly bushing material, which should give stability but not transfer every harsh noise (trans oil pump sounds) to the body of the van. This service required removing the old bushing rubber, scoring the old bushing metal shell with the aid of a hacksaw and jigsaw, and then chiseling out the old metal shell with a mallet and a cold chisel. For a while I didn't think the old shell was going to come out, but I got it eventually. A wire wheel cleaned up the mount shell, and then the new bushing slipped right in beautifully.

http://www.t3technique.com/suspension-bushings/pow...shing.html

In summary, I hope the net effect of improvements (new bushing, new seals, new ATF calibration marks, open vents, improved ATF cooling) lets me close the book on my automatic transmission + Bostig saga. It has been a good learning experience.

I'll keep you all posted on the recalibrated ATF dipstick project. It's going to take some time to figure out the proper calibration marks, but this may be something for future documentation (and Bostig's support site).

kourt

JudoJeff · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:33 am Post subject:

alnvilma ,
Sorry to hear that, and I wonder about the "why" of it.

kourt,
Sorry you've had this to deal with, glad you're up to the task at hand. Write it up on the Bostig site for future users.

This thread could be made into a book!
_________________
________________________________________
1989 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Burned up on 7/31/16.
1987 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig & Rebuilt, sold
1986 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig Sold May 10, 2021
1999 Ford GTRV Westfalia camper (30% bigger Westy layout)

DeanZimmer · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 11:13 am Post subject:

Thank you Kourt.

I will be replacing my torque converter and seals in the next 2 weeks and having sold my shop crane was wondering how to go about lifting and lowering the transmission. The winch idea is great.

Also great insight into the fluid level readings. I had never thought of that and slapped my forehead when I saw your illustrated picture.

Dean

kourt · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 11:46 am Post subject:

One more REALLY IMPORTANT thing:

Torque converter seals that have soft sealing surfaces contacting the seal carrier surface are more prone to failure. I suggest buying the GoWesty TC seal which has a press-in metal seal carrier:

http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=21938&category_id=&category_parent_id=

This seal does make a big difference. Buy this one (or any seal that has a metal ring on its contact surface). The seal from Van Cafe (and a few other places) is rubber throughout, and will be more likely to fail.

The GoWesty seal is Napa part 550237. That is actually a wheel bearing seal.

O'Reilly Auto sells a very good seal as well, National 3051N. Both of these seals have metal outer diameters for a good press fit in the torque converter seal housing.

kourt

westylife · Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 12:23 am Post subject:

indytriple · Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 9:53 pm Post subject:

LemonCove · Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 10:24 pm Post subject:

indytriple · Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 6:15 am Post subject:

Thanks, Jed. That looks great. It's been a bear to get the last little bit of air out of the system. The van runs and stays plenty cool, but it's really hard to get all of the air out. This should remedy the situation without forcing me to switch to the new RG cooling tower on the passenger side firewall. I prefer the look of my G21 setup, and I'd rather not switch.
_________________
"See The Glass As Already Broken."

87 Vanagon Westy Auto Bostig

www.bluegrassbicyclecompany.com

sailboat100 · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 4:37 pm Post subject: coolant leak

My engine has sprung a leak. Coolant is dripping off the bottom of the crank puuley. I havent had a chance fully investigate. I wondered if anyone has had a similar problem.
Thanks Brian

sailboat100 · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 4:37 pm Post subject: coolant leak

My engine has sprung a leak. Coolant is dripping off the bottom of the crank puuley. I havent had a chance fully investigate. I wondered if anyone has had a similar problem.
Thanks Brian

JudoJeff · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 4:51 pm Post subject:

Brian,
I had minor leaks, caused by failed hose clamps. Even if they look OK, add a new SS one, or try tightening the clamps. Just because they turn doesn't mean they are tightening. I doubled up many of the clamps.

Let me know what you find when you dig deeper.
Jeff
_________________
________________________________________
1989 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Burned up on 7/31/16.
1987 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig & Rebuilt, sold
1986 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig Sold May 10, 2021
1999 Ford GTRV Westfalia camper (30% bigger Westy layout)


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Bostig RG1 install group....anyone? Also RG2 etc!
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