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dkoesyncro
Samba Member
Joined: December 10, 2006
Posts: 982
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 Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:16 pm Post subject: Locker vacuum switch; GW or OEM? |
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Anybody using the GW vacuum switch? I'm interested in feedback or opinions. GW claims a smoother refined engagement, my oem style seem to be fine, after all it's just a knob, open/close? I have to purchase an assembly for my newly added front locker and the GW is about a third the cost compared to the oem, I could replace all three!
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MarkWard
Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2005
Posts: 17110
Location: Retired South Florida
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2019 1:02 pm Post subject: Re: Locker vacuum switch; GW or OEM? |
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No experience with GW switch but it is more than off and on. The switch rotates vacuum from one side of the actuator to the other to engage and then disengage.
I’m anal enough to want my knobs to match. So if you get the GW switches, you could sell on your OE switch.
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tencentlife
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2006
Posts: 10075
Location: Abiquiu, NM, USA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2019 1:30 pm Post subject: Re: Locker vacuum switch; GW or OEM? |
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They finally discovered the process controls industry and started buying these instead of the ridiculously expensive VDO valve (please stop calling them switches). This is the stuff that's used by the thousands to control all kinds of factory production lines with air pressure. I'll be using solenoid-actuated versions of these in my Redshiftt system, and they will allow use of air pressure for much more positive actuation over weak vacuum force.
GW's kit uses is a common manual 5-way valve which does what's needed, ports vacuum to either side of the servo diaphragm while porting the other side to exhaust. These are considerably more robust than VDO's lightweight version of the same. You can find these much cheaper on Amazon or ebay, but there are several thread type choices for the ports so if you want to avoid having to figure out the plumbing parts GW's kit is reasonably priced for having solved those questions in advance.
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dkoesyncro
Samba Member
Joined: December 10, 2006
Posts: 982
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:56 pm Post subject: Re: Locker vacuum switch; GW or OEM? |
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| Chris, thank you! I've taken some time and looked into the 5/2 valves, looks straight forward to me. I'll look at my existing stuff and make a judgment of either 1/8" or 1/4", im taking a guess it'll be the 1/8" ports. |
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ALIKA T3
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2009
Posts: 6346
Location: Honolulu,Hawaii and France
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| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 11:17 am Post subject: Re: Locker vacuum switch; GW or OEM? |
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| tencentlife wrote: |
They finally discovered the process controls industry and started buying these instead of the ridiculously expensive VDO valve (please stop calling them switches). This is the stuff that's used by the thousands to control all kinds of factory production lines with air pressure. I'll be using solenoid-actuated versions of these in my Redshiftt system, and they will allow use of air pressure for much more positive actuation over weak vacuum force.
GW's kit uses is a common manual 5-way valve which does what's needed, ports vacuum to either side of the servo diaphragm while porting the other side to exhaust. These are considerably more robust than VDO's lightweight version of the same. You can find these much cheaper on Amazon or ebay, but there are several thread type choices for the ports so if you want to avoid having to figure out the plumbing parts GW's kit is reasonably priced for having solved those questions in advance. |
I posted about these back in 2011 with little interest as well as the Mercedes vacuum actuators.
They are called Spool Valves manually operated, they were about 20 bucks back then, so the current GW price is honest.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;start=20 All dead pics but part numbers are there.
They do stick out further out from the panel so I didn`t end up using mine, sourced from Buschmiede in Germany back then, who I credit for finding out about these and selling them first. It took me a while to find out what they were, no Google Lens search back then 
Curiously shortly after my post, all the NOS Mercedes VDO black actuators have been NLA and listed at vendors. Now they look a little different, still black though.
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=416343
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