Oh no! Another Vanagon TDI swap

[?Waldo?]

I understand the rationale and it's a fine way to go. I just wanted to put the info out about changing that o-ring and the caution on how to do it right, in case anyone stumbles across this thread. The o-ring is easy to change and there are quite a few places online that describe the process but miss the important step of keeping the plunger pressed against the camplate. I know of several people who have turned their pumps into piles of shrapnel due to the absence of that step.

[dieseltdi]

I have watched several how to video on the o ring replacement so I know it isn't too difficult. BTW dieselgeek now sells a kit that comes with a bolt to thread into the top left hand hole that holds the pump head in place for easier installation of the O ring. I have to call the rebuild shop tomorrow to work out timing and payment but I did manage to get my AC hoses finished and attached to the compressor. I still need to tighten things up and ties hoses down but it is basically done.

[?Waldo?]

I believe the DieselGeek instructions are missing the important step that I mentioned. Most times the shim stays put when doing it the way they say to do it, but sometimes it falls out of place and the plunger angle is skewed. Then when cranking it over the plunger snaps and the cascade of broken hard metal pieces occurs as the entire pump is turned into scrap metal. It is easy to do it the safe way, but most online instructions are the risky way.

[vwwestyman]

Now you got me wondering if I did it the safe way or the risky way! It's been at least a couple years since I've done one.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[dieseltdi]

Actually his new instructions specifically mention that AHU and 1z pumps are especially prone to having things fall out of place so to be extra careful.

[?Waldo?]

The shim can fall out of place with any of the VE pumps from 1.5 through ALH. There's nothing special about the 1Z/AHU pumps. The same amount of care is required for every VE pump in order to do it safely. The necessary care is to remove the center bolt in the large triangular plug at the end of the plunger (in the center of the 4 metal lines) add an appropriately sized shim, reinstall the central bolt, and tighten it gradually while you loosen the four outer bolts that hold on the distributor head assembly. You can allow a small amount of slack on the center bolt, but if the plunger is allowed to move more than ~1/16 of an inch away from the camplate, the shim can fall out of place. If the method I described is used, there is zero risk. Once the head is out far enough, remove the old o-ring. Then place the new o-ring around the head and four bolts. Remove and replace each bolt in turn. Then tighten the outer bolts while you loosen the center bolt.

Unlike the earlier VE pumps, the ALH pumps have a special tapered bolt for the timing plug and in that case, in order to do it safely, one of the large triangular plugs from an earlier pump needs to be swapped on in order to use the shim+bolt. The ALH triangular plug can be swapped back on after the o-ring is replaced.

It is unfortunate that so many online places espouse the risky way. It also works probably more than 90% of the time because the surface tension of diesel holds the shim in place in the foot of the plunger. That relatively high success rate convinces people that the system works so the risky method has gotten widespread use. It really sucks to be one of the people where it fails, though.

[dieseltdi]

Since I have been sidelined with the leaky fuel pump, I have been working on a few other things. I installed the flapper portion of the Vanistan fresh air louver system (still need to install the cable. Most importantly, I have pretty much finished the AC install (with the exception of the vents and some anti drip tape). It was a bit of work getting everything stuffed under the dash but it is all there. I had predrilled the holes in the dash near the steering column to mount the controls but realized after the fact that the wires were too short. I ended up mounting the controls on the heater cover/vents. I installed the cut down glove box but still need to work on it a bit more as it doesn't fit quite right yet. Testing the fan shows that the center vent and the passenger side vent will have most of the air flow but it should be alright. I need to cut and test fit the carpet around everything. Install the gauge cluster and tidy up the wiring and everything should be great. Now if I can just get my pump back (should have it by Monday) I will get this thing up and running.

[dieseltdi]

The saga continues.... I won"t bore you all with the problems that cropped up with the rebuilt injection pump that I bought. (NEVER, NEVER buy anything from Thedieselstore.com but I can highly recommend Pacific Fuel Injection in Portland, Or). I also took a full week to just go camping with the wife at Broken Bow Lake in Oklahoma and did absolutely nothing for the whole time. Sometimes you just gotta do nothing to recharge the body. Anyway got the shiny new pump installed today and timed with the Vagcom and it runs like a top. I hope to finish the installation of the instrument cluster and in the next day or two. Really itching to get this thing on the road. I am also in the process of procuring a 1963 Sears Clamshell trailer to tow behind the Vanagon to carry all the stuff that you simply need but cannot find a place for in the actual Westy. Anyway more pictures coming as I get things done.

[dieseltdi]

It is just too hot to work outside on the Vanagon but I thought you might find my latest purchase to drag behind the Vanagon interesting. It is a 1968 Sears Clamshell trailer. I have been admiring, no lusting after this trailer for many years as I rode my bike in the evenings in an older neighborhood near my house, Finally decided to ask the guy if he wanted to sell it and he said yes as at any 83 he can no longer use it for camping like he used to. The agreed on price? $200! It is in pretty decent shape considering that the original owner had it LineXed many years ago, inside and out. I will probably just leave it like it is for now. (Now I have an original late 50"s Allstate Single wheel trailer for my 57 bug and this one as a set.). I went on a google search and found the original page from the Sears Catalog with the trailer on it. Thought it would be interesting for those that don't know that we could order stuff and have it delivered to out homes along time before Amazon came along. This will be a great asset when camping as those of you with Westies can attest that there simply isn't enough storage space for everything you need. Anyway here it is....

[4Gears4Tires]

Good looking little trailer. I hope you repack the bearings and replace the wheels though.
_________________
'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[dieseltdi]

It has been sitting since 2017 so bearings and new tires are definitely on the list of things to do.

[4Gears4Tires]

[dieseltdi]

That picture was taken after I had done some hose shuffling. I topped it off and it is connected to the overflow tank about ½ full.

[AndyBees]

Sharing my experiences, in case you haven't solved the problem(s) with Injection Pump (hope you never gave the re-builder your core).

I re-sealed the IP on the ALH in my Vanagon. The engine had been sitting for over 5 years with 129k miles on it.

In the link below, scroll down to Post 1328. Then, scroll way down until you find the heading "Injection Pump Re-seal and Related". There you will see several Links to the IP resealing and issues I had.......... Lots of photos...

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=276798&page=89
_________________
'84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI. 1989 Tin-top
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine. Seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003.

[dieseltdi]

I purchased a cheap pump off of eBay and used it for my core. I kept my old pump as it worked great just leaked. I do intend to do a rebuild on the pump at some point as I now have the rebuild kit and the seals/gaskets.

[dieseltdi]

I purchase a cheap pump off of eBay and used it for my core. I kept my old pump as it worked great just leaked. I do intend to do a rebuild on the pump at some point as I now have the rebuild kit and the seals/gaskets.

[dieseltdi]

Well as is often the case, what someone says about a purchase doesn't always stand up to scrutiny. I carefully peeled the LineX off of the model tag and discovered the the trailer is dated 6/70 or at least that is what is seems. Here is the catalog page from the 1970 version. Doesn't really matter to me. I still love it. Hayden

[dieseltdi]

Update on my leaking injection pump. I noticed the new pump seemed to be leaking also. With a much closer inspection, I discovered that it is an injector line that is leaking not the pump itself. I managed to tighten it down to stop the leaking but now I am on the hunt for a #1 cylinder metal injection line or a whole set. Oh well, means that I have a perfectly good backup pump in case I need it. Hayden

[dieseltdi]

It has been some time since I posted anything of substance so I thought I would catch up. I have reinstalled the new injection pump and everything works great. I have also mostly reinstalled the dash and gauge cluster (still need to attach the 3 gauge cluster atop the stock gauge housing). I finished up installation of the Vanistan fresh air intake system so I can actually prevent air from blowing straight through into the cab. I replaced the broken old windshield with on from a wrecked Van that is OK for now, at least it isn't broken or have bullseyes on it but I will eventually replace it with a new one.I also got a great deal on a T49 Truck fridge. So out came the Dometic and in goes the new compressor fridge. The picture shows the fridge in place but it isn't screwed down yet. I want to build a drawer to go under it and I am waiting on a solar outlet that will replace an exhaust fan that I had rigged up for the domestic fridge. The solar outlet looks just like the other utility outlets on the van. It is very close to first drive so I am ready......

[erste]

Nice! Glad you got the IP sorted.
Score on the truck fridge too! I have the ARB and sometimes I wish I'd built cabinets around something like the T49 instead. It just fits the space better.