1990 Syncro Westfalia Slow Build - 'Ed'

[joetiger]

Gorgeous! Congratulations!
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[bobbyblack]

Wow.. clean and sweet! And, yes, 'just money' is right

Wishing you many years of fun! (which can't be measured in money, I believe)

-bobby
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[wasatch]

Updates are fun.

Been driving and testing out the Syncro...

New plugs, wires, filter, cap, rotor were in order- all went well.

Also, changed out the rotten brake pads. I didn't swap out the rotors, I plan to upgrade to big brakes all around next year.

Cleaned out the kitchen too...

The fridge works on all modes, but it really struggles to cool down. Did a test and the fan didn't turn off for 3 days, and it didn't get cooler than 50 degrees. Any reason I shouldn't take it out? I think more storage and a quality cooler may be more practical for my use.

Finally, I'm not a fan of how many accessories run off the factory battery (I do not have an aux). Need to figure that one out next...

[bobbyblack]

Stock fridges have a hard time cooling to less than -30 F below whatever degs F temp you are in .. (Ambient temp)

That's why people get true compressor fridges.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[SCM]

[coqcitywesty]

[bobbyblack]

If you like the look of the stock cabinets, you could fit a TF49 behind the stock door... It's an ordeal, and some of the methods would void a warranty of the new fridge.

Personally, I like the stock look, and Mrs. Black assures me there will be no project unless we keep the stock look. I'm fine with everything about that, except that the TF65 is HUGE in comparison...

Right now, our routine is to have the stock fridge running, mostly on LP with stuff that needs to be kept "cool", and then a cooler with bags of ice, and our beverages that need to be real cold, or food that needs to be COLD to not spoil. Seems dorky, but that is how we have been rolling for a while. We like (or NEED) to have a lot of ice on board for some reason, depending on who you ask.

-bobby
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[wasatch]

Well, after a few weeks of testing the fridge, even though it 'worked'- I decided to remove it:

Also, removed the corroded propane tank from the van...

It now run the stove off 1lb Coleman tanks. Simpler and 'safe(r)'.

Onto the quest for emissions approval...

Replaced the following:
-Plugs
-Wires
-Cap
-Rotor
-Air Filter
-O2 Sensor
-Temp II Sensor
-All belts replaced

Also replaced all engine grounds with overkill 2 AWG cables (I had 3 2 ft lengths from another project)

Cleaned up the grounds to the body and organized the wires to be nice and tidy.

Check out the status of the old grounds:

Getting sniffed:

And it passed by 2 ppm! A little high on HC, A new catalytic converter will likely be needed next time around.

Obligatory engine bay shot:

Engine runs well... Has a little intermittent 'shake' at idle, is that how these WBX's run? Rev's great, no stumbles. Possibly a timing issue? Idling too low? (Tach says 900ish).

Next up is getting ready for winter. Hook up boxes are cracked and the water fill-up has a little rust that needs addressed. After much debate between delta 6 and GoWesty I went with GW. The plan is to remove the city water (never plan to use it) and replace with their air compressor hook up.

Any tips to ensure a waterproof hook up?

[Sodo]

[wasatch]

[mikemtnbike]

The stock grounding path for the starter is the transaxle strap.

Leave it in place.

But, add a ground from the starter to another point on the body. Many people, including me, found that having this dedicated ground led to a stronger starting operation. Lower starter mounting bolt to a good point on the body, sanded to clean metal.

Sodo has some good pics as always of his that's he's posted here before, look at his gallery.
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1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual

[wasatch]

Thanks @Sodo for the tip!

A quick trip to NAPA and 30 minutes came up with this:

cleaned off the old transaxle ground:

Notice the previous owner also cared about this issue. He ran a small wire from this ground to a transmission bolt closest to the starter...

Added a 12'' 4 AWG ground strap to the body:

I appreciate you all for the help.

[Sodo]

[mikemtnbike]

[Sodo]

Considering how it works fine when the trans is new but almost appears “designed” to cause trouble after 2 or 3 decades, it feels good to discard it.

VW could have grounded the starter directly, it’s clearly better design.
The solar fellers sure wouldn’t choose a ground that foolish for their paltry 7 amps, much less 80 amps.

Deleting it is a little satisfying, like giving it 🖕🏽the finger🖕🏽 for the possible bearing damage it may have already done. Or slow starter & diagnostics trouble etc.
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[wasatch]

More updates!

Time to replace fuel lines...

Took off the Injectors to be rebuilt at a local shop (original fuel lines on them)

Seems like the PO replaced the 'easy' lines in the engine bay with ones stamped from 1993?...

Super old Napa fuel filter...

All other lines were original.

The infamous lines from the fuel filter / tank return into the engine bay weren't easy to replace, but it went smoothly with a barb fitting and electrical tape.

I do have one line left...

Any advice on how to replace and not spill 8 gallons of gas everywhere?

[4Gears4Tires]

1. buy (2) 5 gallon fuel cans.
2. using a 12v battery, connect leads directly to the fuel pump (or access the fuel pump wiring in the engine bay). Either way, you need to have manual control of the fuel pump.
3. use a length of fuel line to connect the pump to a nozzle of a fuel can
4. turn the fuel pump on
5. crack open a beer and monitor the fuel level
6. once a can is filled, disconnect power, move to 2nd can, reconnect power
7. crack open a beer

Looking at the grounding cable you added, it is contacting fresh bare chassis metal, right? It looks like it may just be contacting undercoating, which is not good.
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'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[wasatch]

[wasatch]

As the 27.5'' General Grabber tire is a little too big to fit under the front, I was left with a few options:

-Put a super cool swing away on the van
-Oversize Spare Tire carrier from Van-Cafe
-Ladder carrier

Preferences:
-I don't want to drill any new holes into the body (yet).
-I also think the spare location is a good spot for spare parts (plastic storage bin mod: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=634619 ).
-I need a ladder to access a future planned roof rack/cargo box for skis and gear.
-The extra step of a swing away could be annoying... especially if I have to access the engine bay quickly. A ladder would not add any steps to access the rear hatch.

So, a Gary Lee Ladder (http://www.vwrack.com/) it is!:

I have some HD 250psi struts on order, but stock struts hold up the ladder just fine (without the tire).

The fit and finish is pretty stout and solid. No shakes or movement from the tire. I do plan to cut the mount flush with the tire so I can put a tire cover over it to prevent sun/rain damage... and also have a more OE look.

[16CVs]

"Also, removed the corroded propane tank from the van..."

Why would you remove the tank and go to bottles? Now you are carrying loose Explosive projectiles in your van. At a minimum you're going to have 2 I'd guess. I would think the fireman would rather have an exposed tank when they arrive on scene rather than going into a van and not knowing that there is a potential bomb waiting inside with a few 1 gallon tanks stored hither and yon.

I can't find a single thread from the forums where someone had a Tank begin to leak. The surface corrosion is nothing. If you think it's bad, poke an Ice Pick at it. You can buy new valves and they can test the tank and re certify them at an RV or propane filling point. The worse it will do is begin to leak and you'll know long before it gets bad. I think this is Panicked Hype by major vendors that want to sell you a new tank.


If you're worried about a Fire then leave your gas tank behind because there's tons of documented engine fires from bad fuel lines.

Those grounds were a mess and always a good idea to update.


Stacy
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1987 Syncro Westfalia Triple knob (bastard)
1989 Syncro Tristar Triple knob "Swedish"
2013 Jetta Hybrid a true "Zwitter"
Samba member # 14980
Call anytime number 650 722 4914 .
Keep Your van running and upkept tastefully for the love of the hobby.
Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread.