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kayakwesty Samba Member

Joined: February 15, 2007 Posts: 687 Location: East Tennessee
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 10:29 am Post subject: Will a Digifant II ECU work? |
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Will a Digifant II ECU work on a 1986-1991 Vanagon ? _________________ 1984 Westy 2.0 Jetta ABA Motor/1.8 head converted to auto tranny, with 180,000 on body, 55K on engine and transmission
B.5.5 Passat Wagen with 30v V6-67000 Miles
DAS AUTO
CHANGE YOUR FUEL LINES!
A post without pictures is useless
http://www.kayakwesty.com
http://www.waldensridgewhitewater.com/ |
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Wellington Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2004 Posts: 1999 Location: Montreal
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 11:34 am Post subject: |
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What is digifant 11? Any ecu from Vanagon 1996 to 1991 will work. |
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tencentlife Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2006 Posts: 10147 Location: Abiquiu, NM, USA
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 11:35 am Post subject: |
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Highly doubtful. The system in Vanagons isn't even Digifant I; it's just Digifant, as best I can gather. I and II are generations removed, having some different inputs, especially the knock sensor but I think there are more. Pin location numbering might be different; they are surely different in total number.
If you could get the wiring diagram for a car using Dig.II, you could compare the pin pattern, and see just where the differences are.
I can promise you that it would not be plug'n'play. |
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D Clymer Samba Member
Joined: December 22, 2005 Posts: 2986 Location: Issaquah, WA
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 11:38 am Post subject: |
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No. The pinouts are the same for all the components both systems share, but the Digifant II computer needs a knock sensor input for the ignition portion unlike the Vanagon system which has a programmed ignition advance. Additionally, the idle stabilizer function is integrated into the Digifant II computer, but the Vanagon uses a stand alone idle stabilizer module.
David |
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kayakwesty Samba Member

Joined: February 15, 2007 Posts: 687 Location: East Tennessee
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 11:39 am Post subject: |
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Digifant II was used on 85-92 Jetta and Golf's
Digifant I was used on 1986-1991 Vanagons
Digijet was used on 1983-1984 Vanagons
II=2 (two)
I=1 (one)
So back at the ranch
Will a Digifant II ECU work on a Vanagon
Digifart is a Digifart ? Parts are Parts?
(Kinda important to know since they don't make new ECU's and they're were more Jettas made than Vanagons)
Anybody ever swapped one to see if it will run? _________________ 1984 Westy 2.0 Jetta ABA Motor/1.8 head converted to auto tranny, with 180,000 on body, 55K on engine and transmission
B.5.5 Passat Wagen with 30v V6-67000 Miles
DAS AUTO
CHANGE YOUR FUEL LINES!
A post without pictures is useless
http://www.kayakwesty.com
http://www.waldensridgewhitewater.com/ |
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kayakwesty Samba Member

Joined: February 15, 2007 Posts: 687 Location: East Tennessee
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 11:47 am Post subject: |
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thanks guys !!!!!!!
I love the Samba!!!!! _________________ 1984 Westy 2.0 Jetta ABA Motor/1.8 head converted to auto tranny, with 180,000 on body, 55K on engine and transmission
B.5.5 Passat Wagen with 30v V6-67000 Miles
DAS AUTO
CHANGE YOUR FUEL LINES!
A post without pictures is useless
http://www.kayakwesty.com
http://www.waldensridgewhitewater.com/ |
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tencentlife Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2006 Posts: 10147 Location: Abiquiu, NM, USA
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: |
Digifant I was used on 1986-1991 Vanagons |
Nope. Just Digifant, that's it.
I did read somewhere not long ago what cars had Dig. I; it wasn't many. Dig.II was made concurrently with the basic Dig. in Vanagons, as you noted. Confusing as hell, aint it? I wish I'd linked to where I read about Dig.I, but inlines aren't my interest so I didn't save the link anywhere. I have too many Vanagon links as it is! |
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joetiger  Samba Member

Joined: January 27, 2005 Posts: 5235 Location: denver
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 1:13 pm Post subject: |
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My '92 GTI is Digifant I, not Digifant II. Digifant I was sold on California Golf, GTI, and Jetta models in '91 and '92. Different from Vanagon Digifant. _________________ Joe T.
'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'91 Wolfsburg Carat "Barchetta"
'02 Baja-ish Beetle "Bubbles"
"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
Justice for Megan: https://linktr.ee/justiceformegantrussell |
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bucko Samba Member

Joined: December 09, 2004 Posts: 2617 Location: Coppell, Texas
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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kayakwesty wrote: |
Digifant II was used on 85-92 Jetta and Golf's
Digifant I was used on 1986-1991 Vanagons
Digijet was used on 1983-1984 Vanagons |
Digijet was also used on the 85 Vanagons. _________________ Current VW drives: 1984 Westfalia
Past VW drives: 1967 Beetle, 1973 Beetle, 1977 Bus, 1971 Military Type 181 |
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kamzcab86 Samba Moderator

Joined: July 26, 2008 Posts: 8432 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Yesterday 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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tencentlife wrote: |
I and II are generations removed, having some different inputs, especially the knock sensor but I think there are more. Pin location numbering might be different; they are surely different in total number.
If you could get the wiring diagram for a car using Dig.II, you could compare the pin pattern, and see just where the differences are. |
Eighteen years later ...
I was curious why the Vanagon Digifant system is so much more, hmm, ridiculous than the other models' Digifant II system. Already had the Cabriolet ECU pinouts, so added the Vanagon next to it to see the differences.
(As for the Digi I vs. Digi II differences, click here. Edit 2: For the inline-4 engines.)
D Clymer wrote: |
the Digifant II computer needs a knock sensor input for the ignition portion unlike the Vanagon system which has a programmed ignition advance. Additionally, the idle stabilizer function is integrated into the Digifant II computer, but the Vanagon uses a stand alone idle stabilizer module. |
So, the knock sensor is the major hurdle in using a Golf ECU. But a couple questions remain:
1) Why did VW use a stand-alone idle control unit instead of integrating it like in the Golfs?
2) Why did VW not incorporate an ignition control module (part #191905351B) into the Vanagon system (I ask this one due to some ignition coil-ECU problem discussions)? _________________ ~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子
Last edited by kamzcab86 on Today 11:13 am; edited 1 time in total |
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crazyvwvanman Samba Member

Joined: January 28, 2008 Posts: 10365 Location: Orbiting San Diego
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Posted: Today 5:38 am Post subject: Re: Will a Digifant II ECU work? |
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Thanks for the follow up.
Coincidentally? this photo appeared here just now as well, showing a Digifant-I (DF1) label on an 88-91 Vanagon ECU.
Mark |
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DanHoug Samba Member

Joined: December 05, 2016 Posts: 5673 Location: Bemidji, MN
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Posted: Today 5:59 am Post subject: |
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kamzcab86 wrote: |
2) Why did VW not incorporate an ignition control module (part #191905351B) into the Vanagon system (I ask this one due to some ignition coil-ECU problem discussions)? |
this is just a guess, and likely giving VW too much credit... but off loading the ignition control module to an external assembly COULD have been a move to reduce failures of the coil driver inside the Vanagon ECU. but since these were in concurrent production, it doesn't seem like a good scenario.
maybe they physically ran out of room inside the ECU with knock control and had to put the module outside. maybe it was a different design team for the Golf series that thought the Digifant (not I or II) ECU design was stupid. _________________ -dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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jlrftype7 Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018 Posts: 4518 Location: Chicago
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Posted: Today 10:47 am Post subject: Re: Will a Digifant II ECU work? |
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While we may not know all the reasons, I guarantee cost control is probably a big one if we only knew what VW might have been saving per tens of thousands producing a given vehicle with the differences.
If they knew they didn't need Knock Sensor feedback, then the wiring harness and sensor get dropped off, and the MAP changes for that ECU.
EPA testing for Emissions into Market affected as well.
Add to what the vehicle might actually be doing, small peppy car driven hard versus tall Van not driven the same way, and possible compression ratio differences and fuel flame burns between the WBX and the IN-Line engines, those too start to come into the equation..
BMW was no different for the 80s- Special ECUs for California market, Federal ECUs different from Cali-
5 series had the 528e with the M20 engine using a stand alone Idle Control System, while the bigger 535 M30 6 cyl engine had the ECU controlling the idle valve from '85 onward. The previous years had both engine sizes running a stand alone idle system in that body, the E-28.
That didn't change until late '87 528e models got a similar Engine Management system like the 325i E-30 3 series, with what BMW people informally called the Super ETA engine.
Gone was the 4500 RPM or so limit of the earlier M20 and systems in a 528e, Super ETA bumped it up to 5000 or 5500 RPM, I forget which. I think Camshaft change and timing change was there too.
BUT, and this is where it gets cute, wasn't as high as the I version engine of the M20, which was like 6500 or near that, with 168 HP. That stayed with the 3 series. So you had a 3 Series 325i pull up to you at a light with more HP and a higher REV limit, but you paid more for your 5 Series 528e....
You had to have the right ECU for all the above, since it was all different- Automatics versus Manual Vehicles mattered too.
God help you with a Grey Market BMW, BMW was kind of fierce in not letting the Euro or 'other parts of the world' spare parts get into the North American Parts Distribution System and Books/Catalogs.
In Europe, it was a different ball game of course.
The EPA and Crash Testing stuff has done some interesting things over the years too to the industry. Land Rover had a model that mounted an A/C compressor hooked up to nothing. They'd already submitted the engine for emissions and crash testing on other models as complete, and the belt part number stayed the same since it went around a compressor like usual, so they popped the A/C compressor onto the Non-A/C model since it allowed them to skip further testing for some requirements, having already done so with the other models.
And no need for a 2nd part number to stock a Non-A/C equipped engine fan belt/serp belt...
Clever owners and dealers would add an actual A/C system onto the compressor since it was already there. _________________ '68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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kamzcab86 Samba Moderator

Joined: July 26, 2008 Posts: 8432 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Today 11:55 am Post subject: Re: Will a Digifant II ECU work? |
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crazyvwvanman wrote: |
Coincidentally? this photo appeared here just now as well, showing a Digifant-I (DF1) label on an 88-91 Vanagon ECU. |
I've seen a VW factory manual (the Pro-training?) referring to Digifant I as well, and not the Digi I from the '90s for California cars. Weird and confusing, but that's VW for you.
DanHoug wrote: |
this is just a guess, and likely giving VW too much credit... but off loading the ignition control module to an external assembly COULD have been a move to reduce failures of the coil driver inside the Vanagon ECU. but since these were in concurrent production, it doesn't seem like a good scenario. |
Since the recent discussions have pertained to coil failures in Vanagons, it got me wondering... These coil failures aren't as prevalent in the inline-4 cars, AFAIK, thus the speculation about whether the ignition control module would play a role. The ICM input on the ECU is at the same pin as the Vanagon's coil input.
Just spitballing (no intention to actually do it): Would there be any issue in adding an ICM to a Digifant Vanagon? The component has 7 pins, but in the Cabriolet's case, only 4 are utilized: Coil, ground, + voltage, ECU. So, pretty simplistic.
DanHoug wrote: |
maybe they physically ran out of room inside the ECU with knock control and had to put the module outside. |
Good point!
DanHoug wrote: |
maybe it was a different design team for the Golf series that thought the Digifant (not I or II) ECU design was stupid. |
jlrftype7 wrote: |
While we may not know all the reasons, I guarantee cost control is probably a big one |
True.
jlrftype7 wrote: |
BMW was no different for the 80s- Special ECUs for California market, Federal ECUs different from Cali- |
The Digifant II Cabriolets (and I'm sure the other Golfs/Jettas too) had California-market ECUs as well for 1990, before switching over to California Digi I.
I know a flat-four is quite different from an inline-4, but I would've thought the fuel injection control system wouldn't have been so different. One has a separate ignition control with built-in idle control; the other has a separate idle control with built-in ignition and 9 unused ECU pins (36% of the total). _________________ ~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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