Hapy not Spittin Fuel

I managed to get Hapy, the 1972 TDI-powered microbus, over to Justin to get the injection pump re-sealed this weekend. Today's post covers that adventure as well as a quick trip thru a K'Lack (2004 VW Jetta Wagon) issue.

 

Getting There

head seal complete

It has been 2 years since Hapy really went much of anywhere. Most of that time, he sat waiting for attention either in an unknown, but unstartable state or in pieces. Once I had him re-assembled with a new flywheel/ring gear and had a test drive, the original reason for him to have starting problems re-appeared: Injection Pump losing prime. I was able to prime the pump with a MityVac and then crack the injectors to get him running. And, in that way I took him on a short test drive, found some issues with the lights, etc. There remained many other issues, but at least I could get him running, stopping and had my lights so I could drive him an hour and 20 minutes to Justin's shop.

 

The night before our start-of-day appointment, I got Hapy out of the back and filled with B-20 biodiesel ($6.40/gal. same as dinoDiesel. Thanks, Trump). That morning, I filled up with coffee and hit the road. Most of the drive from West Beaverton to Justin's shop is on back country roads with few other drivers on an early Saturday morning and even fewer traffic lights. It was in the 50's (F low-teens C) and clear, making the drive very pleasant. At some point after I fixed the rear speakers, the stereo lost access to 12V so I drove in silence, a familiar scene for Hapy. The road was so easy, the thermostat never opened. I had the cabin heat on, so I may have been pulling just enough heat off the engine to keep the thermostat closed. Based on the UltraGauge, the engine temp was hovering around 180*F so running "cold". When I pulled into town off the country roads, I had a few cases of not finding 2nd gear. I noted that for followup later. When I arrived, Justin and I hung out for a bit before getting started. He has so many interesting projects all going at once, you have to absorb it all. I mean, who puts a TDI in an Audi TT while also putting one into a Rabbit pickup? Love that! The way he scraps discards and re-uses them for the basis of tools is pretty awesome too. He's even teaching himself TIG welding. Small crush, maybe. Okay, fine. He does do some impressive stuff.

 

Injection Pump (IP) Reseal

hammer mod perfecting IQ

Justin had encouraged me to get the seal kit from Cascade German, since they are local-to-Oregon, when we first set the apointment. I had already purchased the deluxe kit from DieselGeek. I didn't understand the difference. These 2 kits definitely vary in their intended purpose, so they have some meaningful differences. The Cascade German version is actually less expensive, but it includes all of the little seals usually replaced when a legit shop does the re-seal. The DieselGeek kit has far fewer seals (just the 2 on top and the head-to-base seal) and it is designed for the home-mechanic to re-seal the pump in their garage without removing the pump from the vehicle. The DieselGeek deluxe kit is more expensive because it includes specialty bits a car owner probably does not have, but are needed for the job. This differentiation is important and your case may lead you to the larger kit even if you do not intend to replace much more than the 3 included in the DieselGeek deluxe.

 

Once Justin discovered the gap, we made-do with the smaller kit. Justin replaced the top 2 seals first and then moved onto the head-to-base seal. Rather than use the included "retraction limiting bolt" and try to fit the new head seal over the top of it, the head was removed, and I held the guts of the pump in-place while Justin cleaned all the surfaces and installed the new seal onto the head. Once installed, he hooked up the VagCom and hammer-mod'd (link to Hammer Mod thread on TDIClub) the injection quantity (IQ). Justin was aiming for 6.0 mg/stk because the engine was cold (54*C).

 

The engine bay was pretty dirty, so lots of time was spent getting the IP clean before we began as well as afterwards when the whole engine got a cleaning. After it dried off a bit, we let the engine idle and we looked for leaks. None found. Justin did ask about how the starter was mating to the flywheel. It does sound loud, like it may not be meshing quite right. I'll need to remove and reinstall the starter and the starter adapter to see if I can get things to sit right. The original adapter and starter that I put in just worked for years. I would expect the new-also-stock starter would fit the same. Since this is a new adapter, that is actually designed for the application, versus one I dremel'd to fit, I would think it would fit better. It's a puzzler, but one I will consider carefully as I remove/reinstall (R&R) the starter to get it to hit the ring gear more cleanly.

 

Getting Home

If there is anything we have learned over the years about Hapy, its that he loves going places and really does not like going home. How many times have I left home and the road trip to 4 Peaks or some camping spot went great and the drive home was either very challenging or partially performed by a flatbed? Too many. This trip was no different. At first, Hapy ran great. The engine was responsive and stayed cool. Somewhere around McMinnville a charged air pipe popped off, leaving me running naturally aspirated the rest of the drive home. This served as yet another reminder to never leave home with Hapy without some tools. While the turbo is great for the overall power-band, its absence is really noticeable when trying to leave the line and get up to traffic speed. Now that it was about noon on an absolutely stunner of a day, the roads were busy where they had been empty a few hours before.

 

By the time I was approaching the Dundee Bypass, I was having increasing difficulty finding 1st and 2nd gear. Sometimes, one or the other would be right there. Other times, it was a "can't find it, grind it" experience. This persisted all the way home, forcing me to sometimes leave a stop line in 3rd. When you add in the no-turbo, I had some dissatisfied fellow travelers around me. I did get home, however, and I drove Hapy all the way into the shop so I can chase these issues.

K'Lack

After having something to eat, I switched over to K'Lack, the 2004 TDI Jetta Wagon with a BEW motor. It had been throwing a crank position sensor error, lighting up the check engine light (CEL), preventing it from passing smog. I had ordered a replacement from Cascade on Thursday, and it was in the morning mail on Saturday when I got home from Justin's. The removal/replacement of these is not complicated (remove bolt, unplug from harness, install is reverse), but getting to the sensor and the weird bolt head complicate things. The sensor sits right behind the oil filter on the front, when the engine installed transverse like normal. The bolt head is a 9mm 12-point. Half of my sockets are 6-point and the other half are 12's, designed, I think, for easier application onto hex bolts. In this weird case, that socket set perfectly onto the 12-point bolt head. With the right socket, short extension and ratchet the bolt comes out fairly easily. The plug end is fitted into a metal tang, but otherwise once unplugged, the whole thing can just get dropped through the gaps onto the ground.

 

To install, I plugged it in first and then covered the sensor with a rubber glove to lower it past the engine ick and then below the car. Could I have cleaned the engine bay before starting? Yes. But then I would have been lying in mud since the car was on my front lawn, not back in the shop and I didn't want to lay in a puddle. At this point, I found having another person to be your eyes is very helpful. I got under the car, un-gloved and suspended sensor in hand and had Boo tell me east-west, up down until I was able to send the sensor into the hole. By doing it in this order, the sensor wanted to be oriented such that the bolt holes lined up naturally. I sent the bolt thru, tightened with the socket/ratchet combo and I was done. Since I cleared the code we need to run a few cycles until it is ready to smog.

 

For the legal-minded, Oregon cops are interested in registration violations after years of looking the other way post-CoViD. K'Lack got a registration-violation ticket while legally parked in downtown Portland. Drivers beware.

 

Hapy Wrenching

Feeling confident, I switched back to Hapy, and re-connected the charged air hose. As I suspected, it was one of the rubber-to-metal bits. I cleaned both the outside of the metal pipe and the inside of the rubber with brake cleaner so they were more apt to stay together and then tightened the clamp down.

 

I next wanted to chase why the lower gears were sporadically missing. I checked the front of the transaxle to see if it was out of position at all. Nope. Right before Boo and I bought this house, I bought a Gene Berg shifter. The new-at-that-time seats were higher than stock, moving the approximately-stock-length Scat gear shift further away. The Gene Berg shifter is a few inches longer, so I figured there would be less leaning. I had not gotten to installing it before the house was bought and life took a turn. Anyway, at this point I looked at the Scat shifter I had installed, probably over 15 years ago and slid the vinyl boot up the shifter. The plastic bits on either side of the shifter appeared to be allowing more play than I remembered. Hmm. Then, I looked at the rest of that mechanism. It was very rusty, especially the foot that rests on the floor. I shot the bolts with Kroil and after waiting a couple of minutes, removed them with a 13mm spanner/socket combination.

 

rust under shifter

The floor under the shifter had meaningful rust to match the rust on the shifter foot. I don't know how much play was created by the plastic bits, nor how much may have been introduced by the rust. I do recall, however, that the Scat shifter instructions did not account for adjusting the placement of the shifter front/back nor left/right. When looking at the foot profile, it looks very much like it is designed to sit squarely in the oval without any adjustment at all. I don't know if this was a terribly good design, but I will be installing the Gene Berg shifter which does allow for adjusting. I cleaned up the rust dust, shot the floor and the shift-rod end with brake cleaner and got everything as clean as I could. Then, I painted the area with Eastwood's Rust Encapsulater (the new stuff is even better than the original) and called it a day. I still need to treat from below. I shot the picture on the right here as I was almost done applying the paint.

 

Wrap

Well, that's where we stand right now. I have been in and out of the shop a few times since Saturday and there is not a single drop of fuel on the floor under Hapy. So, we can close the book on the IP leak. I intend to complete the shifter swap and then R&R the starter next. I hope that will be the end of both issues, but I suspect there will be more to do than that. Then, of course, there are all the other things like a fuel level gauge, the radio, and the diesel heater just off the top of my head. There are many incomplete items on Hapy. Now that I have a mostly-inside (one doorway remains), concrete floor'd space to work, my desire to work on these cars has really kicked into a new level.

 

Thanks, as always, for following along and more next time-

TDI install retrospective: Preparation

For those who have read this blog over the years, you will recall that I intended to put together posts about how I did the install of a TDI engine into the air-cooled bus. Now, 8+ years later, just about all of the quirks have been solved. So, I think I can actually start producing those posts.

TDI
So, you want to put a turbo-diesel into your bus. I think that's a great idea... so much so, that I did it. I enjoy 30+ miles-per-gallon, power to spare and I could burn 100% domestically created bio-diesel. So, whether you're looking for more power, better mileage, safety in case of an accident or for political / environmental reasons, putting a TDI into your bus is a super idea that will deliver on those goals. Before you break out your angle grinder and sell your old engine, you need to plan a little bit.

Cost and Payback Realities
First, some sobriety. This post contains the lion's share of the costs. They are big and almost all of them are up-front. $3500 for the engine, another $2100 for the transaxle, $400 for the adapter plate and clutch/pressure plate, and another few hundred for other bits. For most of us, this represents a significant outlay (lets say $7kUS). For some perspective, I ran some calculations in a spreadsheet. If we assume that the old engine got 14mpg and the new one gets 32mpg, how many miles would it take for this job to pay for itself? Gas prices are always moving around and when I started this project they were higher than they are now, but let's assume they are $3.30US for a US gallon. B20 has been steady at $2.99US per US gallon for a few years. So, when we smash all that together it will take 50k miles before this job pays for itself. That's a lot of festivals. When I first ran my justification, I was still making a car payment. So, I factored selling off that car into my logic, and that brought the payback down to about 20k miles, which I have not yet passed, so I guess I am still paying this project off. I liek to think that this project keeps me out of the bars, so I guess I could factor that in too. Your project; your choices.

Guideposts
When I did this conversion there were examples of Vanagon's getting swapped out, but there were no examples of an air-cooled type2 microbus getting a TDI. As a result, I did this with advice and wrenching from some online Vanagon converts and local friends, but without the benefit of someone else completing the job. I do NOT believe mine is the only operating example anymore. I'm not arrogant enough to believe that my efforts in any way influenced those other projects. This is just how I did it. Your mileage, as they say, will vary. I encourage you to look at the TDIClub, and TheSamba. Those were my 2 most fruitful forums. While they have their own personalities, they are both significantly rich in content.

Sourcing

ALH TDI on a home-made scoot

Still up for it? Okay! The first step in your planning is the acquisition of your new engine and the Bentley shop manual that corresponds to it. I went with an early-model ALH out of a 1998 VW Beetle. Any of the early ALH years would work, though the accelerator pedal on anything after the 1998 New Beetle is better than the 1998. Once you get past 2000, though, you will start encountering the interlock/immobilizer. This can be routed around with a Malone tune (See here). Depending on your goals, you may have intended on a tune anyway. I have definitely thought about it and now that the system operates as intended, I may treat Hapy to a tune one of these days. Once you get into more recent years (after 2004), the ability to use bio-diesel may become constrained. I have heard that the Pumpe Duse (PD) models are less tolerant of fuel anomalies, making B100 not-recommended for those engines. I could be mistaken, so I encourage you do your own research if you are going to use a Pumpe Duse or later model. When I did this, a 1998 engine was less than 10 years old and the PD was the "new fangled" one.

FastForward used to have a donor parts list on their website, but they don't anymore. So here is a list of things that I know I needed from the donor car. You need the...
 - fully dressed, as in all parts attached, engine with the overflow bottle (tho replacements are not too expensive) and all of the hoses, belts, etc
 - complete vacuum system, with the valves,vacuum lines and vacuum ball
 - fuel filter and fuel filter mount
 - passenger-side engine mount (I didn't need the dogbone mount, but you might)
 - dashpod and complete accelerator pedal with rheostat (cut off the pigtail leaving yourself a few inches of wire, you'll need that to wire it back up later. label well, it might be a while before you put this back together again)
 - in-car fuse-box and battery-top fuse-box
 - computer with both plugs. The smaller plug (which goes to engine management) is best uncut. The larger plug can be cut, but you must be very careful where. Any accidentally cut wire (like to the dashpod, eg) will create headaches and repairs later
 - starter. grab the pigtail that's plugged into it too
 - intercooler and all related pipes

There are pieces you can choose to include on top of this list. For example, if you are going to try to do cruise control, you will need the control arm from the cockpit, the speed sensor from the wheel and the brake sensor from the brake pedal. If you intend to use the dashpod for all gauges, you will need the speed sensor regardless. And, eventually, you will need to plan out how to get the right resistance range from your fuel level sender. I didn't do this, but I have thought about it. Do you want to try to get air conditioning running? I didn't but, if you do, you'll need that complete system (compressor/pump, hoses, the condenser on the radiator, etc) too.

I found a donor with a little over 50k miles on it with all of those accessories plus some stuff I didn't need, shipped from GA for around $3500. The price has probably come way down, but the miles have probably gone way up. You may need to rebuild or replace some expensive systems (turbo, head) so plan accordingly. If your donor engine is coming from a wrecked car, you will probably need a $80US Van Gogh bracket (available from DieselGeek) since most of the time this point in the engine block is weakened or broken in a front-end collision. You will need a $70US starter adapter so the TDI starter can fit into your bellhousing. You can find them here. I suggest getting the OEM plug unless it is in the bundle of wires from your donor as I suggested above.

Engine Preparation
Once you have the engine on hand, I strongly suggest you go through it. If you aren't an expert, employ one. I had my friend Justin, the local TDI guru, go through it and then he did a timing belt job on it. By go through it, I mean really go through it. Pull the turbo and check for play. Pull a valve looking for burn marks. Shine a light into a cylinder (or all). Pull the oil pan looking for metal bits. Unless you knew the engine before you got it. Hours spent now will save days (and possibly an engine replacement) later.

I removed the exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR) stuff, and installed a "race" pipe. These currently run for around $150US, though I'm pretty sure I paid much less than that. You can find them here.  Making changes like this are easier when the engine is on the ground versus in the bus. Depending upon your application, and emission needs, you may not be able to meet your target without the EGR. I know that with B20 my bus produces far less pollution than it did with the old engine, but threads like this one have me considering putting it back in. Since this uses coolant to reduce the temperature of the exhaust gasses re-entering your engine (or uses exhaust to heat your coolant, depending on your perspective), this could be an issue if you are concerned about keeping the engine/coolant temperatures down. Your experience may vary; the only wrong choice is the uninformed one.

At this point, I would encourage contacting Kennedy Engineering (KEP) for an adapter plate and stage 1 clutch. When I bought them, the conversion kit (included flywheel) was $400US. It could very well have doubled by now, but the Van Gogh and starter adapter are about what I paid, so who knows? I am unable to see prices on the KEP website. If you are going to go big, with new nozzles and a bigger turbo, you may want to step up to the stage 2 clutch. The clutch will be heavier than the gasser clutch regardless, so consider your left leg and the stress on your clutch cable when you choose. I have no regrets with my selection (Stage 1).

Transaxle
When I first did my conversion, I didn't have any extra scratch around to think about the transaxle. I used the stock one. The gearing, especially at higher desired speeds, is way off. After I had the bus moving for a couple of years, and finacially recovered a little bit from my divorce, I had a transaxle built by AA Transaxle in Seattle. Darryl built me a trasnaxle based on the "CM" code from a 1975 bus with a taller 4.86 ring/pinion (like the Vanagon’s have) that is good for the Diesels with taller 3rd and 4ths. Into that case, we installed 1.14 and .73 gears for 3rd and 4th respectively. At the time, the prices were $500US for the core plus $320US per gear set plus $895US for the full rebuild for a total of around $2100 including shipping.

Bus Preparation

hatch. note notch cut out of support

With a known-viable engine on your shop floor (or sitting on a cart / tire / stand / scoot / whatever), you're ready to go after the recipient. Remove the old engine and transmission as a unit. This is documented in the Bentley and the Idiot's Guide in far better detail than I could provide. I recall the significance of draining the gasoline out of the tank when I hit this point, knowing that it was the last time gasoline would be in there. You may have a similar moment of realization. Whatever your motivation, this is a special moment. Separate the engine and transmission. Remove the battery and the starter. These will join the engine in the will-sell-later pile. You won't need the voltage regulator, so that can also go into that pile. But, you will want to keep track of (read: label well) the wire that feeds power to the reverse switch as well as the power source that leads to the front of the bus from the starter. I suggest leaving the starter trigger wire with the plug on it so you can easily identify it later. Or, cut it off and label the remaining wire well.

With the engine and transmission set aside, remove the fuel tank (See Pulling the Fuel Tank). If you retain the stock TDI location for the vacuum pump and don't modify the outlet flange (I recommend both after pursuing alternative solutions), you will need to modify the fuel tank (See Fuel Tank Solved). Since you are shifting from gasoline to diesel, you will at the very least want to have your tank cleaned and lined. You may not have a firewall anymore, so you may want to consider cleaning and painting the fuel tank bay and putting some paint on the tank itself.

When I did this conversion, I cut a large access hatch from above the engine bay. You don't have to do that, but I think you'll find maintaining the engine, even checking the oil and coolant levels far easier. Whether you do or don't, you will need to cut out a short section (less than a foot) of the support that runs across the underside of that back deck. Otherwise, the intake manifold will hit it once you have the engine installed. You can see the section cut out in the picture above. I intended to stiffen it, but never got to it. I have loaded tons of stuff onto the back deck and have never stressed this "lid" to the point where I thought about it. Your bus; your choice.

TDI meet Transaxle

adapter on with studs still in

Once the TDI has the flywheel off, the adapter can be attached and the transmission connected. The adapter can only go on one way, and it goes on first. Then, the pilot bearing goes into the flywheel and it is attached to the block. Add the pressure plate and clutch. Remove all of the pins and studs from the adapter plate. Now, mate the transmission, twisting it so the output shaft slides in and then rotate the transmission to align to the holes. Then, set the pins and studs through. I tried lots of other ways, but this was the only consistent way, and I have done this multiple times. This way takes a few minutes. Leave the studs in, and you'll be at it all day.

I'll stop here for today.

Next, I'll go through the various systems and how they were solved. As the posts are produced and released, I'll return to this post and hyper-link them below, and cross-reference as best I can.

Fuel System
Physical Mounting
Vacuum System
Air, Inter-cooler and Exhaust
Primary Electrical
Cooling
Secondary Electrical
ECU, dashpod and Sensors

Flash Lives again

Well, that was interesting.  Two days after that last post, Flash the Jetta broke.  I'll cover that today, more than anything else.

Putter... sputter... sput
It's funny.  I was looking back on a posting from about a year ago (How Diesel Gets Expensive) when Flash stopped working because of a dangerously low coolant level which led to rebuilding injectors, the IP and a timing belt change.  Back then, the driver of the Jetta was my step-son, and oddly enough when Flash suddenly stopped running on Allen Blvd, it was him again, but again, not his fault.  For the third time in a year, I had to have the Jetta towed home.  Enter a plug for AAA.

Attempts to start the engine were not fruitful.  I checked for codes, and got a P1248 (Injection Start Control Deviation).  Concluding there was a fuel delivery problem, I checked the case relief valve in the IP first.  Since the pump was just done, I didn't expect anything unusual, and it was all together like it should have been.  Sometimes, those valves get gummed up and slip out so the pump can't create pressure.  Not the problem.  Then, I swapped out the fuel filter.  After priming the lines and the filter, it still wouldn't start.  I concluded the timing of the IP was off, like the code was saying.  Enter Justin.

Diagnosis Negative
Justin stopped by mid-week after a regular workday to just peek into the situation.  Inside a minute, he spotted a flash of copper/bronze behind the timing belt tensioner, telling him that the tensioner was trash.  Concerns about the timing were spot on, but the timing of the IP was the least of our immediate concerns; one of the valves could have been struck by a piston, turning my TDI engine into a paperweight.  We got the valve cover off, and after a careful inspection, Justin concluded the valve train and pistons were probably okay.  Still, we needed to do a timing belt job.  He ran that through today.

Belt and Suspenders
Turns out the effort to pull off the old belt, replace the tensioner and put a new belt on is pretty much the same as doing a complete job.  So, while Justin started tearing down Flash, I went digging through my deep files to see what parts were replaced when Johnny did the belt as part of the IP swap-out.  I remember the receipt had all kinds of tings on it, but I never found it.  I did find the receipt for when I got towed into Bay City (Bay City Blues).  Ha.  So, in the interest of being safe, Justin and I agreed that a complete timing belt change was the best plan.  As Justin removed rollers and the coolant pump, it became increasing clear that we'd made the right decision.  Even though we only put 10k miles on the belt, an incorrectly installed belt will prematurely wear the parts it touches.  In a few hours, the belt was on, the timing was set and we'd taken a test drive to set it in.  Flash Lives.

Daily Driving
The broken Flash created a force to try driving Hapy to work.  After suffering a dead battery on the attempt on the first day, he responded very well every day after that.  I even ran errands in him one day this week.  He's been starting right up, idling a little high on the colder days, but settling down into the low 900's for idle after a few minutes.  It has been a great pleasure.  I do need to adjust the shifter a little to left to improve the gear selection in/out of 1st and 2nd.  I hope to find time to do that Sunday (tomorrow).

I think that's it for today.  We now have more working cars than drivers for the first time in months.  So, as I look forward to Monday, I have to make a decision about which TDI to drive to work.  Ha!  Thanks for following along, and for those who like the pictures, I'm sorry I didn't take any photos of Justin's labors.  I'll take pictures of the removed parts and update this posting later.

That Familiar Feel of Snow

You may be happy to know that my blog hasn't been the only thing I've neglected over the last couple of months.  Today, for the first time in over a month, the family and I hit Mount Hood.  I'll touch on that and the latest page in the saga of my Jetta.  No bus news today.  I was going to test drive him this weekend, but I focused on other things instead.  If I have a dry and uneventful morning this week, I'll drive him to work as a test flight.

Flash Lives

Poor Man's Ramp

First, some context.  The symptoms were simple: little power, hard starting, seemingly no turbo and black exhaust.  For codes, I was getting a P1556: low or inconsistent boost.  Yep, the turbo wasn't kicking in properly.  Now, based on the days when the turbo wasn't kicking in on the bus, I knew the sound of a turbo firing up, but not boosting.  That was the sound I was hearing.  On Saturday, I prepared to get the Jetta (Flash) operating right.  Since I'm without a place to work on it, I set up on the street, using the poor-boy's ramp: the curb.  Once the engine is running, crank the wheel all the way so that the back of the front tire is facing the curb.  Then back-up.  Simple.  I slid under Flash and verified the connections from the turbo to the intercooler were good.  From the top-side, though, things were sideways.  The hard-pipe coming out of the intercooler was loose and grinding against the coolant pump.  We have our problem.  I drove it to Johnny, showed him the evidence, and he fixed it.  He did my rear brake pads too, and didn't charge me for either.  Thanks, Johnny.  Flash runs awesome.  Now, I need a pair of tires, and he's ready for another 40k+ miles.

Snow

C resting mid-Molly's

I hit Timberline with my boys and Boo today.  She couldn't slide, needing to grade student work unfortunately.  Turned out C had left his boots at his mom's house anyway, so he went in Boo's (they have the same size feet).  The snow was hard-packed with about 1/2 an inch of puff on top.  It was fast, but the crashes were painful.  I only spilled a couple of times (once on my helmet-protected skull, trying to follow C off a jump).  It really was what my mood needed, though.  There is nothing like a day of playing with your kids.

I Know that Feeling
We left the mountain in a bit of a rush.  T & C were due back at their mom's, so they left in the lead car while Boo and I arranged the ski equipment into the larger carry-car.  As we made our way off the mountain, we discovered an ice-patch.  Ahh... I haven't lost traction on slide-y stuff in years.  Funny how the old skills kick in, though.  Total calm, turn into the skid and lightly tap the brakes.  We righted our descent.  No side-rail impacts, no nerves even, really.  Oddly enough, the car behind us didn't hit the ice, nor were they deterred in their close traveling distance.  Bah!

That's it for tonight.  Have a great week, and thanks for following along.  I'll try to get back to this posting with a couple pictures...

Light a cigarette, attract a bus

Most folks have heard of the old "Murphy's Law": that which could go wrong, will. I counter that with the Paulie Axiom: the moment at which you give up on something happening is the exact moment when it takes place. I've seen this play out often enough that it is more than coincidence. There's something in the ethos that triggers when you give up, or mourn the loss.

Early Morning U-Turn
Years ago, when I first moved to the Portland area, I got a 3rd floor walkup on NorthWest 22nd near the Good Samaritan Hospital. Neat old building. I got my first Portland job parking cars between SW Oak and Stark on 2nd. In the morning, I would walk the block or so to 21st and pick up the #17 bus downtown. On mornings when the bus was late, I would invariably give up on it and start walking. I wouldn't get more than a block down 21st before the headlights of the old #17 rounded the corner from further uptown and I'd turn around and quick-foot back to the stop. This happened frequently, but it took a few years of reflection to really note the pattern. On the days the bus didn't arrive, I just walked the 30 blocks to work.

Lost, Found by the Disinterested
Years earlier, when I still lived in upstate New York, I had spent the day in the park with my friends, playing footbag and listening to music on a boom-box. It was getting late, and the afternoon was turning to evening, so we started to get ready to leave. It was then that one of my friends discovered that he had lost his keys. We had been all over the park, so the probability of finding them, especially in the increasing dark, was very low. I said as much and (bad friend) didn't invest in the search. While the others crawled around on the ground, I just kinda wandered around, waiting for them to give up so we could go home. That was when I found his keys. By accepting that they would not be found, they presented themselves to me. The one who lost the keys was split between anger that I didn't actually look and relief that they'd been found. He resolved to relief, but I don't think he ever forgave me for not "really helping".

Light a Cigarette, Attract a Bus
Years after living in NW Portland, I was again dependent on Tri-Met. I was living on SE 22nd, working graveyard shifts in a produce warehouse while going to Portland State full time during the day. Crazy. I got a full sleep every other day, and took a 2 hour nap the other day. Anyway, unlike when I lived in NW Portland, I couldn't just walk to school. Since the buses running down the Mt. Tabor incline to the bridges over the Willamette run so often, any waiting is caused purely from them being full to capacity by the time they get below 26th. I found, though, that when you just gave up on a bus stopping anytime soon, and lit a smoke, a bus would appear. Too often, this happened just after lighting, so you had a spoiled cig without any of the satisfaction of having laid a drag onto it.

Over the years, this axiom has presented again and again. When I describe this phenomenon to folks, I am usually greeted with a story that demonstrates it. From giving up on finding a purse along an abandoned highway only to spot it in your headlights moments later to finally getting hold of someone on the phone to let you into a locked building just as someone else brushes past you to unlock the door, there is a strange phenomenon happening. It's the Paulie Axiom - the moment at which you give up on something happening is the exact moment when it takes place.
As I complete this atypical posting, my good friend Justin is celebrating his successful completion of his degree program. It took me 10 years from high school to university graduation, and Justin followed a more greatly challenged path. I'm sorry I can't be there in person to toast you, Justin. It may just be a piece of paper to some, but yours is a true measure of determination and courage. Sincerely, congratulations.

Thanks for following along. I'll return to my more typical rankings next time...

widiculously wonderful weekend weather

From my last post, you'd think I was nearly done with the accessory electrical stuff.  Well, just like everything else when you're working on old cars, there's always more to it than it looks on the surface.  I'll roll through my weekend in today's post, and you'll see what I mean.

Thank God It's Friday
I am fortunate to work at a company that has a "summer hours" concept.  "What is this 'sumer hours' of which you speak," you ask with curiosity.  Simply put, if you're done with your work for the week at noon on Friday (between Memorial Day and Labor Day), you can (and are encouraged to) leave.  "Zoiks!" Is what I said when I first learned of this perk.  I took the afternoon this weekend, but I didn't have much to show for it.  Or, maybe I did.  My internet was out when I got home, so I spent an hour or so banging my head against that (and the cable company operator).  I ran laundry while I was on hold, though, so the time wasn't completely wasted.  I got a service appointment for the following morning, and set to running errands.  I hit CostCo for the next month's food-stuffs, and O'Reilly's for more wiring bits.  Since I'd be waiting for the cable guy anyway, I figured I better have all my supplies ready.  When I got home, my internet was working (of course), so I cancelled the appointment.
 
Beautiful Day
June in Northwestern Oregon is usually rain-filled.  Portland has a big festival in the middle of the month that is usally peppered with rain.  In fact, a native Oregonian once told me "its not Rose Festival until the Rose Queen is crying in the rain".  Funny, yet twisted.  Still, he's right.  June is usually 20 days of rain and 10 days of threatening to rain, if not worse.  Summer may officially start on June 21st, but it doesn't start here until July 5th, at least weather-wise.  So, with that contextual backdrop, enter Saturday, June 25 2011.  72 degrees and sunny with a light breeze.  Abso-frickin-perfect weather.  With an open double-garage door, the commuter Jetta pulled back into the drive, tunes rolling, I set to knockin' that bus out.... until it was time to get my younger son (C) for the rest of the weekend.

Electric Feel
First, I figured I'd quick hammer-out the rest of the electrical stuff.  I ran another 12V accessory outlet next to the sliding door.  Reusing the original fire-extinguisher bolt, it is hidden from view, but easily accessible by either the rear seat (passenger side) passenger or from outside by just reaching in.  This will be handy when I tailgate with someone with a 12V blender.  Margarita's anyone? :)  The rest of the rough electrical was relatively quick-work too.  I left the ceiling wiring wrapped up out of sight for now, but tying those wires in will be easy work once I'm ready to install the cabinets.  The fusebox is wood-screwed into the top of the wood box / surround over the transformer.  The feed-side wires (14G each) are tied into their proper fuses, and at a reasonable length, keeping things a little clearer looking than the rat-nest of wires around the engine computer.  That harness cleanup is a project by itself.  I'll deal with that between camping and snow seasons.  I still need to mount the 12V plug by the passenger's visor, but I did tie-in the water pump and 12V accessory from the stove.

Living in Stereo
One of the components I've been wanting to install is my old Pioneer 10-disk CD changer.  I know, in this day of iTunes and MP3 players, why would I want to wire in some old-skool technology.  Simple, actually.  I'm a self-admitted Dead-Head.  I have many bootlegs on CD.  Ripping those CD's into MP3 or iTunes format is labor intensive, and usually requires re-tagging every track.  Yuk.  Also, bootlegs don't lend themselves to library-wide shuffles like my studio music does.  I don't have time to create special playlists either.  Honestly, I don't know who does, but that's a conversation for another day.  So, I'll be putting complete shows in the CD changer for when I need some Jerry-therapy, and the shuffle on my iPhone when I need random.
I spent more time than I expected trying to figure out where to put that thing.  Its kinda big (10.5" wide, 8" deep, 4" high).  First, I thought I could hide it under the dry-goods storage.  That would have been uber-clever.  I was thinking I could remove that little grille, and have the CD magazine reachable through that.  To make it work, though, I would have had to cut a hole in the floor of the cabinet, and it looked like the magazine would not have cleared the bottom of the grille-hole.  Sadness. So clever, but not reasonable.  Instead, it will fit perfectly in the false-floor I'm putting in the closet.  Not as clever, but clever enough.  Determining this was important so I could run the wires.  The power wires run from the rat-nest under the cabinets to the fuse box under the bed.  The signal wires run along the backside of the cabinets, through a hole in the steel behind the driver seat, and will run along the floor of the cab.  I don't know where the stereo-head will go, but I ran power wires from the fuse box towards the front as a part of the bundle from the CD changer.  I still need to run speaker wires through that hole and behind the cabinets, but once that's done, I should be ready for closing the walls.

She don't Lie, She don't Lie, She don't Lie..... Propane
Okay, that heading stretched the song-title metaphor a bit.  shrug.  Anyway, when I got the '79 interior a few years back, I got the gray bomb shaped propane tank with it.  I never connected it, nor installed it.  Instead, the stove was just a space-taker.  I pulled the old tank and lines out of the box, and looks into what it would take to install it.  My old '72 has those blasted belly pans under the sides of the mid-section, so I'd have to cut most of the passenger-side pan out to fit it.  Hmm...  Even if I cut out the pan, I can't tell if the cross-members are in the right places to bolt it on.  While I thought about it, I straightened the stove/sink unit so it was upright.  Then, I pulled the stiffer (inside bus) flexi-hose out of the box, connected it to the stove, threading it out the bottom hole where the waste water goes.  All of that fit well, and I now have a way of conecting low-pressure (post regulator) propane to the stove.

This is about where I ran out of time this weekend, so I put everything away, re-parked the Jetta, cleaned up and dashed off to get C.  We had a me-cooked dinner and watched "the Return of the King" together.  Perfect end to a pretty perfect day.

So, I still haven't test-fired the engine with the new harness.  Ideally, I'd have some way of pulling the exhaust out of the garage before I start the engine and perform all kinds of tests.  I'll think on that, but I need to at least verify that the original harness is good so I can return the borrowed one to Justin.  I should be able to get the computer into "run" position and verify the harness and the additional OBDII without actually starting the engine.  I'll try that this week.  As always, thanks for following along.

pictures-
top: power inlet. I didn't mention it, but I finished assembling this and installed it too.  It's wrapped in plastic film so my greasy mitts don't foul the paint.
middle: accessory fuse box test-positioning.  this is where it now lives.
bottom: looking down at the top of the 12V accessory plug near the sliding door (the bed is "open").

it moves, its loud, but it moves!

Progress, progress. With an appointment at Meineke to build out an exhaust system set for today, I had a little extra motivation. Knowing everything was "good" according to my trusted mechanic friend, Justin, I moved quickly and confidently. I'll hit the highlights today, though there will definitely be more tomorrow.

Battery
Last night, I stopped at Batteries Plus and bought a replacement battery. With the instant discount and the mail-in rebate, it'll cost around $65 for a Group 40 (or is it 48?) Rayovac battery. I hadn't heard of Rayovak batteries since the old "I dare you to knock this battery off my shoulder" advertising. Apparently, they're deep into automotive batteries now. Anyway, I called them yesterday morning, and verified they had one, I picked it up and installed it last night after the kids were fed. I fired up the engine, grabbed T and backed the bus out of his hiding place into the driveway. There was much rejoicing.

Test Drive
T hopped into the passenger seat, and we tried to take a little spin around the neighborhood. We noticed a few things. First, an un-mufflered diesel engine is still really bloddy loud even if there is a turbo absorbing some of the noise. Second, while the engine was cold, the bus shook like a mother. After about 30 seconds it settled down. The clutch made all kinds of noise, and finding the gears was a challenge. I think I have some shifter adjusting I need to do. Reverse is easy to find, but I can't find first, so there's something batty happening there. Regardless, we drove around our little circle and around the neighbors little circle (cul-de-sac's) and pulled into the driveway. Our little test was over, but it totally passed.

Belly Pan, Clutch Cable Tightening
Before I could drive it to the muffler shop, though I had a couple of things I needed to do. First, I had to put the kids to bed, feed the animals, etc. Next, the belly pan that lives under the pedals needed to be re-installed. This keeps the weather from getting in there, which is especially important with the placement of the brake switch and the accelerator pedal switch. With the wet weather we've been having, we wouldn't want a puddle-splash to fritz the switches. I couldn't find the original bolts, but I found a handful of stainless 10mm bolts that fit. Last, the clutch cable needed adjusting. Now, the cable itself was relatively new before the project started, so it probably isn't fully warn-in. The clutch and pressure plate are brand new, so they will take some seasoning too. I expect to be performing some level of cable adjustment for the next few months accordingly. It had gotten to be about 9:30, so I called it good.

Drive to Meineke
My appointment was at 7:30, T needed to leave for school at 7 and C needed to leave for school at 8:45 (with a parent wake-up at 8). I am the only adult in the house, and I hadn't a ride home from the muffler shop. So, I woke before 6, with a funny plan for getting everything to align. First, I grabbed one of the kid's bikes and tossed it into the bus. I like bus-traveling with a bike anyway - its like a lifeboat. In case of trouble, you can pedal to a parts store from a roadside breakdown much faster and farther than on foot. Anyway, I pulled out of the driveway, and drove to the shop, using 2nd and 3rd gears all the way. Without the benefit of a tachometer, and not being familiar with the sound of an un-mufflered diesel engine, it wasn't easy guestimating the shift points. I relied on some common sense, though, figuring my shifts should come earlier than in the old pancake engine, and knowing that the accelerator only went to 78% meant I couldn't really get the RPM's into redline.
I arrived at Meineke as the defroster was starting to produce some warmth. I topped off the brake fluid (remember, I had it open to change the rubber lines earlier), pulled the bike out and rode home. I arrived home by 6:35, so I had time to prep for the day. T ended up staying home from school sick with that phflemmy coff thing that's gonig around, but I dashed back to the muffler shop to hand off the keys and talk about the project with the manager. "I want it quiet," I said. He accepted the keys nad I drove home to get C up for school. Again, I was ahead of schedule, and could enjoy some coffee before wrestling him out of bed. He got ready, ate and split for school (taking the lunch I made for him ) and I hit the road for work. I've spoken to Meineke from work, and the exhaust is done, with a lifetime warranty. Sweet. I'll drive it home, and post an update in the next couple of days about how it ran, sounded, etc.

It is hard to believe I'm actually at this point. There have been a couple of wrenchers without whom this would not have been possible. Hal and Justin, your assistance has been immeasurable and so, so greatly appreciated. I want both of you to sign the partition behind the passenger seat that's exposed to the main open area so your names will forever be connected with what we've done. There is time tomorrow to talk about what the next steps are, etc. For today, we smile. And nod. And bask in the gravity of the achievement we accomplished. Today, we have a 1972 VW camperbus getting pushed down the road by a 1998 NewBeetle 1.9 liter TDI engine.

pictures:
top - Justin fooling with the low-pressure return lines (we replaced them on Sunday)
middle - Hap's parking spot for nearly 2 years, now vacant (rain)
bottom - in the driveway, ready to go get an exhaust (rain)

running again

Ok, so it's halftime during the college football national championship game, so this will be brief. My friend Justin stopped over on Sunday afternoon, and we got the engine running again. For the second time, we needed to fake the clutch pedal switch. The jumper we did before either fell out or I knocked it out. Regardless, once we jumpered that switch, the starter would engage again.

Fuel System Alteration
we removed the one-way valve from the fuel feed line, believing it was restricting the fuel flow. I'm still concerned that we won't get sufficient prime after sitting overnight, but I'll be able to test that theory tomorrow night. In its place, we put a Mercedes secondary (clear) filter. We should be able to see if there is prime in the fuel line just by looking at that.

Battery suck-eth
The battery I nabbed from the old Mercedes was pretty much drained by the time we got to being able to test-fire, it wasn't able to turn the engine. We tried the Harbor Freight battery charger/jumper, but that didn't have the juice. Then, we charged the battery a bit, tried again... no avail. Finally, charging through jumpers running off of Justin's Golf was the winner. Regardless, the engine is running again, and the battery is sitting on the slow-charge. I'll fire that engine up again to drive to the muffler shop hopefully this week.

Justin's Discoveries
In looking at and poking at the engine, Justin noticed a few things. Some items, we were able to fix on the spot, like a loose fuel pressure sensor on the IP, but others may need future attention. The VNT actuator was not responding very well. We think that may self-correct just from use - remember the engine has only run a handful of times in the past 3 years. While we were banging away, Justin re-checked my accelerator switch, and it runs from 0% to 77% now. I need to extend the throw of the pedal somehow, but that can wait. Also, he verified the IP timing, and the flow of the injectors - all good. We're ready for test flights.

That's it for tonight. The game is coming back on. If we don't get snow, I'll be taking a test flight tomorrow night. I hope to get into the Meineke shop around the corner between Wednesday and Friday so I'm road-able. Then, it is just a matter of increased length test fights, minor tweaks and cosmetics. Unbelievable. As an Oregonian, I say "Go DUCKS".

Mental Notes Get Lost Too

Back when I was going through the electrical stuff, there were a few things that I didn't identify from the ETKA diagrams.  Basically, they weren't in the drawings.  If you aren't familiar with the ETKA, its a software program that has drawings of sections of VW and Audi (and a few other non-US vehicles) vehicles.  Included in the drawings, there are drawings of the wiring cables with the plugs, and even a brief description of what the plug is (or may be) connected to.  Unfortunately, some of the plugs on my harnesses are not on the drawings.  When I encountered these, I said "I'll figure that out later".  Well... later is now, for some of them.  I'll get to that along the way, but first a few things I've done over the last couple of weeks.

Prep for Starting

I figured fluids were the next logical step, assuming everything was ready to go.  After getting back from another weekend camping on the Oregon Coast, I grabbed a couple gallons of distilled water and a gallon of diesel, and headed for the bus.  The oil was pretty simple.  Since the engine orientation is the same in the bus as it is in the stock vehicle, its just a matter of pouring it in the fill hole and checking the levels.  I should need to add a little more once it has been started, since there is no oil pressured into any of the lines. Justin and I have already talked about changing the oil pretty soon after the first start anyway since the engine has sat so long.  I then used a mity-vac to force diesel into the large filter from both sides.  It didn't seem like much got in, but we'll see.  Last, coolant.  2 1.5L bottles of PentaFrost(++) G12 and 3L of distilled water.  I suspect some air pockets, so I have an extra bottle of coolant and more distilled water.  Seemed like I was ready...

Tuesday with Justin

After getting things as close as I thought I could get the bus for a test start, I reached out to Justin (TDI guru) to help me with the initial start of the bus.  He stopped in after work on Tuesday, and we set to looking at where we're at.  He seemed pretty pleased with the layout so we set to trying the electrical.  Our initial tests were very positive - the ECU (or DFI, in the wiring diagrams) didn't fry; it powered up when the ignition was switched to "run", and we were able to run VAG-COM diagnosis on it.  Unfortunately, we got a few codes, and we were unable to get the dashpod to recognize power.  I'll detail the codes below, as I am still getting those codes.  When Justin left, he said "keep looking for the cause, and when you get the dash to show you the milage when the battery is hooked up, you're ready for me".

Small Success

Justin and I worked until twilight trying to find the power break that was causing the dashpod to fail.  Today, I traced the wires from the glow plug relay and realized that they terminated in one of those plugs I couldn't find in the ETKA.  I then ran my fingers along the cable bundle from the glow plugs towards the ECU and found a corresponding 2-prong plug.  I plugged them together and re-tested what happens when the battery is tied in again.  I saw milage on the dashpod.  Sweet!  Just to satisfy curiosity I hooked up my freeware VAG-COM to see if any of the codes went away.  Nope.  Ah well... more to look into next time around.  If you recognize any pattern in the codes, please let me know.  I noticed that all of the offending sensors are in the same harness, and some of them tie together.  More when there's more...

VAG-COM error output:

01050 - Glow Plug monitor intermittent

01268 - Quantity Adjuster Upper Limit (N146)

01268 - Quantity Adjuster Lower Limit (N146)

00765 - Modulating Piston Movement Sensor (G149) Intermittent

00522 - Engine Coolant Temp Sensor Open or Short to +

00626 - Glow Plug Indicator Open or Short to Ground Intermittent