All Work and No Play....

... makes Jack a dull boy. I've been working too much at a desk and not enough on the bus. Still, there's been some headway. First, I'll complain about the too-much-desk bit, and then go through the electrical progress. The next few posts probably won't have much in terms of photogenic moments. I mean what's so interesting about some things that are plugged in? Once we get to tying the harnesses into the stock wiring things will get interesting, but photogenic? We'll see.

Workin' in a Coal Mine...
In the work economy, I should be glad for any hours I get. I'm a contractor, so if I don't work, I don't get paid. So, more hours means more money, of course, but your body, your mind and your family can only take so much. I remember the early internet start-up days when fellow IT folks would boast about their hours, and it would really enter the ridiculous after a while. Working a 40 hour week is plenty if you have a family, or any kind of life outside of what you do for a living. Take 10 hours away from that other life, and it is a significant impact. Figure that's more than another workday to your week. I remember some boasters saying they worked "80 hours" - not possible, really, (unless you're looking for a divorce or an early grave) but the point I'm getting at is I've worked over 50 hours a week for the month of April, and some of March. I'm getting worn down. I worked a day-shift on Friday as well as a graveyard shift that night, and then a day shift on Saturday. As I write this, I'm working a swing-shift on a Sunday, and I expect to work a full week of day-shifts minimum next week. There are rumblings about going all night tonight. I hope it doesn't come to that. I'm grateful for the work, and the team I work on is dedicated to the task, but there are limits.

Marinara on the side
With help from AndyBees from the TDIClub, I have been able to start working in-earnest on the electrical stuff. He sent me the output of his work on his electrical efforts while installing a 2002 Jetta TDI into his vanagon. He also supplied copies of the 1998 NewBeetle wiring diagrams for my engine. In my few idle moments, I have been pouring over those diagrams.

This morning I attacked the 2 main engine-compartment harnesses. Recall last November I put toe-tags on every plug that I could identify through the ETKA. With those toe-tags and the wiring diagram, I was able to connect most of the remaining plugs. I have a few the still need homes, but I feel like that bulk of the engine compartment harnesses are wired in. The main harness, though, has a few plugs on it that need to thread into the engine compartment. I will look into that soon.

Generating Juice
Early last week, I ordered a few things to help get the generator working with the battery and the battery working with the harnesses. First, there's a belt. I don't have the power steering unit (1972 bus, remember?) nor do I have the air conditioner (again, 1972 bus), so my serpentine belt doesn't need to be very serpentine. Simply, it needs to wrap the main pulley on the crankshaft and run around the generator pulley, under the tensioner pulley and back to the crankshaft pulley. Simple. With an extension cord, I measured the length of the trip and then ordered 2 belts that were close. The winner was GoodYear (4060295) - 29.5" effective length. Buy one here. The tensioner pulley is eased with a 5/8" cresent wrench on the exposed nut, and the belt is popped on. Easy-peasy. I was able to get the belt on while waiting for the mac-n-cheese water to boil (making kids lunch).

The other belt I bought will be returned / exchanged for another of the same size for the parts bin. I also bought a battery fuse-block on eBay. (the picture from the eBay listing is above) This is a critical bit that I didn't get from the donor car. It should arrive this week, so integrating that fuse block into the electrical will come up pretty soon. With it will arrive the need to get a primary battery installed. When we sold my wife's old '85 300TD, I kept one of the batteries we had for it. The battery holds a charge and used to run (and start) an old diesel, so I figure it has the horses to start the TDI. I popped it onto the HarborFreight charger so it's topped off.

Last, I bought a battery isolator online. The Westfalia accessory battery circuit relies on the separate voltage regulator to trigger juice rolling to the accessory battery. There's a picture of it (albeit small) up above to the right. The newer TDI generator has a built-in regulator, so a newer isolator is in order. I'll verify this with the installation instruction that will come with the unit, but, in theory, this box will live between both batteries as well as the generator so the generator powers the primary battery first, then the accessory battery and neither battery can discharge the other. Should be pretty straightforward once its in-place. In the interests of full disclosure, its a Stinger S12023 120-Amp 4 Post Design High Current Isolator. Buy one here.

That's it for today. Once the isolator arrives, I'll be focused on getting the primary electrical running. This means getting the primary battery installed, running the primary ground and B+ thick cables, installing the isolator, wiring up the starter, the generator, solving the clutch pedal switch, etc. It may sound like a lot, but I should have all of it resolved in a few hours time.

Thanks for following along, and thanks for all the comments. It really does help keep me honest knowing there are all of your watching and waiting.

pictures:
top - fuse block from eBay lsiting
middle - original 1972 voltage regulator. Need one? I have an extra :)
bottom - new battery isolator

February failure

The winter of 2004 wasn't unusually cold, nor was it particularly snowy. It was, however, my first winter with the bus. I hadn't driven an older (20+ year old) car in a long time, so I'd forgotten that as the weather gets colder, the fragile parts start to fail.

I'd decided to take it a little easier on Hapy and I got a Tri-Met bus pass. I thought it would be a good thing if I only drove the bus as far as the commuter terminal. Since I could feel the wind blowing through the doors and windows when I drove on the Interstate, I had a little personal reason for this too. Well, my first part failure happened in November. I remember hearing a slight "pop" as I turned into the parking lot, and smelling a light scent of electrical smoke, but I didn't think too much of it. I popped the engine hatch and there was nothing interesting going on (read: no fire), so I hopped the bus and presently forgot about it.

After a typical office-workday, I returned home on the Metrobus and started Hapy in the usual way. I noticed that the ALT light stayed on after I got him running and that freaked me a bit. I remembered reading that if the light comes on like that, it could be a really bad thing for your electrical system and you should shutdown immediately. I did, and I went to look through my books. Something was wrong with the electrical system, but if the bus started and ran, I figured it couldn't be that bad. Realizing that I was taking a calculated risk, I started Hapy and drove the 2.5 miles home. Could I have fried my electrical system by doing that? Well, sure, I suppose. In retrospect, "no" because the broken part wouldn't have done that.

I got home after dark, and brought my books (Muir & Bentley) inside. I tested the internet resources for a clear direction for what was wrong, but the answers I got were not consistent. So, I started replacing parts and taking 2 Metrobuses to work - one local and one express - extending my commute by an hour each way.

First I replaced the Voltage Regulator. This is the part that most often fails in situations like this, and if it had been the bad part, my drive home would have caused lots of electrical problems. Now I carry a spare, since the original part was fine.

Next, I replaced the battery and cables. This seemed like an easy thing to try (and it was), but it didn't fix the problem. I did get a nice battery out of the deal, and the old one was probably going anyway. I figured the cold-cranking in the dead of winter would be a little better after this. It was, but Hapy still wouldn't start.

Last, I pulled the alternator to have it tested. This turned out to be the problem. Lots of water had gotten into the engine compartment from the heavy rains, and a puddle of water sloshed into the alternator, frying it. Or, at least, that's what i think happened. Now, if you've never pulled an alternator from a 72-79 VW bus, its not like pulling one from a mid 70's GM or Ford. There is a big gray thing on the back (closest to the rear bumper) of the engine called a fan shroud that holds the alternator and directs the air moved by the engine fan. There is a smaller plate in front of the fan shroud that actually holds the ALT. There is a long bolt in the upper left-hand corner that holds the smaller plate and the ALT in place. I won't go into the removal/replacement details here, but in the dark in the rain and in the street this is not an easy job. I finally pulled the old one out and had it tested at Beaverton Auto Parts. "Dis things dead an' I check'd it twice", he said. "Git you a new un in 'bout a week er so. $125". "#$%^," I said. "I'll get back to ya." BusDepot had one to me in 3 days for closer to $85.

Hapy drove well the rest of the winter very well. I had more adventures before Christmas, but that can wait for another day.