It seems like there are 3 different things that all get changed around the same time by folks that mean well, but don't realize they're doing their air-cooled VW a disservice. Maybe they got misled by some flashy advertisement. Maybe they were talked into it by a mechanic that "used to race" so he knew what he was doing. Regardless, if you find one of these aftermarket modifications, the odds are very good that the other 2 have been made as well. This is part III of a 3 part series dedicated to the different AirCooled Aftermarket Axis of Evil modifications. So, if the other 2 were Iraq and Iran, then this one must be my North Korea.
Evil Aftermarket Modification #3: removing the thermostat or more of the temperature regulation system
I've never really understood why people do this, but it happens so often, it has become a practice. Kind of like selling nuclear equipment or materials to non-proliferation countries, this will only come back to haunt you. Eventually. We call these engines "air cooled" which sounds like they're always hot and need cold air blowing on them all the time or they'll melt in front of your eyes. While this is true when you're running through the desert in mid-afternoon in August, most of us aren't doing that. Ever. So why should you care? Your heads can warp if you blow cold air on them when they are not in need of cooling, for one thing. For another, your fuel won't burn properly, driving down your power and your mpg. A thermostat and the air vanes help the engine get to its most efficient temperature, and then helps keep both the oil and the engine at that temperature. "The oil?" you ask. Yeah, the oil. Although we call these "air cooled" John Muir pointed out that we should probably call them "oil cooled" as well because its the oil that transfers a lot of the combustion temperature out. If you don't have the air vanes, you aren't getting air to your oil cooler, and you're heading for an overheating.
How do I recognize this evil?
This evil comes in 2 forms-
First: no thermostat. Get on the ground behind your bus with a flashlight and shine the beam through the exhaust above the lower right-side engine tin so you're looking between the right heat exchanger (manifold) and the block. Is there a cable running from the front end back to a pulley and then up to the top of the engine? No? Someone took your thermostat off and didn't replace it.
Second: no vanes. Open the rear engine door and reach over the top of the fan housing (the big silver thing on the very back of the engine). Is there a bar there that runs the length of the back of the housing? No? They got your vanes too! It is very rare that you'll have lost your vanes but kept your thermostat. This is because the thermostat has a cable running from it to control those vanes, and removing the vanes is much more time consuming than pulling the thermostat plus cable. As much as the removal of the thermostat irritates me, the removal of the vanes is just hazardous to your engine. This needs to be remedied. While you're at it, put a thermostat on there.
How do I eradicate the evil-doer(s)?
If all you're missing is the thermostat, you can no longer get the original styled part. Maybe this is why the old one didn't get replaced. Nah... You can get a newer version type1 thermostat and have it altered to suit a type4 (pancake) engine. I had the fine folks at aircooled.net do this for me and it bolts right in. Tie a small fishing weight to a length of string. Tie the other end to the vane rod and drop the weight through the tin-hole in the top of the engine just to the left of the right-side of the fan housing. If you use a flashlight and a mirror (or stick your head in there) its pretty easy to see that there's only the one hole. Tape the cable end to the string and pull the cable up through the hole. Push the rod all the way forward and thumbscrew the cable to the rod. Wait, you don't have a rod?! Then we need to fix that first.
Replacing the vanes and actuating rod takes a little more time and requires some used parts (theBusCo.com is my personal playground for stuff like this). Its actually easier to do this by dropping the engine, but if you don't want to do that (like I didn't), follow these instructions. You need to remove the exhaust (from the heat exchangers back), and the rear engine tin. Do you have a heat reflector between the muffler and the lower engine tin? No? Yeah, that's not surprising. As long as you're there, you should find and install one of these. It will drop your engine temperatures a few degrees when the engine is running it’s warmest - when you want the temp drop. Anyway, remove the alternator tin (leave the alternator there, though), and remove the fan grill, timing scale and fan. Remove the little tins (covers) between the heat exchangers and the fan housing. There's one on each side and they're about 3 inches by 1 inch and held in by 2 flathead bolts each. If you have the little flappers in there, grab them. If you don't, add them to the list for the used bus parts place. Now, for the heavy part: support the fan housing with something and remove the bolts (in the hole where the fan was) that hold the fan housing to the engine block. You'll probably discover a few flathead screws that you didn't take out holding you up. Pull them and wiggle the fan housing back. There is just enough space to fit the new-to-you vanes into the fan housing. Make sure the bottom of the vanes click into the little hinge pins or they won't operate correctly. Hold the rod steady and fit the housing back into place. Test the action of the rod. No scraping noise? They move freely and make a clatter-clunk noise at each end of travel? You're good! Put those big bolts back in and take a breath. The install is genuinely the reverse of the install. Don't forget to put the little flaps in where the heat exchangers meet the fan housing, and cut a gasket for the little covers when you put them on. Put the fan on squarely and torque it down in steps, don't forget your timing scale. Make sure you place the gasket between the alternator and its tin properly. When you're ready to put your rear engine tin back on, get your heat reflector ready - it is held on by the same flathead bolts. Its recommended to use new fasteners and gaskets when you put your exhaust together. I use stainless steel bolts, washers and nuts whenever I can so I can reuse them. And they don't rust.
I think somewhere along the line someone in Southern California or in the desert states came up with a few hot-rodder ideas that worked in their area. Everywhere else we have dew points, stop signs and morning chill that we have to think about when tooling on these buses. Once you've removed these 3 demons from your bus you will notice that it runs better in all kinds of weather, has better power and gets better mileage.
Showing posts with label axis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label axis. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
AirCooled Aftermarket Axis of Evil (Part II)
It seems like there are 3 different things that all get changed around the same time by folks that mean well, but don't realize they're doing their air-cooled VW a disservice. Maybe they got misled by some flashy advertisement. Maybe they were talked into it by a mechanic that "used to race" so he knew what he was doing. Regardless, if you find one of these aftermarket modifications, the odds are very good that the other 2 have been made as well. This is part II of a 3 part series dedicated to the different AirCooled Aftermarket Axis of Evil modifications.
Evil Aftermarket Modification #2: 009 distributor (010 and 050 too)
Some folks still swear by them. I swear at them. John Muir said the mechanical advance distributor was better than the vacuum/mechanical because the introduction of the vacuum was really for lazy people. Well.... I'd have to disagree. If you have one of these distributors, you probably find that you have almost no power at the very bottom of the RPM range. Pulling away from a stop sign requires that you really goose the gas. If you've always had a mechanical-only advance distributor (009, 010, 050) you may not realize the this is not how a VW is supposed to run. The vacuum is needed because the mechanical advance is too slow at the beginning of the curve, causing the bog-down effect from a full stop.
How do I recognize this evil?
There will not be a vaccum can on the side. The vacuum can is a circular brass thing (looks almost like a hockey puck) stuck to the side of the distributor near the top where the cap clicks on. Its about 2 inches across and has a little hose coming out of it that connects to your carb or fuel injection somewhere. Some distributors have a vacuum retard as well so there may be more than one hose. The important part is that you have a hose going from the distributor to something else. A 009, 010, and 050 have no hose, just wires... and bad times.
How do I eradicate the evil-doer?
Simply, toss it in a box and get a distributor with a vacuum advance component. Don't sell it or the terrorists win! Your local steel recycler is your ally! There are aftermarket replacement distributors that have a vacuum component. For example, I got a SVDA (Single Vacuum Dual Advance) from aircooled.net for about $150. You can get the stock distributor, but I've found them to be more expensive. The stock part number is 021905271 with a letter on the end that differs depending on your model year. You can find these new at BusDepot or used at theBusCo, BustedBus or Bus-Boys. Installing a distributor isn't as hard as it sounds. Just get your engine to top-dead-center (TDC) - that's where your engine is ready to fire in cylinder #1. Remove the old distributor and put the new one in. The guys at AirCooled.net supplied many pages of instructions, so this was a short afternoon's work to get it into my bus and running right. If you go the stock distributor route, there are decent instructions in the Bentley service manual for installing it. I took this opportunity to switch from points to electronic ignition. It cost $70 for the kit and an additional $10 for the labor at AirCooled to put it into the SVDA, but I like the fact that I don't have to mess with points when I do a tune up. Besides, I think the electronic ignition gives a better spark.
How to set the timing once the distributor has been installed has been a topic of great debate. I have found that setting the timing just retarded from the spec for the engine code has been the best for me. Advance too far, and you overheat. Overheat, and you're walkin'. Every bus has a different combination of parts if you aren't strict-stock, so your timing may not be exactly by-the-book either. Static timing of an 009 is practically impossible, so by removing this evil, you're actually making your bus more owner-maintainable. I've carried my old 009 around in my parts bin (the big cabinet under the Westfalia rock-n-roll bed) for 2 years just in case I needed it. I don't need it anymore, but selling the 009 is spreading the wrong message (letting the terrorists win), so its going to the steel recycler. Maybe, though the wonders of recycling, it can become an instrument of freedom.
Next time.... Evil AfterMarket Modification #3
Evil Aftermarket Modification #2: 009 distributor (010 and 050 too)
Some folks still swear by them. I swear at them. John Muir said the mechanical advance distributor was better than the vacuum/mechanical because the introduction of the vacuum was really for lazy people. Well.... I'd have to disagree. If you have one of these distributors, you probably find that you have almost no power at the very bottom of the RPM range. Pulling away from a stop sign requires that you really goose the gas. If you've always had a mechanical-only advance distributor (009, 010, 050) you may not realize the this is not how a VW is supposed to run. The vacuum is needed because the mechanical advance is too slow at the beginning of the curve, causing the bog-down effect from a full stop.
How do I recognize this evil?
There will not be a vaccum can on the side. The vacuum can is a circular brass thing (looks almost like a hockey puck) stuck to the side of the distributor near the top where the cap clicks on. Its about 2 inches across and has a little hose coming out of it that connects to your carb or fuel injection somewhere. Some distributors have a vacuum retard as well so there may be more than one hose. The important part is that you have a hose going from the distributor to something else. A 009, 010, and 050 have no hose, just wires... and bad times.
How do I eradicate the evil-doer?
Simply, toss it in a box and get a distributor with a vacuum advance component. Don't sell it or the terrorists win! Your local steel recycler is your ally! There are aftermarket replacement distributors that have a vacuum component. For example, I got a SVDA (Single Vacuum Dual Advance) from aircooled.net for about $150. You can get the stock distributor, but I've found them to be more expensive. The stock part number is 021905271 with a letter on the end that differs depending on your model year. You can find these new at BusDepot or used at theBusCo, BustedBus or Bus-Boys. Installing a distributor isn't as hard as it sounds. Just get your engine to top-dead-center (TDC) - that's where your engine is ready to fire in cylinder #1. Remove the old distributor and put the new one in. The guys at AirCooled.net supplied many pages of instructions, so this was a short afternoon's work to get it into my bus and running right. If you go the stock distributor route, there are decent instructions in the Bentley service manual for installing it. I took this opportunity to switch from points to electronic ignition. It cost $70 for the kit and an additional $10 for the labor at AirCooled to put it into the SVDA, but I like the fact that I don't have to mess with points when I do a tune up. Besides, I think the electronic ignition gives a better spark.
How to set the timing once the distributor has been installed has been a topic of great debate. I have found that setting the timing just retarded from the spec for the engine code has been the best for me. Advance too far, and you overheat. Overheat, and you're walkin'. Every bus has a different combination of parts if you aren't strict-stock, so your timing may not be exactly by-the-book either. Static timing of an 009 is practically impossible, so by removing this evil, you're actually making your bus more owner-maintainable. I've carried my old 009 around in my parts bin (the big cabinet under the Westfalia rock-n-roll bed) for 2 years just in case I needed it. I don't need it anymore, but selling the 009 is spreading the wrong message (letting the terrorists win), so its going to the steel recycler. Maybe, though the wonders of recycling, it can become an instrument of freedom.
Next time.... Evil AfterMarket Modification #3
Friday, March 2, 2007
AirCooled Aftermarket Axis of Evil
Yesterday's posting about the Weber Progressive Carb in the Wintertime reminded me of my AirCooled Aftermarket Axis of Evil. What is this Axis of Evil? Well, its not Korea, Iran and Iraq. It is a collection of modifications performed on aircooled vehicles that are all done together for some reason. It seems like there are 3 different things that all get changed around the same time by folks that mean well, but don't realize they're doing their air-cooled VW a disservice. Maybe they got misled by some flashy advertisement. Maybe they were talked into it by a mechanic that "used to race" so "he knew what he was doing". Regardless, if you find one of these aftermarket modifications, the odds are very good that the other 2 have been made as well. Bear in mind, if the VW engineers could have left off a bolt, they would have saved the company a big ol' pile o' cash after producing millions of these engines.
I'll spend my next 3 posts on each of the different AirCooled Aftermarket Axil of Evil modifications. After yesterday's post about the Weber 32/36 progressive, we'll logically start there. Its not the worst of the Axis of Evil, but its not part of the Coalition of the Willing either.
Evil Aftermarket Modification #1: Weber Progressive 32/36 Carb.
I know fellow bus drivers that swear by these carbs. Usually it comes up in a conversation about why they only drive their bus in the Summertime. "Busses can't be used all year 'round," they say. "They don't like the cold." Ahh yes... good old balmy Germany... that's where my bus wants to drive. That's crazy talk. If you don't like driving your bus in the cold because it doesn't have heat, say so, and I'll happily help you fix it. Your bus likes the cold fine. Your centermount progressive carb doesn't. It really isn't the carb's fault, though, its the fault of the long intake that the carb sits on. After the fuel and air mix together, it travels down 15" or more of pipe to the intake port on your head. That pipe is out there in the elements, not heated by anything, so the fuel mixture gets all dorked up and by the time it hits the combustion chamber it doesn't burn right. This carb was designed to sit right on top of the Pinto engine, getting warmed by the engine block. No such luck on theVW, especially the pancake motor in 1972-1983 bus/vans.
How do I recognize this evil?
When you pop the rear engine door and look inside, there will be a silver squarish thing sitting right in the middle of everything. If it is exactly as it comes out of the box, it will have a chrome aircleaner on it. It is sitting on long silver tubes that look like electical conduit. "Aw.. but it looks so pretty," you say. Yeah, pretty, but grossly inefficient when the air temperature drops below 70F or gets near the dew point. Here in the Pacific NorthWest, its a rare day when its not near the dew point except in the Summer..... which, oddly enough, is when the local Weber drivers think is the only time to drive a bus. Coincidence? No, they've been confused by the evil-doers.
How do I eradicate the evil-doer?
There are a few options for reducing the negatives of the Weber (containment of the evil-doer), or you could toss it completely for the correct induction system for your make/model/year.
Option 1: you could add insult to injury by trying the GM Cavalier trick. The Cavalier had a similar problem with its induction system, so GM added a heated gasket to warm the system. Whaddaya know, it fits between a Weber and that ridiculous electrical conduit intake. I have not personally done this, but I have heard that this does actually work, but you need some kind of thermal sensor to tell it to turn itself off. Sounded dangerous and little like like nonscience, so I tried...
Option 2: find a source of warm air and route it into the aircleaner. This helps the carb work better down to the mid 40F's, and drivable into the mid 30F's. I went into more detail in yesterday's post about this. The best solution is replacing the whole thing with what was removed in the first place - either dual carbs or fuel injection. These are more expensive options, but doing it right isn't usually the less expensive way in the short term. It is usually the less expensive way in the long term, though.
Dual carbs and fuel injection are not harder to dial-in than the Weber, nor are they harder to routinely maintain. What's hard is finding what's wrong with the used parts you have. Run a Weber for 30 years, and see if you don't have a similar "what's wrong with it" head-scratching session. The Dual carbs and fuel injection that came with the bus have 30 years of millions of owners experience to draw on. Removing the evil-doer in this case is easy; its the establishment of a stable system after the fact that's the challenge. That's usually because you're doing the work with the parts you have, not the parts you wish you could have. Hmm.. that sounded eerily familiar.....
Next time... Evil Aftermarket Modification #2
I'll spend my next 3 posts on each of the different AirCooled Aftermarket Axil of Evil modifications. After yesterday's post about the Weber 32/36 progressive, we'll logically start there. Its not the worst of the Axis of Evil, but its not part of the Coalition of the Willing either.
Evil Aftermarket Modification #1: Weber Progressive 32/36 Carb.
I know fellow bus drivers that swear by these carbs. Usually it comes up in a conversation about why they only drive their bus in the Summertime. "Busses can't be used all year 'round," they say. "They don't like the cold." Ahh yes... good old balmy Germany... that's where my bus wants to drive. That's crazy talk. If you don't like driving your bus in the cold because it doesn't have heat, say so, and I'll happily help you fix it. Your bus likes the cold fine. Your centermount progressive carb doesn't. It really isn't the carb's fault, though, its the fault of the long intake that the carb sits on. After the fuel and air mix together, it travels down 15" or more of pipe to the intake port on your head. That pipe is out there in the elements, not heated by anything, so the fuel mixture gets all dorked up and by the time it hits the combustion chamber it doesn't burn right. This carb was designed to sit right on top of the Pinto engine, getting warmed by the engine block. No such luck on theVW, especially the pancake motor in 1972-1983 bus/vans.
How do I recognize this evil?
When you pop the rear engine door and look inside, there will be a silver squarish thing sitting right in the middle of everything. If it is exactly as it comes out of the box, it will have a chrome aircleaner on it. It is sitting on long silver tubes that look like electical conduit. "Aw.. but it looks so pretty," you say. Yeah, pretty, but grossly inefficient when the air temperature drops below 70F or gets near the dew point. Here in the Pacific NorthWest, its a rare day when its not near the dew point except in the Summer..... which, oddly enough, is when the local Weber drivers think is the only time to drive a bus. Coincidence? No, they've been confused by the evil-doers.
How do I eradicate the evil-doer?
There are a few options for reducing the negatives of the Weber (containment of the evil-doer), or you could toss it completely for the correct induction system for your make/model/year.
Option 1: you could add insult to injury by trying the GM Cavalier trick. The Cavalier had a similar problem with its induction system, so GM added a heated gasket to warm the system. Whaddaya know, it fits between a Weber and that ridiculous electrical conduit intake. I have not personally done this, but I have heard that this does actually work, but you need some kind of thermal sensor to tell it to turn itself off. Sounded dangerous and little like like nonscience, so I tried...
Option 2: find a source of warm air and route it into the aircleaner. This helps the carb work better down to the mid 40F's, and drivable into the mid 30F's. I went into more detail in yesterday's post about this. The best solution is replacing the whole thing with what was removed in the first place - either dual carbs or fuel injection. These are more expensive options, but doing it right isn't usually the less expensive way in the short term. It is usually the less expensive way in the long term, though.
Dual carbs and fuel injection are not harder to dial-in than the Weber, nor are they harder to routinely maintain. What's hard is finding what's wrong with the used parts you have. Run a Weber for 30 years, and see if you don't have a similar "what's wrong with it" head-scratching session. The Dual carbs and fuel injection that came with the bus have 30 years of millions of owners experience to draw on. Removing the evil-doer in this case is easy; its the establishment of a stable system after the fact that's the challenge. That's usually because you're doing the work with the parts you have, not the parts you wish you could have. Hmm.. that sounded eerily familiar.....
Next time... Evil Aftermarket Modification #2
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