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Date:         Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:26:59 -0500
Reply-To:     Sudhir Desai <sudhir.desai@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Sudhir Desai <sudhir.desai@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: 1.9 to 2.1 Conversion Almost Done!
In-Reply-To:  <410-2200611228124952430@earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

sorry about this, but i needed the readability and thought others might want it too :)

Yesterday I finally got the 2.1 engine in my '84 Vanagon running, and it moved for the first time since ?? under it's own power. I actually got the engine back in about 3 weeks ago, but had some problems.

First problem: I used the engine mounting bracket from the 2.1 because I liked the idea of being able to use the muffler supports from the 2.1 style bracket-I should have asked first, because I found out the hard way, it won't work. The muffler bracket attachments stick out too far, and the rear tin/shroud that the coolant tanks attach to wont sit flush. If I was more familiar with the differences between a 1.9 and 2.1 I might have realized this, but I wasn't ( I am now!) Despite this, I hooked up the coolant tanks and fired up the engine, when I discovered problem #2.

Problem two: coolant pouring out from under the water pump. This was 3 weeks ago, and I had to let it all sit until last Friday. I bought an ATV/motorcyle jack to do the engine swap, and I gotta say this the way to go! much easier than trying to balance an engine on a standard floor jack. Anyway, Friday I dropped the engine carrier bar and swapped the engine mounting bracket back to the 1.9.

On the water pump, I found the bolts holding the coolant pipe in place under the pump were little more than finger tight, not loose, but not as tight as they should be. The dangers of not finishing something and thinking "I'll do it tomorrow" then "tomorrow" becomes 3 weeks later. Just to be sure. I took it all apart and put on a fresh gasket and sealant. The upper bolt on the pipe is a real PITA to get to with the pulley in place. I also found one of the clamps on the short rubber hose on the other side of this pipe was not tightened down. Put everything back together and fired it up-it would start, but ran rough and would not idle. I was out of time for the day, and had to stop.

Saturday my family and I took a one day bus trip to New York city, so I had lots of time to think about why the engine was running rough and wouldn't idle. Plug wires mixed up? No, checked that. Fuel injector wires mixed up? No, had verified that too. As I'm relaxing on the bus I'm picturing the compartment in my head (I'm not making this up!) and I see the AFM with the plug dangling next to it! I forgot to plug the AFM back in!

Didn't get home from New York until 1:00AM Sunday, but later on Sunday I lift the engine hatch and damned if the plug to the AFM isn't hanging right there! I plug it in and the engine fires right up, runs and idles smooth.

I never would have guessed that the engine would even start with the AFM disconnected. The only problem I have now is that the battery light is staying on. Many thanks to Jim Thompson for his write up on doing this conversion, Bob Donalds for advice, and especially to Kim Brennan who supplied the 2.1 engine.


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