Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:01:13 -0500
Reply-To: Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
Subject: Bench Testing an L-jetronic Fuel Injected engine
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Hi Volks,
I have been working on getting my bus back under its own power on and
off since November. For those who need a refresher, I threw a rod
back in July and installed a remanufactured 1700cc EA-series 411
engine with L-jetronic FI as a replacement. Unfortunately, I
overheated this engine a few weeks later and it took quite a while to
get all the parts that were required to get it running again. And
then when I put it back in the bus, it refused to fire. A compression
test was done and the abysmal results prompted the removal of the
engine from the bus. Here we go again.
As it turned out, when VW remanufactured this engine they flycut the
heads such that they could not be used without gaskets between the
heads and the cylinders. So I sourced out a set of gaskets and the
engine was reassembled. So far, so good.
But it's winter, and my bus doesn't fit in my garage. I hate working
outside in the cold, and I don't want to do any more work outside
than I absolutely have to. I want to be 100% certain that this engine
is ready to run as soon as I install it.
So I decided to build up a rig to bench test the engine with a
complete FI setup on it. I borrowed a bell-housing, then attached a
starter and added a bracket to the left side of the engine with a
horontal 1x2 attached to it to support a small lawn mower fuel tank,
the fuel pump, power and ignition switches, double relay and ballast
resistors. There's also a bracket to support a decel valve above the
engine where it meets the hoses from the S-pipe and intake plenum. On
the other side of the engine is a 1x2 strut rising from the bearer
bar to support the airbox.
This afternoon I pressed the starter button and the engine coughed
and sputtered a few times. I tweaked the timing and checked over the
vacuum lines and before long it roared to life. I quickly shut it
down as I had not yet attached the heater boxes, and it was both
stinky and loud in the enclosed space of my garage. Once the heater
boxes and muffler are back on and the exhaust safely vented I will
be able to spin it up and set the idle and timing in the comfort of
my garage, rather than bent over in the cold behind the bus. And when
it is finally ready I can bolt it up to the bus knowing it'll be good
to go with a minimal chance of complications.
I put up a couple of pics, a parts list and some additional details
on the construction of the jig here:
http://www.busesofthecorn.com/L-JetronicBenchTest/
Happy Trails,
Greg Potts
1973/74/77/79 Westfakia "Bob The Tomato
www.pottsfamily.ca
www.busesofthecorn.com
