Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 15:06:04 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Noisy fuel pump?
In-Reply-To: <000801c8b607$8ba790a0$4001a8c0@gateway.2wire.net>
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It's true..........subaru conversions can be very challengint at times to
get really, really right. I have spent 20 hours on one glitch before -
but......that was on someone's else's conversion work.
Mostly mine are pretty good on first fire up, and there have been exections
to that.
Oddly, I don't hear subaru conversioni people crying about not being able to
get anyone to work on it.
They must , you'd think........but there is no litany of .......so there I
was, could barely run........and couldn't get any help.
Many subaru conversion people are somewhat familiar with their conversion
...and of course if they built.
I encourage my customers to find their own engine with my assistance, make
descesions during the process about new this or that etc. I supply a copy
of the wiring diagram, try to find time to write up an Onwer's manual for
them etc.
I've heard of subaruvanagon going to Soobie specialists shops. Sometimes
they are very interested, want to help, and appreciate a break from the
regular grind.
On the other hand, many shops don't want to think at all - oh it's not
stock, goodbye.
Obviously a nice VW inline 4 gasser in a vagagon would be a nice all-VW
conversioin. Advantages to that for sure. I drove a syncro vanagon once
with a 165 hp Carado supercharged engine in it - it scooted !
Shame it was only 1800 CC and 2 valves per cylinder though. But all VW.
Same for 1.8Turbo inline 4 vw engines - all VW.
Though they can be demanding in the timing belt head area I hear - to the
tune of 4 grand for a new head - ouch !
But all VW though.
Gas tanks and fuel pumps can be weird about noise.
First thing I do is operate it off a separate independent gas tank of some
other kind. Or try other used fuel pumps.
I would not dream of traveling without a known good used fuel pump on board
in the parts stash. Fuel filers obviously.
There are many ways to keep it moving if fuel supply is the essential issue.
The pumps last amazingly well !
I just removed a weak original one from an 86 Vanagon the other day. Wow.
Good value and part quality there all right !!
No complaints at all. All Bosch stuff is darn good basically. That's all I
use. Period, practically.
Could be a restrciton somewhere else in the fuel system.
I have to fiddle with them for many hours sometimes. It helps to have a
whole 10 vanagons around to try parts on or off of if need be, and a garage
full of left over good used parts.
Go to a pick ' pull yard - get anything......ecu, distrubtor, fuel pressure
regulator, Igniter .........whatever,............ cheap too, like 5 bucks
for a distributor maybe - immediately at home, try it on your properly
working vanagon. Either leave it on there, and keep the original one as a
spare, or put the orig back. On. Mark # on each one so you can tell them
apart.
I travel with about 20 spare devices .....even a known good spare CV if I
know mine aren't fresh........and all engine management components.
It can save your butt so easily out on the road somewhere.
In fact, there are almost no tests for some units. The test is 'try a known
good unit." And ECU would fall under that. If you have a whole stash of
known good units........you vastly increase your chances out there - EVEN IF
you just let some shop work from that stash of known good units.
And it doesn't have to be expensive either. - pick n' pulls are dirt cheap
sometimes, I've heard of a guy getting an exhaust manifold with a turbo
bolted to it ......for .......get this .......they go ....." uh, exhaust
manifolds are 20 bucks."
There's a lot of good parts out there. A dead 85 has about 300 good parts
on it to me. I hate seeing them crushed. I can harvest parts off a burnt
shell of an 85 for years and years even, no kidding.
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Don Hanson
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 2:15 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Noisy fuel pump?
Subaru's DO have weird problems, despite what all the pundits say.
They always say "Well, you only hear the bad stuff when you read the Yahoo
Conversion list" but here's one mentioned right here on the Ole Vanagon
list.
Imagine, if you would, you are a dummy with money who's had the conversion
done by a pro. You are on a long trip, far from your shop and this speed
sensor fails. Where do you take the van? Who will you get to work on it
with any degree of success? You go to the local VW guy, he laughs. You go
to a Subaru guy, he laughs.
Not saying I wouldn't convert my van that way if I wanted more power and
needed a new motor, but every solution has it's compromises, and installing
a Subie motor seems to often come with "head scratcher" EMS-sensor- wiring
harness related glitches.
Don Hanson
I recently did a Subaru conversion, and in the course of the conversion
removed
and cleaned out the gas tank (which was quite clean) and replaced all the
fuel
lines. Soon after I was on a trip and had some behavior that seemed like
the
fuel pump was on its way out (it was 8 years old by then) so I ordered a new
one
and had it sent by greyhound close to where I was camping.
I replaced the fuel pump, and then found out on the trip home it wasn't the
problem (it was related to the speed sensor). I also found that almost
instantly the new fuel pump started making the noise again. So, now I have
a
brand new fuel pump and an old 8 year old spare.
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