Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:13:23 -0700
Reply-To: RICHARD KOERNER <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: RICHARD KOERNER <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Cruise Control - Stock vs. Aftermarket
In-Reply-To: <86476e250904211032s5e15e968l4defc09fb5a4056a@mail.gmail.com>
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I am equally pleased by the Audiovox CSS100; been using mine for over 3 years including some long cross-country trips (6000, 6000, and 11,000 miles). Flawless performance ONCE I got it hooked up right...the trouble I was having was the ball chain that pulls on the throttle. I had too much slack in it; when the unit would turn on, it would "use up" almost all the travel taking up the slack, and hence was giving lackluster performance. And, I suppose there is some "stretching" that might occur in the cable of a new system that also needs some time to work itself in. But, once I figured this out and shortened the length of the ball chain, everything is OK. In fact, SUPERB! Takes over instantly, holds it steady, the only way to go for those long hauls. Pretty easy to hook up, just quite a few steps, I would allow about 6-8 hours. But kind of fun.
And you need to buy extra wiring (and some heatshrink for soldering or crimp junctions) to go from the front of the van (dashboard control buttons) to the rear (in the engine compartment where you mount the servo); I routed mine in a 10' length of thin wall PVC pipe under the chassis just to keep things neat. I had to make a hole (with rubber grommet) in the floor near the steering column for all the wires to pass through. The kit is designed for "normal" cars with a front engine, so the wire length provided in the kit will be too short, so you have to add an "extension". Also, I added the vacuum cannister, too, like Loren, bought mine at NAPA (I think around $20, you can even make your own out of stout PVC pipe, endcaps, and brass hosebarbs); this allows a buildup of vacuum which "cushions" the variances in engine vacuum; I think it is properly referred to as an "accumulator". If you google CSS100, you'll see all kinds of examples where people
have installed them on a variety of vehicles, including motorcycles. I give the overall system a hearty thumbs-up!
Rich
85 GL w/ manual trans
San Diego
--- On Tue, 4/21/09, Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
From: Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Cruise Control - Stock vs. Aftermarket
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 10:32 AM
RE: Cruise Control
I have no experience with the VW cruise control on a Vanagon but understand
from the list that they can be problematic and a retrofit is complicated.
I (and many others on the list) have installed the Audiovox CSS100 like this
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00029WQTW/ref=nosim/arm06-20
and BTW that's not a bad price though you might do better on eBay.
I have added a vacuum canister (from JC Whitney) and it was added to a
previous cruise control that was in my rig when I bought it, a setup that
quit and was replaced with the CSS100 three years ago. I don't know that
the
vacuum canister is actually needed though Audiovox recommends it for 4 cyl
engines.
Install was done by a guy in Oregon that had done a number of Vanagons,
about four hours IIRC. The cable needs to be extended because of the
distance between the engine and the passenger compartment.
Mine is flawless, works absolutley perfect, and gets a lot of use on the
road, especially if I'm in a hurry and driving freeways. I find I can even
use it on many 'blue highways' for long fairley straight stretches.
Any good auto electric guy that know the Vanagon should be able to install
it for you.
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