Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 09:50:48 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: The idle speed controller is not in the ECU on the 2.1. It is
a separate controller located in front of the
passenger side tail light. It can be easily
integrated into a 1.9 to eliminate that almost
useless
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8"; reply-type=original
fwiw,
I have considered fitting the 2.1 Electronic Idle Control system to a 1.9.
After all ... many, even most, modern EFI cars use this pretty standard
Idle Control Valve..
and conveniently...it's a stand-alone system on a 2.1. ( many cars have
the electronic part that controls that valve in the main ecu ...my 88 740
Volvo turbo sedan does, for example ) .
And I have several sets of 2.1 ECU. wring harness, and idle valve, control
unit,.
However...
Yes...works great for Idle control. Rock solid and dependable idle. And
they usually work very well( it's never screwed up on my Volvo, in 70,000
miles and 8 years or whatever ) ....
But in a Vanagon , if you need that electronic control unit behind the tail
light , if you can find a good used one..
or a new one anywhere, fine.
I consider them rare and valuable - that control unit. I more or less
wouldn't even want to sell one of mine, and would rather save them for whole
project vans I have for sale.
I would not call the 1.9 system a rat's nest at all.
My personal Didijet-controlled 2.1 starts instantly, idles well, goes quite
well, no issues at all...
except, yes, it's cold idle does not seem that much faster than warm idle
rpm,. Even trying a few different Aux Air Valves ....just seems barely
faster on a cold idle, and it doesn't like to be started up in cold ambient
temps and left idling ...so it's not 'totally perfect.' But does work just
fine overall.
It's noteworthy that the most powerful factory-stock 2.1 engine ........a
high compression ratio non-cat 2.1 , with 110 hp, uses Digijet, not Digifant
EFI.
The stand-alone ignition system on the 1.9 ..........I like that a lot.
It's easier to trouble shoot, and if any part of it doesn't work...it's not
a whole ecu like it could be in an 2.1 .
Only 4 parts.....Igniter, Idle Stabilizer, small separate wiring harness,
and distributor. ( and coil of course. )
Can't complain about that.
Easy to retro-fit to other engines, like non-California Type IV air-cooled
vanagon engines that use points. .
The distributors are getting a little old. If I dig through 5 of my used
ones.....only one or two will seem to have almost no shaft side play ....but
even that by itself is not a big deal in those distributors.
and the advance system ..sure, just vacuum and centrifugal ...but it works
just fine.
Yes,having ignition advance control in the ecu, as the 2.1 use, is a more
evolved/advanced system, but it doesn't seem to hurt at all that the 1.9
Digijet is all mechanical as far as timing advance curve goes.
It's not that the 1.9 Digijet system is particularly weak or funky. It's
lower tech than the 2.1 .., yes.
but the 1.9 system can work just fine.
I've done both to an 85 Vanagon ..
a 100 % conversion to full 2.1 Didgifant , including the whole 2.1 cooling
system, in an 85 Weekender.
and my hybrid 2.1 engine with 2.1 full exhaust and intake but 1.9 Digijet
EFI ...
'maybe' the 2.1 system is a bit more consistent .....it should be, but I am
not missing having that on my 2.1 running on Digijet really, and I think it
runs a little stronger ............though the Weekender had an automatic
trans so it's hard to compare..
AS soon as I connect a couple of cooling system hoses, I will be finished
putting an oil cooler on my 2.1 with 1.9 cooling system ..
And I don't have that can-be-expensive-or hard to find, electronic idle
control unit behind the tail light either
What's not to like about that ! .
for a really more sophisticated stock-based EFI ...I do have a plan in the
back of my mind to run a waterboxer on Subaru EJ22 injection.
smiles,
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Riley" <mkriley@FUSE.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 7:57 AM
Subject: The idle speed controller is not in the ECU on the 2.1. It is a
separate controller located in front of the passenger side tail light. It
can be easily integrated into a 1.9 to eliminate that almost useless advance
the ignition timing before it stalls stabilizer and the auxiliary air
regulator along with those AC and PS idle booster solenoid valves. Dennis
> Boy this has me excited!
> I would love to get rid of the rats nest of stuff for idle control in the
> 1.9.
> Is there a "How to" anywhere on the web? would anyone consider making one
> mike
>
>
>
>
>>The idle speed controller is not in the ECU on the 2.1. It is a separate
>>controller located in front of the passenger side tail light. It can be
> easily integrated into a 1.9 to eliminate that almost useless advance the
> ignition timing before it stalls stabilizer and the auxiliary air
> regulator
> along with those AC and PS idle booster solenoid valves.
> >
>>Dennis
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