Date:         Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:19:14 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Update and question inline VW Van block swap (in progress)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

  Good morning all.

  I got my 'new' motor in and running pretty well.  Some glitches solved
and  one remains that  I can use an electrical Guru's guidance with, if
anyone could.  My Oil light.

  Here's the relevant information:  84 Vanagon with (formerly) a 1.8 liter
Cabriolet inline four motor ('92m.y. I was told)  Digifant operating
system.  I replaced the lower end with an ABA 2.0 Jetta motor 93m.y. but
kept all the head and everything else from the older 1.8liter.   So I have a
different oil pump now than before, the one from the Jetta with an
incorporated water/oil interface(not being used).. Now I get "backwards"
behavior from before from my idiot light on the dash..
.No light up when the key is on but not started.  (The other indicator
lights behave as before...Alternator and O2 sensor on, then off after start
and a little increase in RPM.  The oil pressure warning light,
however...stays dark with key on-- motor off.)...then it lights up
(flickering sometimes) when the motor starts and gets brighter as RPM (and I
assume oil pressure) increases....I have some 10w oil in there right now as
a peliminary wash-out oil so it is pretty light.  Ok so when the motor is
really hot and idles down low....the light flickers OFF....Like when the oil
pressure is low, the warning light goes OFF and when it's high, the warning
light comes on.  Wassup with that?

  I have a no dynamic oil pressure gauge system...just that idiot light..I
have tried plugging the sender wire (from the main harness up to the dash
light) right onto the spade connector on top of the oil filter flange....I
have also tried putting that wire onto a spade connector that comes from the
front of the motor's head...and I have tried connecting both of those spade
terminals to the instrument light plug at the same time...It is just
backwards.  Light bright when oil pressure is high/light off when OP is
low..is there a way to reverse the action of the lamp?

  I plan on testing my oil pressure with a real gauge soon as I get to it,
but until then, I would like to have a functioning warning system.  Should I
just take the filter housing mount off my old 1.8 liter block and use that?
That seems reasonable but I think I will eventually hook up some plumbing to
the little heat exchanger at the oil filter and get that working ...so if I
can just swap some wires or change polarity or some "electrical thing"  that
would be good...

  The motor sound really good and strong and quiet in the internals.  I had
to swap on my old water pump because the Jetta one was noisy and I had a few
water and gasoline leaks on start up (fire extinguishers close at hand for
that event)  Then she was overheating till I bled the rad again...And she is
timed by "Ear" since I have no timing light...I have a few more wires to
clean up and then I am going to go for a test spin....

  Thanks, if anyone can help with that oil pressure idiot light's
bass-ackwards behavior..

  Don Hanson