Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 01:40:30 -0400
Reply-To: TINKERMAN007@GMAIL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: TINKERMAN007@GMAIL.COM
Subject: Re: Hall sender + ignition control unit electronics
On Sun, 17 Jun 2012 14:45:19 -0700, Scott Daniel - Turbovans
<scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
>Hi,
>since you mention 'ign control unit' you might be talking about a 1.9
>waterboxer vanagon.
Not necesserily, since I have a DJ engine (112 BHP, 2.1L, digijet w/o
catalytic converter but with modern idle stabilizer as in digifant system).
>Here's my experience..
>can't tell you what electronics are in the Igniter ( ign control unit ) ..
>but I can say I don't think I've ever seen a bad one,
That's good to hear, since you seem very experienced with vanagons.
>and that the white wire, on the far left of the connector plug is 'the
> wire' upon which the 1.9 ECU 'sees' that the distributor is turning .
Yep, that's the amplified HALL sender signal sent to the ECU for monitoring
and controlling the fuel pump.
> If that wire slips out of the connector plug, and I've seen that
>happen, there's no ignition.
Just that single wire out of the 7 pins?
Without a digitool it would be a pain to detect this, but with a digitool -
a piece of cake!
>Hall sender in the distributor - eventually those fail or get intermittent.
exactly what I have, a rare ignition intermittent that seems motor
temperature dependent, maybe a bad solder joint/broken wire inside the
distro/sender. That's why I want to know what's inside.
> Bit tricky to replace that part in the distributor.
Why tricky? The bently procedure seems straight forward, but maybe I didn't
look deep enough? Care to point the pitfalls? The main problem IMO is
adjusting timing properly again (when you don't have a timing light).
On the road of course it's not fun breaking the distro down to pieces.
> I would get a used
>1.9 dist with minimal side shaft play and put a new Hall Sender ( about
>$ 100 to 120 ) in it, and keep the old distributor for a spare.
I've got a 2.1L distro. Not sure how easy it is to get a good distro off
ebay and that sender is pretty pricey, as is any part of the FI system.
Have you ever diagnosed the reason for the hall sender failure? Since it's
just a sensor probably encapsulated in epoxy and circulating slotted wheel,
my guess it's usually a broken wire, but I don't really have any practical info.
>here is a part that can get ya for sure ..
>the Idle Stablizer Unit .....small square plastic box.
>It can run with that bypassed, and the plugs are designed to accommodate
>that.
Like I wrote above, my DJ engine has the newer idle stabilizer system (air
valve + control box) but the control box fails too, eventually I managed to
repair mine after buying some off ebay to first get my van running.
>I have seen chronic failure to fire up ...
>intermittently chronic let's say, and it was that part.
>Fortunately they are available new.
And fortunately they're cheap ($30 even at the internet venors), but mine is
much more expensive $100+...
>I cut that one white wire and put a male-female plug in it,
>then I can swap 'stand alone' 1.9 wbxr ignter harnesses in and out, if I
>suspect something is wrong with one.
No so clear what you mean...you get access to the ECU RPM signal, but what
exactly do you do with the harness to diagnose your system?
>if you have a 2.1 waterboxer,
> I would have written something else instead of the above.
Well, that's what I have...:D a 2.1L DJ code digijet.
>it's a good thing vanagon people posting on lists are not pilots ..
>if they were they'd be killing people left and right with their unclear
>communications.
LOL, I wonder where that came from, are you a pilot?...
>it's all fun though.
Yep, gotta keep it that way...
cheers.
