Date:         Mon, 18 Dec 1995 12:59:00 -0800 (PST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@PO2.GI.COM>
Subject:      V6anagon Chronicles /L


Now for the next installment of the V6anagon chronicals...

Sorry about the hiatus on info for this critter. We last left with a
request for Joel to change the stats (which he has graciously done).
Since then, all has not been entirely rosy, but life goes on.

Two days after putting the V6anagon to bed in San Diego, with vague
thoughts of re-doing the super-stiff throttle linkage, I began hearing
some alarming sounds from the Chevy 2.8L V6 engine that's plugged into
the transaxle back there. A clattering, clacking sound when it ran,
whether idling or running at at speed. Heavier than pinging, lighter
than a knocking rod (I hope). What was strange was, the sound would
occasionally go away, and the engine would run as sweetly as it did
when I first heard it in Missouri. A few minutes later, and it would
suddenly start again. The engine would bog down for a moment, then
come back as the sound vanished again. Or sometimes it would quit, then
restart as soon as I hit the key.

Uh-oh. I pulled the plugs one at a time, and found two with their ground
prong bent down against the center electrode, with a few shiny marks
in the carbon coating of the plug (engine running rich). Fished around
in all cylinders with a magnet, and found several little bits of metal,
around 1/8" by 3/32" cross section, and varying in length from 1/8" to
maybe 3/8". All were banged up, but the longest appeared to be slightly
curved.

Sounded like the engine was mysteriously eating its rings. Damn. When I
inspected the car in Missouri, there was absolutely no sign of such trouble.
Same during the entire 1,600 Route-66 trip home. Sure, ignition probs,
wheel shimmy, a ten-ton accelerator pedal, but nothing really worrisome.
Two days after I arrive, bingo.

Did a complete tune-up: Cap, rotor, plugs, wires. '80 GM distributor has
electronic ignition, with vacuum and centrifugal advance, and has the
coil built into the cap (?). Not a bad idea if you think about it-- one
less Hi-tension wire to worry about, and all high-voltage generation
confined to one place. Yes, the coil is removable as you change the cap.

Tore three plug boots in half as I removed them. The PO had said that this
engine had gotten real hot a few times in the past, as he fiddled with
coolant levels and bleeding the system. Now I believe him-- some wires
just don't want to come off the plugs, till I finally made offers they
couldn't refuse.

Put everything together, fired it up... still one solitary clackclackclack
from somewhere. Bury my face in my hands, wonder what in hell I should
do with this damned thing. Sorry for the French, y'all, but it was a REAL
drag. I priced rebuilt long blocks ($650), used engines ($350), plus the
days it would take to do the swap... I could have done this to my '71 for
this kind of $$ and effort. Course, when you buy a cheap, weird car like
this, it's caveat emptor, and you shouldn't be surprised if you get what
you pay for.

Backed off, fabricated a new throttle linkage as a change of pace, it seems
pretty light and smooth now. Removed the silly hither-and-yon exhaust, and
plugged an '87 Honda Accord muffler from Checker/Kragen directly into the
merged collector of the two 3-cyl exhaust manifolds-- it fits PERFECTLY.
A curved tailpipe into the other end, two clamps, one hanger, and it looks
like it grew there. Fired it up, engine throttles nicely, purrs quietly,
sounds brand new... except.

Got some thick galvanized steel wire, bent a small loop in one end, put
electrical tape (super-sticky variety) inside-out on it, stick it into each
cylinder (plugs out again), fishing around in case there's an aluminum chip
out of a piston rattling around in one of them that the magnet can't grab.
No joy. Do it all again, with the magnet and with the tape wand. Still find
nothing, re-install all plugs, fire it up, purrrrrrrr clackclackclackclack.
Pull all the plugs, make rounded-tip tweezers out of more galv wire that can
be bent at an angle, fish around in all cylinders. Nothing. Put the plugs
back in, go inside, bake chocolate-chip cookies and put up Christmas lights.

Think think think until this weekend (single-pareting doesn't let you do 
much
else). Go outside for a long look, think back... say, when I turn on the
ignition, shouldn't I also hear the front cooling fan on the radiator, come
on too? Hit the ignition, quiet as a mouse. Hmmmm.

Yank the engine lid, look at all those wires, left over from the PO's
conversion. He had pointed out that the original engine had fuel injection
and a computerized carb; car itself also had FI too. Now neither are there,
and the PO left a lot of wires in place, sitting or hanging around doing
nothing. Hmmm... here's one I don't recall hanging down quite this far.
Do some voltmeter-lightbulb-ignition tricks, determine that it's the
coil-ground lead (two feet long???) of a little relay bolted to the 
firewall.
Turn on ignition, ground the lead, and guess what starts whirring away, way
up in the front of the van.

I wonder how long this wire has been hanging like this. Shorten it, ground
it properly. The engine-overheating might not have been as far in the past
as I thought... wonder how much of Route 66 I covered with nothing but ram
air into the grille to cool the radiator. Race cars run without fans, I 
know,
using ram air exclusively, but they're going 200 mph. All thru the trip, I
never saw that water-temp gauge the PO put in, rise past the one-third 
point.
Hmmmm... some gauge. Some hookup. Some prep by me before the trip.

If I'm going to go with a used engine, it doesn't matter what happens
to this one. Go outside, fire it up (clackclackclack), warm it up, pull onto
the freeway. Jeez, this thing books. And the new throttle is tight, smooth,
V6anagon sounds like a Cadillac, except it drones a little at high speeds.
No sign of any clacking at speed. Cruise the freeways... this critter
accelerates QUICKLY up 4% grades in high gear at 60 mph. My old Ford E-300
van with 302 V8, couldn't do that. Gotta be the short transmission gearing.
Plus the torquiest small V6 outside a bracket racer.

Back home, it's purring like a kitten at idle. No clacking, no pinging, fan
still running fine up front. Load my son into the right front seat (he's
thrilled to finally get a chance to ride it-- gotta love a six-year-old's
optimism), and boogie all over town. Drives like a brand-new car. Engine is
COMPLETELY cured. Perhaps it finally spit that last bit of metal out the
exhaust?

So now I'm grinning like an idiot (who else would buy a vehicle like this?),
turning back flips, make my son a huge sundae, call all my friends. That 
night,
I install the longer ground strap for the battery, yank off the plastic 
false
base these batteries always seem to come with so it sits lower, stick the 
new
tires/wheels on the front, unbolt the rack/pinion coupler and center the
steering wheel. Drive it again, whizzzzzzzzz....

Stay tuned for the next installment. Hopefully not as long as this one was.
I still don't know why those metal bits showed up in two cylinders, or
whether any more are planning to do the same later. But for now, the sun is
shining, the birds are singing (this is San Diego, remember), and all is
right with the world. still gotta swap the rear wheels, bolt the center seat
down, put in a tach, find out what's wrong with that temp gauge, smog and
register this beast, install a radio, lube the tranny linkage, align the 
front,
and on and on.

But, we're over the hump.

Steve Maher   smaher@gi.com   '80 V6anagon
                              '71 VW Transporter