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Date:         Thu, 27 Feb 1997 13:39:27 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         mholser@Adobe.COM (Malcolm Holser)
Subject:      Re: runs rough in rain

> >| Check your Idle Stabilizer unit, located in front of the right taillight. > >| This unit is mounted on the inner wheelwell of the rear wheel, and if > >| you have rust on this area, you get a lot of water spashing in there. > > I thought the ECU controlled idle stablization with the digifant > system on an 88 (and therefore, there was no separate idle stablizer besides > the one directly on top of the engine block - the thing that looks like 2 D > cell batteries with two wires and two air hoses connected to it, though I > do remember seeing a black VDO box behind the right tailight for which I > could not figure out a pupose, is this infact an idle stablizer control unit? > I cannot remember the bentley diagrams well enough at the moment).

Yeah, that little black relay-looking thingy is the idle control on later Vanagons, and costs some $200. Even used they go for a chunk of change. Actually, I'm only experienced with my two '86's and my '80 and '81's, so I am assuming that there was no change between '86 and '88 on this part. Most of the FI from '86 and on is the same, with tiny changes only. Mine is Bosch, though, not VDO, so perhaps you have something different.

> If the idle stablizer unit is indeed what we are talking about, it > would be hard to install this upside down as the second air hose goes directly > down to the air distribution manifold, on my engine at least. Is the above for > an 86-91 with the digifant system or pre 86 with the digijet (which I remember > had a separate idle stabilzer control unit mounted on the firewall with two > plugs in the bottom that one was suppose to disconnect from the control unit > and connect to each other when adjusting the idle to cut the idle stablizer > out of the system)? Again, my memory on the diagrams proves to be a bit > fuzzy so check this info before using anything I have said here...

The two systems are quite different. The Digijet "idle stabilizer" controls the spark timing, while the DigiFant version controls the air-bypass valve. The idle stabilizer unit is the relay-like thing in front of the taillight, and the mount allows this *electrical* part to be installed upside-down, and fill with water as mine did. The bypass valve, on top of the engine cannot be installed wrong as you point out. This valve should be clicking (or even buzzing -- very fast clicks) when you are idling. If not, then the idle stab control unit we are speaking of is probably not working.

> I remember seeing quite a few posts concerning cleaning out the > idle stabilzer for the digifant system (which very well may be the same > piece on the digijet system, just controlled differently, I dunno).

Not the same at all. The Digijet has several valves and the timing thing to do the same job as the DigiFant bits. They are under much less control, and don't handle things like the power-steering pump and A/C sensing.

malcolm


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