----- Original Message -----

From: BRENT CHRISTENSEN

To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM

Sent: Monday, June 05, 2000 = 9:27 AM

Subject: Re: I've seen the Tii = conversion completed

Thanks for the great information.  I know there = are a lot of people watching this topic very closely.

The comment about the cruise control puzzles me - = does this mean that there is no cruise control option in South Africa, or is it = just not included in the kit?

Brent Christensen
'89 GL = Syncro Westy
Santa Barbara, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.CO= M]On Behalf Of A & C Grobey
Sent: Sunday, = June 04, 2000 9:23 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM =
Subject: I've seen the Tii conversion completed =

If anyone is curious, I got a look at a completed = Tii conversion on Thursday.  My sister bought the kit and had it = installed by her mechanic.  I stopped by to visit the mechanic and took it for = a test drive.  My thoughts and the mechanics comments are as = follows:

 
Positive = things:
This is a very clean conversion.  It looks = like it belongs there.  The dipstick and coolant are still accessible = through the license.  The engine fits with lots of room to spare and no need = to raise the deck lid.

The engine idles very well.  There is less = vibration than a WBX on idle.
The oil filter is very = accessible and easy to reach.
You use the stock muffler/Cat = and the stock fuel injection.
  =
Not so Positive things:
The air = Intake to the Fuel injector just after the air filter has two plugs in it.  It = seems like these would blow out pretty easily on a backfire or even just vibration.  The air filter is also hard to reach.

There is no cruise control option enabled.  I = think they'll have to rig something.
The camshaft = pulley seemed off center and kind of warbled a bit.
No Oxy sensor.  Could be a problem for DEQ.
 
The mechanic liked the kit = and the way it ran.  Both of us drove it up a very steep hill near his shop = and were impressed with the power band.  We were able to accelerate from = 55 up to 65 on the hill.  In my van, you can only accelerate to about = 58.  The mechanic did not have the best opinion of Peter (the guy who sells = the kit).  His first complaint was that they had a bad transistor = coming off the coil.  The replacement was hard and very slow to get.  = Once they got it, it wasn't a Telefunkt or Bosch but some cheap Taiwanese transistor.  He also told me that the instructions had bad info = on the scan tool.  Other than those few problems, the install was pretty = smooth.  He just didn't like the way Peter didn't seem so eager = to help.  They were led to believe this kit had been installed many = times before, but the reality is this was his first US shipment.  They = were in it for 30 hours and they figure the next time will take about = 20.

 
I am very = interested in the kit for my Carat.  However, I would definitely miss the low-end = torque.  My Waterboxer is running too well right now (knock on wood) to think = about it just yet!