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Exterior / Symmetrical Mirrors

« on: March 28, 2016, 03:21:55 am »

Can you tell what's different about this van?

The lack symmetry in the mirrors has always been a gripe that I have with the Eurovan. I'm sure at the time VW was doing these asymmetrical mirrors it was a time of "form follows function" - because they are ergonomically better for the driver. That being said, they still look "wonky" and unbalanced and to me an eyesore. And besides that, being that its the passenger mirror, I wasn't as worried about trading some visibility because I have some old driving habits (called shoulder checking) that some people have never heard of. 

For a while, I'd been looking for a straight-up mirror trade with anyone from he UK - but had no takers. I inquired with a couple of parts dealers - but I think it was small potatoes so not a lot of callbacks on that. So eventually, I ordered myself 2 drivers side mirrors from the UK -- to get a full "low" mirror look. I wouldn't mind trying a full "high mirror" set on my other van that is lifted, as I think it might be a bit more "truck-like" -- but perhaps a bit more harder to be fitted with the correct mirror.

After looking at the steep prices for the heated/power mirrors  -- I decided I could buy 2 manual mirrors (RHD drivers side) for less than half of what the full function mirror costs. I really don't care that much about the heated/defrost function -- but I wouldn't mind retaining power mirror option (still need to figure that one out).

Test Fitting


Removal of the old mirror is straight forward -- but the door card has to be removed to reach the wiring pigtails. Don't just undo the mirror and try and pull the wiring up and out as it will break the clips off inside the door.

You can see here that the replacement mirror that I got is textured -- where as the late model vans are smooth. Maybe because it was new, but the texture seems a little heavier that the black mirrors that I've seen on the early vans.

Mirror Glass


One of the things that goes against this sort of upgrade is retaining visibility out of the passenger side mirror -- which is normally convex. However, these mirrors are actually split between being planar with the outer portion aspheric (for better blind spot checking when used on the drivers side). I mounted them up and test drove with them for about a week with no issues once I got used to things not "being closer than they appear". Eventually I may try and find a heated convex mirror for this side and restore the defrost. I'm pretty certain it exists -- I just need to dig a bit for it.

Smoothing the Housing


To get the texture of the mirror housing smooth - I first carefully removed the mirror, taped off the black trim and then just sanded down the housing starting with some 180 grit sand paper and worked it down to a 320/400 grit. Then I primed it to fill in the sanding marks, and sanded the primer with 600 grit.

Super Smooth!


Then I got a spray can of colour-code matched paint made up at the local auto body paint supply store ($$$) and painted it slowly.

Painted Mirror Housing

L-R: Original housing, Replacement housing

And this picture (above) is actually a second paint job I did on the mirror. The first one, the clear coat spray can clogged up and basically barfed all over the housing. I screwed it up even more trying to fix it  -- forcing me to sand it all the way back down and build up again. :banghead:

Mirror Motor Mount Pattern


I was going to move over the power mirror motor and pigtail from the original mirror housing -- but it turned out that there is a slight difference in the mounting bolt pattern that made it not possible. The original motor is held to the housing with a 4 bolt pattern (I think this is an older motor design as its the same as what can be found in a Vanagon or older VW) -- while the new housing was prepped for a 3 bolt mount (which is the same as Mk3/4 golfs).

Mirror Motor and Pigtails

Top: MK3 Mirror Motor and Pigtail
Bottom: Eurovan Power Mirror Pigtail

So from the junkyard I went and sourced the motor and pigtail from a Mk3 golf (I had to cut the pigtail free as I was in a hurry) and the pigtail from a Eurovan to keep the connections inside the door intact. Both use a total of 5 wires -- 3 for the motor and 2 for the mirror heating element - so you figure it would be a straight ahead swap. There is a difference that has me stumped that I could use some pointers on  -- while the wring of the Mk3's power mirror is straight ahead (2 wires to heating element, 3 to the motor) the Eurovan's wiring runs 4 wires to the motor (magnetic clutch?).

Mk3 Mirror Motor Pigtail

Pins 5-4 Heating Element, Pins 3-1 to Mirror Motor

Eurovan Mirror Motor Pigtail

2-Wire Terminal: Pin1 Magnetic Clutch (back to other mirror), Pin 2 Heater Mirror Element
3-Wire Terminal: Pin 1 (Blue) Mirror Motor, Pin 2 (Black), Pin 3 (Brown) Ground.

I couldn't figure it out and have put off fully wiring the motor up until I get more information on how the MK3 mirror switch is wired. I have the Bentley for the Mk4 (same mirror motor), where it describes the mirror motor as being 2 motors, with the whole motor/heater element using 5 wires on a 12pin connector. Maybe I'm missing something (after all those paint fumes)  -- perhaps the mirror selection switch plays a bigger role to all of this -- or there may be fundamental differences in the mirror-motors that make this more difficult. Anyhow -- I'm still happily running (with no defrost and no power adjustment) for now.

Mounted


View


Symmetrical Mirrors

2

Interior! / Dashboard Cubby Installation

« on: March 16, 2016, 02:42:07 am »

Part 1: Installation Differences for Eurovans vs T4s

Having now done the installation a few times, I thought I would share some pointers on the installation. First off its important to state that the dashboard cubby was designed to fit european T4 models which have different mounting brackets in place. For us Eurovan owners, it means some of the screw holes/mounts are not used. I can't say whether or not this makes the installation of the cubby less safe or not, but I am very confident that the cubby installs solidly based on my own installations.

The european RHD T4 models have 2 additional brackets behind the glovebox that facilitate the cubby attachment using a total of five M4 screws and one M5 side mounting bolt with a speed nut. In our late model Eurovans (97-04 w/padded dash) those two brackets were not required for the knee bolster mounting, and so the mounting is done with just three M4 screws and one side mounting bolt. The real bonus is that half of the mounting hardware (the 3 required M4 screws) are in the van already and can be repurposed for the cubby installation.

I searched the VW catalog for the missing brackets, but was unable to find them as I believe that one of them is actually welded to the dash's sub frame -- making them part of a different sub-assembly and not individual part numbers. Again, that aside, I'm very confident that these install just as solidly without those brackets being used.

Screw Mount Locations

Showing the five M4 screw mounting positions used in european installation.
NOTE: Only the top three screw positions are used in Eurovan application. The lower left position can be secured with a zip-tie.


European Model Mounting Brackets

European soft-dash (97-03) -- right side bracket shown circled. This bracket receives the horizontal screw from within the cubby (bottom right position in the picture above).
NOTE: This bracket is not required for the cubby installation.

Left-side cubby mounting bracket

Ignore the arrow! You can see this bracket has vertical mounting position, for the bottom-left screw.

Short-nose Bracket Similarity

Interestingly, that right-side bracket (seen on the European models) seems to be very close to what is found in Eurovan hard-dash (90-96) versions. See also on the RHS, the side mounting speed nut/clip location

Eurovan Cubby Side Mounting Bracket (late model with airbag)

The only bracket we need in our application -- used to hold a speed nut/clip and receive the side mounting bolt.

Side Mounting Bolt-Cover

The side mounting bolt cover is hard to find -- and I was told by VW that it's no longer available. They are designed for fitting an M5 Hex head bolt, so if you're going this route then source an appropriate bolt (M5 @ 25-35mm length) and speed nut.  Its the same part that is used on the upper dash, so if you can source one from the junkyard or steal the one from your drivers side!

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Shiny things you no longer want / Eurovan Passenger Side Cubby/Glovebox

« on: December 02, 2015, 11:51:35 am »

Rare accessory for your late model Eurovan (97-03). Passenger side dash cubby/glovebox to replace knee bolster.

Limited stock of new and used cubbies available.

New ones (Grade A - new!): $175 CAD + shipping. SOLD OUT

Used cubbies:  STILL AVAILABLE

(Grade B - minor blemishes): $125 CAD + shipping.

(Grade C - gouged or perforated): $75-100 CAD + shipping

Contact me to see available selection.

Very-very-very limited supply of dash cubby rubber inserts available @ $15 CAD.


Installation notes and tips here: http://www.cavevan.com/forum/index.php?topic=280.0

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Diesel Swap Tech and FAQ / POLL: Diesel-gate and your tdi conversion

« on: October 02, 2015, 05:05:10 pm »

I think about this and although this is not a heavy TDI forum -- it is certainly a forum with some tdi swap experts and many owners considering it.

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VR6 Engine tech / VR6 Coolant System Diagram

« on: August 18, 2015, 03:28:43 pm »

Wanted to post this information for any who need it. This is from the Bentley manual and applies to both 12v and 24v engines.

FLOW DIAGRAM


LEGEND:

 1 - Expansion Tank
 2 - Flow Control Valve (optional)
 3 - ATF Cooler
 4 - Vacuum Valve
 5 - Radiator: a=bottom, b=top
 6 - After-run Coolant Pump (V51)
 7 - Coolant Pipe (aka crack pipe)
 8 - Engine Block
 9 - Oil Cooler
10- Coolant Pipe Drain Screw
11- Coolant Pump
12- Cylinder Head
13- Thermostat Housing
14- Throttle Body
15- Heater Core (Cabin)
16- Solenoid Valve (optional)
17- Aux Heater Core (Rear)

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VR6 Engine tech / Chip tuning EV VR6

« on: July 16, 2015, 10:59:07 am »

I know that United Motorsports offers chip/ECU tuning for VW's and Audis. I always figured this was necessary for those VR-T setups -- but recently saw that they offer tuning for us NA (naturally aspirated) folks as well.

http://www.unitedmotorsport.net/performance-software/volkswagen-performance-software/mk4-golf-jetta-2-8l-24v-vr6-performance-software/

Improved fuel economy and more HP -- is this too good to be true?

Anybody do this? Thoughts?

7

VR6 Engine tech / Chain Stretch

« on: June 10, 2015, 08:16:40 pm »

So I'm staring down the chain job right now -- I have 3 24v engines in front of me -- all different mileage, and probably two of them are on original chains. Now -- I can see a variance in wear to guides -- but I'm curious/dubious about the chains. Do they really stretch that much that they need to be replaced? Seems like the job of the tensioners more than makes up for the minute amount of chain play. This chain looks very strong - I've seen smaller heavy-duty chain where the pin holes elongate (across the whole chain) and thats how the chain stretches out.

Cost wise - its about $100 cheaper to just replace the guides and leave the chains alone. Do people just replace the chains because thats how the "kit" is sold -- or is there a good reason to replace them that I'm missing? I doubt this chain would ever break on it's own -- everything else is much more likely to degrade around it before the chain goes.

I'm on the fence on this - and would like to know what others think.

Do we have any empirical data on the degradation of these timing chain components?

Anybody have brand new chain - uninstalled that can be measured as a control/standard?

8

Show off your projects here! / Project Lucille -- EVW VR6 Manual Conversion

« on: May 28, 2015, 09:10:59 pm »

So this is certainly an adventure and the biggest car project that I have bitten off -- converting my 02 EVW to 5-spd manual using the elusive 02G-AFL transmission. I have fielded a few inquiries as to how this was going and I thought I might start a small thread here to chronicle things as the project gets started. I've been sitting on the parts for over a year -- and finally have the right window to start working on the van. I will certainly get to the details of this, but I just want to start with an intro of sorts.

For years I sat on the sidelines, looking at Vanagons/Dokas and waiting for the "New Microbus" concept to come to fruition. With onset of children and the necessity of a people-hauler, it was actually Cole's original thread that inspired me to go Eurovan -- and specifically look at 24v-VR6 models. Once I saw the front end off the van -- I realized it was no more difficult to work on than any of the other VWs I've owned (all water cooled). Owning something built in this century is a little bit reasuring to my wife, whom I wouldn't want behind the wheel of "classic" car anyways (with concerns of safety, reliability, etc). I don't want to get into the pissing war of Vanagon vs Eurovan - clearly each has merits/detractions. However, I do believe that most people neglect to see how the Eurovan was actually a rebirth for the vw-van platform -- even Volkswagen itself likens the T4's succession of the rear-engine design to that of the Golf replacing the Beetle.

I've owned a good half dozen VW's leading up to the decision, so I was not alarmed to read that there are "some issues" with the model that scare others away. I figure almost all cars have issues -- what sets VW's apart (IMHO) is the dedicated enthusiasts who share their knowledge and impart wisdoms that build user communities. What did keep me a little hesitant - were the automatic trans repair stories - whether or not they are overblown - I don't know. I have never been keen on automatic transmissions -- so I was always thinking of swapping transmissions from the get go. Be it a mTDI or something else - I was dead set on changing it. 

Now even though I'm in Canada (land of funky Eurovans) -- there is a noticeable shortage of long-nose vans and they are impossible to find. I passed on the opportunity to buy a local one owner, ultra-ultra-low mileage 02 EVW in my province -- but the price was close to $30k! I realized I couldn't stomach spending that much on something I would being looking to convert to a manual and started to look stateside for a good deal. In a whirlwind week of van shopping in Vancouver and Seattle - looking at 12 vans - I was lucky enough to find "Lucille" a Tornado Red EVW owned by van/bus enthusiast.

The moment I first saw "Lucille" drive across the parking lot -- I was smitten. In hindsight, and knowing her the way I do now -- I can safely say that she looked good from a far... Still, I was convinced of her potential -- and the lowest price 24v-VR6 EVW I had seen in while. Highway mileage at 225k and two owners - with some rust starting on the rocker panel, some banged up interior pieces. The right community-vibe from the owner sealed the deal. He loves vans and took pride in the EV (while also owning himself a Syncro-High-top) and had gotten Lucille ready to keep before deciding to sell -- putting on new 215/70/16 BFG ATs, Blistein HDs, a Yakima rack, an ARB awning, Pioneer double-din dvd player. To me it was good value on the extras . When I agreed to keep the van named "Lucille" he took another $500 off. Handshake, done deal.