1989 VW WESTFALIA REFERENCES, GoWesty & PARTS SOURCES
My VW Westfalia / GoWesty Blog Last 1/6/2008
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1989 VW WESTFALIA GoWesty 2300 CC with GoWesty GVW-WR1-ST Relay and Bulb Upgrade Kit email: b . bill . p (at) gmail . com (spam control, fix appropriate format)
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Our Westfalia is used for weekend fun runs and has been driven just 10,000 miles since 2003. It was purchased in 1992 with 11,000 miles on the odometer, currently 104,000.
I decided to upgrade my Westfalia so I'll document what I'm doing by creating a blog. The first reason behind this is the water leak these VW products suffer from. Second, these are heavy machines weighing in at 4,460 pounds with a 1/2 tank of gas, one medium passenger and about 100 pounds of personal items inside, pretty average load. The first thing out of the scale operators mouth was "wow, that's heavy!".
The decision to move ahead with a GOWESTY engine is simple, it is a replacement and not a large irreversible modification even though its hard to ignore the Subaru engine. I choose to install the somewhat modified 2300 CC engine for a gain of 10 percent horsepower and 25% torque to push this heavy van down the highway. The following is my log.
Maintenance Items
Current and Future Projects:
ACTIVITY Log
2002 Replaced the radiator and the long radiator pipes; all rubber parts front and rear including around the gas tank.
2/2003 Tune up, OXS sensor, battery
2/2003 Tires and brakes
2/2006 New engine cooling thermostat and general checkup
4/4/2006 If I'm not going to get a new BMW M3 or X3 and there are no other mini vans that come close to the Westy, then let's order a GoWesty 2300 CC engine instead of trying to fix the leaking head gasket. The engine swap is about the same cost as a lease startup with cash and deposits plus license fees. The Vdub engine is in otherwise perfect condition and runs great but the water leak is not going away and will only get worse in time.
A GoWesty base engine PLUS the 2300 CC upgrade is on order. Initial cost includes a $1,000 engine core charge but additional replacement parts in the engine area will be required to complete a reliable installation. That would include rubber hoses, fan belts and muffler parts.
A set of 16 inch Mercedes type mag wheels will be installed during the engine installation as well as all rubber parts and hoses. No other problems are expected. The original wait time for the custom built engine is 8 weeks but the last word from Chris at order time is 4 to 6 weeks. So far, the ordering experience has been excellent and I was given a number of options to get my engine to the home of GoWesty, Los Osos California, some 5 hours north of Orange County California.
5/11/2006 Contacted GoWesty for shipping information to truck the Westy up to Los Osos. They recommended Me and Molly McGee Trucking who worked around my complicated schedule to truck the Vdub to Los Osos.
5/30/2006 Contacted Chris at GoWesty to verify delivery. GoWesty already had the engine out and a short list of extra engine compartment items that needed replacement for lasting reliability. Fortunately regular maintenance has paid off and the list was short and very reasonable. No sense in going through all of this work to drive away with some old cruddy part waiting to break on a long stretch of old road.
All is well and since I was charged for the 16 x 7.5 inch Mercedes style mag wheels, I assume they will be installed. These wheels are hard to get as I've tried many times to order a set by phone. I'm looking forward to the great handling wider tires give and especially to replace the skinny weenies currently mounted.
6/6/2006 We drove up from Orange County to Los Osos, 245 miles to pick up the van from GoWesty. It was a long drive but our GPS took us right to their door step without a single problem. It sure was exciting to round the corner in the small town of Los Osos and see my van in the GoWesty parking lot. Wow, the big 16 inch mag wheels look great and they are definitely larger than stock, 7.5 inches wide. I was anxious to try out the new 2.3 liter engine and also to return the rental car so there would not be another days rental charge. After settling out the paper work and reviewing the 48 month warrantee I drove the VW around the block and instantly realized the changes. After filling the tank with 89 octane gas, $3.55 per gallon, my wife drove the VW to the airport behind me. After arriving she walked around the VW, checked out the big wheels and told me how well it handled. Well, I never did tell her how much all this cost but I had planned on selling my wonderful BMW since I no longer need two cars for myself.
To make a long story short, the 285 miles home was a delight, my wife drove the first 145 miles to Santa Barbara during which time she got to use and feel the improved handling and the power from the 2.3 engine on the hills. Overall, she is very impressed with the changes, excellent handling and very good power. For once, we didn't have to anticipate hills and speed in advance.
One more note about the 16" tires. The ride is excellent, very firm making the van stable in the cross winds and while passing large trucks. At first I was afraid the tires would be too stiff and ride as if on rocks but the exact is true, it rides firm like the BMW but not bumping on the rough spots. This change is really worth the money.
So far, so good. The engine starts instantly, idles smooth and otherwise runs excellent. I'm really impressed. The warrantee spells out all the terms for the first 12 and 48 months of coverage and includes a chart for the break-in period and maximum speed limits. The correct tire pressure setting is the only missing information.
6/8/2006 This is the first day I've had to just putter around SoCal to get the feel of the improved performance and what better to do than drive 40 miles south for breakfast in San Clemente. The route includes driving over the top of the toll road past the microwave towers then down and up and around to connect to the south bound 405 freeway. Once in San Clemente we drove around the old town and through the beautiful homes lining the beach cliffs. By the time we got home I had nothing but praise for the decision to get this 2300 CC engine and the big 16" tires. This combination really changes the drivability of the VW. It powers up the freeway onramps and especially up the toll road past the towers. Where it previously was a challenge to maintain 3,000 RPM, I could easily do 3,500 RPM without holding the pedal to the floor, lesser hills were no longer a challenge, the new found horse power and torque really made a difference. What is hard to describe is the total drivability of the VW, it feels more 'modern'. I really recommend this combination of tires and engine as a minimum.
August 9, 2006: At 1100 miles now and I have to say that I'm really pleased with everything. The engine starts and idles smooth and really shines in second gear as I power away from the signal lights. This van has an Auto Transmission and it really does perform well on the streets and busy southern California freeways. I can power up the big climb out of Ventura south and on the two local hills like never before. RPMs about 300-500 higher in top gear in relation to the old engine. Nice but if I did a lot of camping in the mountains instead of the flat sea shore, I would be very tempted to take another $895 plunge and go for the 2.4 engine.
In all cases, the big 16" GoWesty wheels are wonderful, the 18 wheelers and coastal wind do not cause the Westy to jump a lane, in fact, it steers like my rock solid BMW 325.
By the way, all the power is in the mid range and it seem useless to rev the engine in any gear. Most of my driving is around town and the engine RPM is in the 2,500 to 3,200 range. Just cruising .... MPG ranges from 16 around town to 19 on the freeway but this is far to early for final MPG figures with a new engine.
August 10, 2006: Every trying to improve mileage, I installed a new K and N Engine Air Filter and noticed a very nice performance improvement from the moment I started the engine and throughout the day as I ran errands. The weather is the same as its been all week so that variable is out of the question. This was a good upgrade. See www.knfilters.com on the web or at Pep Boys Automotive. The part number is E2475.
There is a new auto parts place called the Automobile Box, chalk full of auto goodies for street racers but many accessories are good for the Vdub too.
10/30/2006 Everything is running fine and now the engine is beginning to loosen up with around 1900 miles on it. Overall gas mileage is 16 MPG and 19 MPG on the freeway. I'm still a very happy camper and have ordered the GoWesty High Power Headlight Kit as the next step in the project.
Regarding interior lighting for the driver/passenger cabin, it seems the 2006 Audi A4 has gray cabin lights that are not too complicated. The Audi rear seat dome light would look great in the VW cabin and the Audi front door safety lights would look great on the VW doors too.
Waxing the Fiberglass top is a PAIN. Use 3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and then follow with 3M Fiberglass wax. Expensive products but they work!! Apply the polish and wax with a power orbital buffer for super results then follow with a six pack and pizza, its a full days job.
GOWESTY HEAD LAMP UPGRADE
Installing the GOWESTY Relay and Bulb Upgrade for the 86-91 Vanagons/Westys with Standard Grill.
I did the electrical part first because you must not install the bulbs then use the unmodified electrics. Do not begin unless you have a very good wire trimming tool for #12 wire and a good electric connector crimper. I bought a crimper from OSH Hardware. Make sure the quality of the crimper jaws are straight and not overlapping cause apparently quality is very poor.
Read the directions twice. The top of page 2 identifies which of the new relays is for Low Beam and High Beam. Mark the top so there are no errors.
Disconnect the car battery negative terminal and put something under it to prevent it from touching the battery. Remove the fuse box cover and remove three screws at the bottom of the fuse/relay box as it must come out a few inches.
Follow the directions. The Yellow wire at A21 is the only heavy yellow wire on the backside of the panel. Same for the white wire at B22. I used lots of 10 inch cable ties to keep everything neat. The hard part was getting the crimp tool into the tight spots to crimp each of the two barrel connectors from the original wiring to the new White or Yellow wires. The remaining connections are very easy to make to the STAR ground to the left of the panel and to the power buss on the left rear of the panel. That was the easy part.
When finished, bundle the wires to the new relay to keep them nice and pretty and away from tangles or friction. Mount the two relays high up the inner left wall of the dash board. I cleaned the metal surface with alcohol before 'sticking' the Velcro onto the metal to make a long lasting connection.
Double check everything before screwing the panel back together. Test by attaching the battery and make sure every light works because this is the easiest time to fix a bad connection.
Pushing the fuse/relay panel back into place some careful work. Don't let any wires become pinched behind the brackets. Review the instructions before bolting everything together. Don't forget the final step to swap the 10 amp fuses for 20 amp fuses.
The electrical is now finished. This part of the project took about 2 hours to complete. Later the headlight lenses will be removed, washed out, the new bulbs inserted then everything re-assembled. Since I had some rock damage a new lense was purchased for $145.00.
HEAD LAMP Part II
To prevent stuck or broken head light adjusters, spray each adjuster days in advance with silicon spray. I did mine twice otherwise be prepared to replace one or more.
Replace headlight lense: Pop the nylon adjuster out of the HEADLIGHT, not the headlamp carrier frame. Surprisingly the adjustment remained very close after replacement.
Interior Front Cabin Light Update Two extra VW style light assemblies were ordered to install at the center and over the passenger position. Helpful but at least the interior remains original.
4/2007
Replaced the old and seeping differential and ATF gaskets. The
Auto Transmission cooling pipe connections to the transmission need
new O-rings and the bottom needs cleaning. Where do I find
someplace to do this?
5/2007 Installed Sylvania DOT-IT LED lamps over the bed and couch. Installed Marine Quality 12V accessory sockets to power personal accessories, IPODS, charge cell phones, Ham Radio, or extra lights.
5/2007 Maybe hard to see but the 12 volt accessory sockets are the black dots in the center of the photos. Each was positioned for easy access and non interference to the passenger or to the area behind the socket. The circuit to each socket includes a 10 amp fuse and power comes off the refrigerator circuit. Care should be taken when using the accessories and the refrigerator in electric mode at the same time. The backside of each socket is protected by a pill box cap to prevent accidental shorts.
5/2007 Replaced the dim green Dometic Fridge pilot light with a bright BLUE LED from Radio Shack part number 276-316. This is a direct replacement even though the operating voltage of the Blue LED is higher, the brilliant display with the original resistor network and LM342 driver is more than adequate, maybe too bright.
Here is the big advantage of this brighter LED when lighting the frig gas pilot, the LED light is visible during the daylight hours so staring down the little pilot light hole is no longer necessary. It's also visible while laying in bed or through the front window. Really enhances lighting the fridge cause the LED lights up within a second or two of the pilot light, just 'spark' slowly to give it the extra second of time.
6/2/2007 We went to the local custom VW showing at Octavios Custom Upholstery in the City of Orange. Something for the future but next door is an Auto Electronics store, Alpine radios and video backup cameras; Jerry's VW Restoring. 1441 Colins, Orange, CA.
10/2007 Participated with the American Red Cross at the Santiago fire shelters and for the California State Office of Emergency Services. Saw a need for improved interior lighting. Since this was an item on my list, I skipped other projects to add brighter interior lights.
12/2007 Replaced the 5 watt Festoon lamp over the driver with Luxer 1 , 6-LED array for brighter interior light. Preparing to install the same module over the passenger. Replaced the 3 watt Festoon lamp in the light fixture above the glove box. Installed Dot-It LED Lights between the front sun visors. The interior is now bright and white for night time map reading and emergency services operations. More to come for the exterior. Battery operation of LED lighting is possible because LEDs use so little power and Lithium batteries have a long life rating.
1/1/2008 Replaced the radio antenna with a black whip from PEP Boys. Finding 3/16 long 10/32 set screws to fasten the antenna took an entire afternoon.
********************** Like to hear form other Westy owners, send your Feed Back to Bill at b . bill . p (at) g m a i l . c o m spam control, remove spaces and fix the symbol |
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VW Westfalia Parts Sources
GoWesty Camper Products 888 469-3789 www.gowesty.com West Coast Metrics 310 325-0005 www.westcoastmetric.com Bus Boys 530-244-1616
West Marine www.westmarine.com
Alternator noises
The first Alternator bearing replacement was around 45,000 miles and now a complete rebuild at 95,000 miles. It's really hard to re-install the bolt at the bottom of the alternator but it can be done by jamming your hand around the fuel injection pipes to push the bolt through the yoke.
Shoot, now I think another bearing set is needed at 104,500 miles.
CHUGGING WITH BLACK SMOKE, 1995:
The fuel regulator stuck intermittently causing an over rich fuel condition. It was not easy to diagnose but finally the device was changed. The fuel regulator is on top of the engine near the ignition distributor. It is a round device with fuel line in and out plus a vacuum line. Cost $70 USD.
Possible resolve is to remove and clean all electrical grounds around the engine compartment.
CHUGGING WITH BLACK SMOKE, 2003:
Thinking it was a repeat of the above, but the problem continued to occur after replacement. Each major component in the engine compartment was temporarily replaced including the ECC or ECS. Finally it was decided that the OXS sensor wire was shorting to ground. Following replacement, the van continues to run fine. Note that the smog computer or ECC of this vintage does not have an output to a diagnostic computer. This makes old fashion trouble shooting necessary. Cost USD about 400 dollars.
OTHER: Check the IDLE switch for proper operation or replace the switch and nylon cam then adjust; check/change the charcoal canister if the milage is over 100,000; Replace the BLUE temperature sensor on the drivers side cylinder head; clean each frame ground under, around and over the engine. Cleaning the grounds has solved many problems. There is another large ground block under the dash and behind the fuse block very close to the door seal.
Possible resolve is to remove and clean all electrical grounds around the engine compartment.
UPDATE on chugging, Its the variable resistor on the side of the air box. Make sure this is clean and perfectly adjusted.
Replacing the Pop Top Rubber Seals
Pop Top:
Tools: Light sand paper, heavy razor blade, sealer ...... , large flat blade screw driver, MM socket for the front luggage carrier.
Read the package instructions a few times. Only the last paragraph talks about the long seal on the pop top.
Partially open the top and support it open with something soft, a card board shipping box. Carefully inspect the old seal at each front corner because you will want to create the same overlaps. Remove the old seal and clean the old surface with light sand paper. Remove all the crude. The new seal is about 12 inches longer than necessary. Pay attention to the rear corners, when you get there, make sure the rubber seal is truly seated in the fiberglass. I used a glue ..... and applied it at the very edge of the top.
Front Top:
Read the package instructions a few times. The first paragraphs are about the 6 foot seal across the top of the front of the pop top. Remove the 4 bolts from the rear side of the top. Additionally, the screws on each side and the front. Have a helper lift the top onto the work area.
Clean the paint and remove the dead bugs. I waxed this are to protect it for the next 5 years.
Tires:
What a pain. This van was equipped with the large 205R70 Michelin tires but after two changes and 10 years the tires are no longer available. The best replacement tires we could find are Yokohoma tires of rather skinny design, not the large wide tires of previous years that gave the little van a decent look of muscle power. Write for more details but check with GoWesty and pay the price for their total wheel replacement package, the price seems reasonable.
Waxing the Fiberglass top is a PAIN. Use 3M Marine Fiberglass Restorer and then follow with 3M Fiberglass wax. Apply the polish and wax with a power orbital buffer for super results.
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