Head Repair - cont'd
May 29, 2002, Day 3: The Saga Continues

Got on the E-bike and rode to my FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store) for some antiseize compound, a feeler gauge for gapping spark plugs and the plugs themselves.  Stopped at the drug store and picked up some safety razors that I'll use for spreading and smoothing JB Weld when I get to that point.  Learned that my bike chain was not long enough to go around the large square posts that the strip mall used to support the roof over the walkway.

Wolfy is an 85 "Multivan" (sometimes called a Westy Weekender).  There are two types of electronic ignition systems used in these watercooled vans: the Digijet and the Digifant.  Bentley specified different spark plugs for each, but which type did I have?  The Bentley did not seem to be very specific in this regard, so I checked the vanagon.com archives and learned that if I had a "true" 85, it would be a Digijet.  How to determine if it was really an 85?  The author of the post was very clear.  If there is an F in the 10th character of the VIN, it's an 85.  If there's a G, it's an 86 and uses the Digifant system.  I went out and looked at my VIN... It had an F; Digijet.  Bentley indicated I needed one of the following plug types:

    Bosch W7CO
    Beru 14 L-7C (Beru?  What the heck is Beru?)
    Champion N288

The clerk at O'Reilly's checked her computer and gave me a number for a Champion plug that didn't match my data.  I passed on the plugs.  I'd rather run Bosch anyway, but O'Reilly apparently doesn't carry that brand.  (The plugs I removed were Bosch Super RO962, which matched neither the O'Reilly computer or my Bentley.  But -- hey!  They worked.)

Now it's time to pull the head.  I'm just doing the passenger side.  That's the one that's leaking.  My motto:  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I disconnected the ground cable from the negative terminal on the main battery then went back and stood looking in at the engine compartment at the intimidating fuel rail.  Yep.  That sucker's gotta come off, all right.  Let's start first with the electrical connectors.  After about 30 minutes of fruitless efffort, it occurred to me to push in on those wire detents (is that the correct word?) that you see in this photo at the base of each connector, facing the left side of the page.  I had been prying and pulling with no avail.  Fortunately, I was prudent enough to avoid applying force sufficient to break the mechanism.  I pushed one in with a screwdriver blade while pulling up on the plug.  To my amazement, it came right out.  I carefully cleaned and labeled each connector and moved them out of the way.

Now the fuel rail was exposed, more intimidating than ever.  Hmmm... I better go look at the Bentley.  Meanwhile, I removed the splash guard under the lower right side of the engine.  That was easy.  Three self tapping metal screws, and it was off the car.  That bolstered my confidence.  Hell, I can do anything!  I took the splash guard into the garage and sprayed it down with engine cleaner.  Then I drained the Westy's oil and took my wife shopping.

Back home, I studied the Bentley and the Haynes manual.  Haynes talked about removing the Fuel Rail Clamp Screw.  Can this be true?  Is there just one screw holding this thing onto the head?  Yes there is, and I located it.  (At the head of the arrow in the above photo.)   I put my best 10 mm socket on it.  It looked terribly corroded, so I crossed my fingers and started to pull the wrench.
Once the screw was out, the injectors popped right out of the head.  The engine had not been run since yesterday, so there was no pressure in the lines.  I stuck a piece of quarter round across the engine bay, pulled the fuel rail up and tied it off out of the way.


Revelling in my success, I decided to call it a day.  I opened a bottle of Coca Cola, took out the garbage, and checked my email.

It just doesn't get any better than this.


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