I have never liked 'parts systems' very much ..because I might know that
hundreds of vanagons use a certain part..
yet a parts system will say there's more than one.
which to me is silly because ...
usually a syncro gasoline vanagon only uses one type of throttle cable. I
just want the one that is 'that one.'
and don't bother me with an oddball application that doesn't apply to
any syncro van I've ever seen.
and the parts people don't know the nuances ...
sometimes it helps to know what to tell them it's for ..
like you have to 'trick them' .
you know..
I wanted an oil pressure switch for a diesel vanagon one time ..
I was fully prepared to tell the parts guy '65VW Bug' since I know it's the
same switch and they'll sure have that car in their book but maybe not diesel
vanagon.
I even see it some was the parts person is sometimes 'the block'...they are
between me and the parts they need, and their lack of very good familiarity with
syncro vans is part of the problem.
here's how I get syncro oil pressure switches.
first, I know that the one on the lower left side of the engine is a
'normal, conventional, low psi supplies ground' oil pressure switch.
I get the pressure, in bar, from either the switch itself, or from the
wiring diagram in Bentley.
I am pretty sure the wiring diagram in Bentley for syncro says '.3 bar' for
one switch, and whatever it is for the other switch ..
and it says what the pressure is on the switch itself.
I also know that the switch by the crankshaft is reverse logic compared to
'normal' oil pressure switches...
a 'normal' one supplies ground at zero pressure and up to its threshold
pressure rating. ..
'all' normal oil pressure switches in the car world work that way.
the one by the crankshaft pulley is reverse logic ..
when there is sufficient pressure ....it supplies ground, keeping the
warning light off.
it only takes a second with a test light or ohm meter to tell the two types
of switches apart.
you know the one by the crankshaft is going to have higher rating that the
other one, since it's for high rpm ....forget what it is in bar ..
but in psi I know that' likely to be ....something like 15 to 18 psi
..
they would want the engine to be able to be as low as that reading at about
2,200 rpm without turning on the warning light ..
so sure ...ordering with a parts person, you need to know what to ask for
..
sometimes the part number is right on the part .
use that ..and sometimes it's superceded to a new part # ..but that's also
a good source ..the part itself sometimes.
oh ..and when I find a GOOD parts person ..
I stick with them for life baby ..
a GOOD parts person is rare. A good parts person knows exactly what you are
talking about ...all the variation and particulars etc.
I think I've found about 4 or 5 really, really good parts people in about
30 years. ..
something like that.
a good parts person ..will have the right part on the way in minutes
.
now the other problem is the decline of the quality of parts in general. It
is getting harder and harder to find well made, often german made, quality parts
for these machines we love so much. I'm telling my suppliers just don't
send me that junk ..
and I am seeking out parts sources that sell quality stuff ..and even
german made stuff doesn't seem as good as it was say 20 years ago.
I went to install german made water pump the other day ..GEBA
brand.
it was warped ! would not sit flat on the part it bolts to.
Then the next new one I got was a cheap version, and it's not going on
either.
funny world these days !
Scott
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 3:23
AM
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Oil
pressure switches
All,
A Friday night special.
Just querying members as to
their knowledge re: the correct part numbers and their identifying
colours for the two different oil pressure switches for Oz
syncros.
Maybe someone out there has recent experience with this.
It seems to me to be too easy to end up selecting from ETKA, switches with the
wrong pressure range. This is a similar problem as we found recently
concerning identifying the correct accelerator cable in Etka. All of
this again brings into question the ambiguity/usefulness of Etka,
especially when a problem arises far from home and referencing Etka for the
correct parts.
TIA.
Cheers.
Ken