Recently a customer contacted us as he was buying a tow bar for his VW T3 from our store and he enquired about wiring in the towbar electrics.
As you know we used to run a VW T3 Specialist workshop and we have a lot of information saved, if we did a job for the first time we made notes and wrote them up to save time the second time we did the job.
One of our internal help sheets was simply the wiring colours for the rear lights and we passed this on to the customer to help with his towbar installation, I thought it would be helpful for other customers so we’ve added it to our blog to save us forwarding the same information over and over again!
As our workshop was in the UK then the following wiring colours are relevent to European models but as the UK drives on the left hand side of the road we only have a legal requirement for a rear fog lamp on the right side of the vehicle. There is no reason why we cannot have fog lamps on both sides but I presume just a cost saving exersize on the manufacturers part, this was common practice back in the day though I’m not entirly sure actually how much money a small brass tab, a bulb and a couple of metres of wire would save!
For our friends over in the USA, sorry, this isn’t for you Vanagon owners, the USA tail lights were wired differently and used what we consider the fog lamp as brake lights!
With VW being a German vehicle manufacturer then the wiring colours and terminations are to DIN 72552.
Following on from several recent discussions with both trade and retail customers who have approached us regarding the supply of radiators for the T3 either as a standard replacement or an uprated version we’ve been prompted to write this post regarding whats happened with the radiators over the last few years and what’s available now and to dispel some of the myths flaoting around.
As far as VW are concerned, and ignoring the very early Diesel radiator which isn’t available anyway… and the “DF” radiator which isn’t either, there are 2 different radiators. a version with a 34mm core or the bigger version with a 42mm core..
This measurement refers to the thickness of the radiator core. The core being the “finned” section of the radiator that has channels that the coolant runs through.
Actually it’s more complicated than that, as there are a number of dropped part numbers (including one that was discontinued before the watercooled models were even made… but we’ll ignore all those too as they all supercede to the same parts.)
We’ve recently seen enquiries about a radiator with a 50mm core, supposedly fitted to vehicles for “hot climates”.
This didn’t make sense to us, as the “hot climate” radiator is the 42mm core radiator, as factory fitted to the 2.1i and Turbo Diesel models.
There is another “hot climate” option, which is listed for the “DF” engine and which is in fact the standard 34mm radiator, so a “hot climate” radiator for a DF would be the standard radiator for the 1.9 “DG” for example. A “hot climate” radiator for the “DG” would be a radiator as fitted to the 2.1 and TD models. There is, as far as we can tell, no “hot climate” radiator for the 2.1 and TD. They all had the same 42mm core radiator.
Going back to this mythical “50mm core”, we believe this is either a misunderstanding of how radiator cores are measured (they have measured the top/bottom plate rather than the core itself) or in some cases a little intentional deception to help boost sales… pointless really as any schoolgirl with a ruler can confirm the core thickness.
Previously, we have offered 2 options for the larger 42mm core radiator, an original South African produced radiator from Hella (still made until a couple of years ago), which was pretty much exactly the same as the one VW fitted in the factory, and an alternative which is an aftermarket radiator sold under many different brands. Sadly the originals are no longer available, part of the reason for this is the insistance by some suppliers that the cheaper rads are the same as the originals resulting in a drop in demand for them. Some of those suppliers now claiming to supply some special “50mm core” radiator (which actually has a 42mm core).
Screenshot from VW’s parts prgoram, ETKA
Please review the following table that lists all the different radiator part numbers as fitted to a T3, when they were discontinued and which part number they were replaced by.
The parts in bold are radiators that we currently stock.
The early or late style in the table above refers to the radiator style and not the vehicle, early style radiators were only ever fitted to 1.6D “CS” engines and were of a more traditional construction having brass tanks and a soldered core. The early radiator is easily identified by it’s huge design flaw by having the cooling fan switches at the top of the left hand tank, any loss of coolant would render the fan switches inoperable and would accelerate a oveheat situation.
Luckily, VW realised the shortcomings in this early style radiator design and it was replaced with the introduction of the WBX engine for the 1983 model year by the later style radiator with plastic tanks, aluminium core and a fan switch in a sensible place!
Hopefully this page clears up some of the misinformation floating around and helps you make an informed choice when shopping around for a radiator.
Just measure the core on your “specially produced” radiator and check you’ve got that extra “girth” you’ve paid for.
As with all this kind of stuff, you pays your money you takes your choice.
When installing an alternative engine into the place of a T3 Diesel engine then it’s sometimes neccesary to upgrade the clutch to handle the increased torque from the engine.
It’s quite common practice on VW T3 Diesels to install AAZ engines (1.9l TD with indirect injection), GTI engines (usually 2E or AGG) or indeed TDI (1.9 Direct Injection engines such as 1Z, AFN etc) engines as they are from the same AE827 engine series and are pretty much VW Lego.
The original 215mm clutch and flywheel from the VW T3 D / TD will bolt in and work with these engines but for a GTI and AAZ engines then the original 215mm clutch will be marginal if it will slip or not, a properly installed TDI engine will most definatley slip.
There are a couple of things we can offer to help you get your extra power through to the gearbox without slipping on your engine conversion.
The single mass flywheel and clutch is only really recommended for the AAZ and GTI engines, the Dual mass flywheel is recommended for the TDI.
The 228mm single mass will work with the TDI but the dual mass affords a little more protection for the gearbox and the associated harmonic vibrations that the TDI produces that can manifest in horrible rattles from the nose end of the gearbox. It is well known that gearboxes with TDI conversions will suffer accelerated wear due to extra low end torque and harmonics.
The fitting of either of these clutch systems to a T3 is not straight forward job and other parts and modifications are required.
The flywheel is bigger and as such will foul the inside of the bellhousing, the bellhousing will need to be ground down in a couple of places to give flywheel clearance to turn.
The nose of the original T3 Diesel starter motor will now foul the flywheel ring gear and the starter nose will either need to be ground slightly or replaced with a TDI starter and starter adapter
Please see the following 3 pictures that will show you where to grind the inside of the bellhousing, for this you will need a die grinder with a rotary burr that’s suitable for Aluminium and a small angle grinder such as something that accepts Roloc discs.
Overview of places to modify
Modification to the left hand face.
Modification to the right hand face
Failure to grind these places will result in the engine becoming locked when the bellhousing to engine bolts are fully tightened.
Once the bellhousing is modified then the whole set up can be assembled as normal.
Please be aware that the timing marks will now be missing and you’ll have to mark your own, we suggest that you use the “Full Stop Method” (Sometimes called Positive Stop or Dead Stop method) for accuracy, this is well documented on the internet and beyond the scope of this quick guide.
Well, I’m sure you’ve all seen it on the fuel forecourt pumps now, all over the news and forums and Facebook posts a plenty and this post is a little bit late to the party as it’s already happened but seeing as we still receive questions about E10 fuel and we still see the same question asked over and over again on the facebook groups (at least with forums you could pin stuff like this and not get lost in the ether) then we thought we’d write something a little more permenent to refer back to.
E10 fuel, what is it?
E10 fuel is normal common or garden petrol that has a higher concentration of Ethanol blended with it. E10 petrol contains 10% Ethanol.
What’s all the fuss about?
Ethanol is more agressive than petrol so it shortens the life of some fuel system components, Ethanol also attracts water from the atmosphere so, over time you may get a small amount of water gathering at the bottom of your fuel tank.
What damage does it do?
Ethanol will degrade older types of rubber fuel system components a little quicker than older grades of petrol, that said you’ve been running around quite happily on E5 (Petrol containing 5% Ethanol) for years and your van didn’t blow up did it?
The other slight issue is that if petrol/ethanol fuel mixes are left idle then it can attract water from the atmosphere and it can separate out leaving a layer of water at the bottom of the fuel tank which then could corrode but as my school boy physics and chemistry are anything to go by then don’t you also need oxygen for corrosion to occur?
Also, petrol engines don’t run particularly well on water!
What can I do to make my life easier?
Don’t worry, it’s really not a big thing, honestly.
You can regularly inspect the rubber parts of your fuel system for perishing and if you find any then take the oportunity to replace them with something a little more modern and suitable for modern fuel. All the fuel line assemblies we stock are assembled in house and use FPM hose which is suitable for up to 100% ethanol (E100). VW Ethanol resistant fuel line kits here.
You could just use Super which costs more, granted but you’ll be rewarded with less Ethanol, smoother running and better MPG, choice is yours!
If you are the T3 owner that has a normal day to day vehicle and parks their van up over winter then it’s probably worth running the E10 as low as you dare then brim it with super for the laid up months.
Europe has been running E10 for ages, we’re a bit behind but they all seem to be coping just fine so basically, keep on trucking!
A few years ago when these started becoming a problem we started offering a machined stainless steel bolt as a solution to worn/broken pins.
Times have moved on with the T3 now, and people are demanding parts that not only do the same job as the original, but look original too.
So, we’re now happy to offer these original style UJ pins for the T3 gear linkage from 1983 on.
They’re very close to the original style, and supplied in Yellow Zinc Plate just like the original.
We’ve been making up the HT lead sets for the early Waterboxer engines in house for some time, mainly because the available kits aren’t correct for the earlier engines. Either the wrong ends, or the wrong lengths, or the wrong resistance.
We’ve had to up our game a little though as keeping up with them has become a problem as we’ve got busier and busier over the years.
It also makes sense to have the later kits made too as the prices keep rising. Every little helps!
So, we are now having our own leads manufactured to our spec and with our own branding.
Same original spec. Same quality components. Just made in larger batches to save us time and save you money!
Due to the current popularity of the TDI conversion for T3 and even T4 models, we’re now keeping these VW Short Block Engines in stock.
Price to be confirmed… but expect them to be “sensible” especially for a VW unit 🙂
They’re supplied with Crank, Pistons, and intermediate shaft fitted… and even come with a sump (although you won’t need that for a T3).
They also have the piston protrusion checked and come with gaskets.
These are one of our most requested panels… and one that we’re almost always out of stock of when you need them most!
So we’ve just taken delivery of a pallet (actually a stillage!) of Genuine NOS side panels to try and make sure they’re in stock in the UK when needed.
We guess the popularity of restoring the LHD models is why these are so in demand, but as well as the Westfalias and Multivans they also fit RHD window models too!
And the best bit is that buying em like this spreads the shipping cost to get em here and makes em a bit cheaper for everybody 🙂
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