The SA 2.6i Microbus thread

[silverbullet]

New throttle pot fitted, still dies at 1800 rpm Must be the distributor, the crummy £bay copy one is booked for return (no timing marks on the body, so buggerall use)
All I seem to be doing is buying new spare parts for the next breakdown!
Lools like it's big money time for a new Bosch exchange distributor. I've been quoted the rather curious sum of £165 inc. by my LMF but with £40 + vat surcharge
Sounds like a finger in the wind price to me. Back to TPS or maybe Camberley's can get me a better price from Bosch.

[Aidan]

what about the VW one at £85 ?

[silverbullet]

Finally got through (everyone skiving off at local TPS)
The price is right!!! Ordered and on its way.

[toomanytoys]

Tell me you have stuck a new rotor arm in there tho....

[silverbullet]

No signs of tracking or delaminaton of epoxy or anything on the rotor. Like new and pukka Bosch. Quite confident that it's a good 'un and clean as a whistle inside.
I have discussed this with my local "tame" garage (trade shop talk, we are doing a job for them right now) and they were of the opinion that Hall senders can go erratic as part of the failure mode. The boss there has a 944 and that's getting him going with an intermittent ignition/idle fault too!
Can't wait for lovely, new, genuine, OEM Bosch dizzy to arrive Tues/Weds
Better ruddy fix it though or it's an ECU from SA and a long wait...

[toomanytoys]

Seen 2 vans with funny running conditions.. 1st one nearly stumped me.. 2nd one tried a new rotor arm... sounds bloody daft I know.. and I didnt believe it at first.. both looked fresh also... for 3 or 4 quid.. worth a try and you'll have a spare for future...

[silverbullet]

On your advice Si, I'll get a new Bosch rotor and try it before unwrapping the new dizzy, when it arrives.
Phones should be busy on Tuesday morning!

[toomanytoys]

It prob wont be that coz I have suggested it , but change one thing at a time...

Its happened to me so therefore I suggest it...

[silverbullet]

In a Victor Meldrew voice..."I don't bloody belieeeeve it!!!"

New dizzy made absolutely no difference. It seems like it's the TCI breaking down and it's inside the ECU

Feckfeckfeckfeckfeck!!!

[toomanytoys]

Oh bow locks...... thats an a***....

[silverbullet]

WHAT A PLONKER! I realized last night that I have been an absolute ar$e and it is indeed the TCI, as reasoned above. The symptoms were there all along. I remember now that when the Sharan did the "park up, drop kids off, get back in - dead" routine it was indeed the coil with integral module that had failed and that's what fixed it, after suspecting the dizzy trigger and a cam sensor (that had cooked it's wiring but still ran OK anyway)
The fact that this one will start but not stand any amount of load before breaking down is coincidental. The clue is that it's just like an ignition cut. Which is precisely the fault.
I've contacted Stuart in Pretoria West and we'll see what's doing on the exchange ecu front...

[Aidan]

Ian let me have the ECU part number and I'll check with the fatherland, and see if there's any bosch numbers too

[silverbullet]

Currently fitted (replacement) 22S 906 022 Bosch Motronic "Made in South Africa"
ETKA says the above is ok or 22S 907 404B for 2.6 (10.95-12.97) so could be this version too (it does pink when on unleaded, might have wrong ignition curve) should put the VIN into ETKA really...
Home PC playing sillybuggers so haven't checked if Stuart has turned one up yet (or how much)

[silverbullet]

I was in the mood for a quick poke around the electrics last night, it looks like the ecu has been repaired as the tabs on the case have been prised up to get inside. So I had another look but couldn't see that any components have been replaced:


L&M Autos in Basingstoke also have their name on the numberplates and the proprietor has a very RSA-sounding name, so I'm betting that he was the guy who repaired it when it first came to the UK, as I had been led to believe.

The it dawned on me that the one thing that I haven't swapped or checked is this, the idle valve:

(note the modified T4 manifold casting to read 2.6 instead of 2.5)

Anyone know the typical failure mode/running symptoms for the Bosch idle valve?

[Aidan]

probably the same as the one on the 2.1 in operation, it vibrates slightly with ignition on (but not always), continuity across the two terminals, 430mA current disconnected, +/- 20mA fluctuating connected, if you put 12v across it it moves, ie clicks, you could take it out of the system and just run a hose across and it would run lean, if you compress the hose on a working system at idle revs will drop, may stall depending on how much it's working, which depends on set up of idle speed and co etc.. DJ will advance timing to try and stop it stalling, MV will do more than that
have you had a look at the multiplug and compared the pin outs to the Dijijet or Digifant ECUs ?
The Bosch fi manual doesn't have much in it that's of use to your system it seems to be a bit of a one off, probably due to local climatic and fuel and road conditions