Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post all your engine questions and issues here and get help from the members

Moderators: kamzcab86, CalAltaDubber

User avatar
gull
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:30 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Auburn, WA
Contact:

Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by gull »

Having trouble tracking down an auxiliary air valve for my '88 Cabriolet. Bus Depot tells me it's on back order with no estimated ship date, and I'm not finding it at other online parts suppliers.

I see there are a number of other cars that appear to use the same or very similar parts...e.g, the top two on this page:
http://www.thepartsbin.com/repsite/bosc ... parts.html

I've also found an identical-looking part for early '80s BMW 320i cars, which also use CIS.

Anyone know if these are, in fact, the same part, or close enough? Is there a substitution someone has successfully used?
VW fan who fell to the Honda side of the force
Image
User avatar
kamzcab86
Queen and Popette of Cabbydom
Posts: 1277
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2002 3:54 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1986
Location: Arizona
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by kamzcab86 »

Insider's FYI: Bus Depot generally doesn't stock most of their parts. When they get an order they then get parts from VW or other suppliers and then ship the parts out. For example: They drop-shipped the hard-to-find OEM (and crappy) Westfalia faucet, yet took about 2 weeks to ship out the van's gas cap gasket. :screwy:

Anyway, World Impex shows that they have the AAR/AAV (if they don't, it usually says "limited availability" on the page): http://www.worldimpex.com/parts/genuine ... _7078.html . The problem is, it's mega-bucks.

I don't see any reason why a different AAR/AAV wouldn't work if it has the same electrical and hose connections. The only difference I could see there being is the internal element having a different open/close temperature. The first three valves pictured at Parts Bin look like they'd work (they look pretty close to the VW version), but the key word is "pictured". The "image may vary from actual part" caption makes your purchase a gamble, unless you call/email and ask them about the actual valve.
User avatar
gull
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:30 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Auburn, WA
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by gull »

Thanks for that.

I finally found it at J.C. Whitney, of all places, for $110 -- guaranteed to fit. Which is high, but not absurd. So I ordered it. The catalog entry claimed it was genuine Bosch, so we'll see.
VW fan who fell to the Honda side of the force
Image
User avatar
kamzcab86
Queen and Popette of Cabbydom
Posts: 1277
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2002 3:54 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1986
Location: Arizona
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by kamzcab86 »

Ha! Right on; $100 is better than $200! :thumbup:
User avatar
gull
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:30 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Auburn, WA
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by gull »

Crap. JC Whitney canceled my order. "We have been unable to process your order completely." So I guess they can't get 'em, either...

Found one for an '82 BMW 320i on CarParts.com for $80. I'm going to try that because I know the 320i was CIS in that era.
VW fan who fell to the Honda side of the force
Image
User avatar
kamzcab86
Queen and Popette of Cabbydom
Posts: 1277
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2002 3:54 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1986
Location: Arizona
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by kamzcab86 »

Ugh, I hate that; I wish these online retailers would just tell you what's in stock and what isn't.

Here's hoping the BMW (or any other for that matter) version works... I'm sure I'll be in the same boat down the road, considering mine's still original. :?
User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by Briano1234 »

Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
User avatar
kamzcab86
Queen and Popette of Cabbydom
Posts: 1277
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2002 3:54 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1986
Location: Arizona
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by kamzcab86 »

Well, I feel a fool! :oops: I always forget about checking NAPA!! :oops:
User avatar
gull
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:30 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Auburn, WA
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by gull »

Yeah, me too...although I notice they don't actually admit they have it in stock. Just says "Call." :)
VW fan who fell to the Honda side of the force
Image
User avatar
gull
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:30 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Auburn, WA
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by gull »

Got the BMW 320i part from CarParts.com. It's genuine Bosch, even though the website said 'Standard.' Haven't had a chance to install it yet (and probably won't for a while, the way the weather's looking) but it certainly looks like it should work.
VW fan who fell to the Honda side of the force
Image
rabbitinfife
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:58 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Tacoma, Wa

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by rabbitinfife »

Let us know how it works I am curious in doing this my self
User avatar
gull
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:30 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Auburn, WA
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by gull »

So it turns out the old one wasn't bad after all...it just wasn't opening enough to do much. After taking the valve off and discovering that it cycled OK, I loosened the little brass nut on it and pushed it farther away from the valve body, forcing it open more. This gave me an idle of 1200-1300 RPM with the engine dead cold, gradually dropping to normal after a few minutes. The real test will be tomorrow morning, but I expect drivability with the engine cold to be much improved.

I feel kinda stupid for ordering a new one, now, but it's awfully hard to get the old one out...I didn't want to go through all that trouble without a new one in hand, since the old one didn't seem to be functioning. The book's suggestion to test it using a mirror and a flashlight is a big joke -- you can't get the hose clamps loose to perform the test without removing the valve!

Removing the thing requires a 5mm allen wrench, a certain amount of dexterity with your left hand, and patience. A socket-type allen won't fit here; you need one of the little L-shaped ones. Fortunately the bolts on mine weren't very tight. I removed the electrical connector, disconnected the left hose where it connects to the intake manifold, unbolted the valve, then pulled it up on top of the manifold to undo the clamp for the other hose.
VW fan who fell to the Honda side of the force
Image
User avatar
Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by Briano1234 »

gull wrote:


Removing the thing requires a 5mm allen wrench, a certain amount of dexterity with your left hand, and patience.
Lefties ROCK............ :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
User avatar
gull
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:30 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Auburn, WA
Contact:

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by gull »

Started it up this morning after it sat all night. It's much improved. I was able to drive off right away without warming it up, and it didn't stall or make me feather the accelerator to ease it over a dead spot off idle.
VW fan who fell to the Honda side of the force
Image
rabbitinfife
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:58 pm
What year is your cabby?: 1989
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes
Location: Tacoma, Wa

Re: Substitution for auxiliary air valve?

Post by rabbitinfife »

I read somewhere that if you take the valve off spray a bunch of pb blaster or wd40 in there.

Then you supossed to let it sit for awhile and soak, it will free things up inside I have not tried this yet.

any one done this??
Post Reply