melbakid
Well-known member
Zuki4x4 said:
Does it bolt in or do you have to weld it in? I'm too lazy to walk out to the GarageMahal and look! [lol]
Back To My Roots: A Suzuki Samurai Project
- Thread starter stuntnuts
- Start date
Does it bolt in or do you have to weld it in? I'm too lazy to walk out to the GarageMahal and look! [lol]
melbakid
Well-known member
I was asking about the metal filler neck that the gas cap goes on. The reason I ask is that I want to remove the metal plate inside the neck to make it easier to fill up with gas at the pump and when I use a gas can out on the trail. I have a heck of a time filling my tank from 5 gallon cans!!Zuki4x4 said:
melbakid date=1586309482 said:I was asking about the metal filler neck that the gas cap goes on. The reason I ask is that I want to remove the metal plate inside the neck to make it easier to fill up with gas at the pump and when I use a gas can out on the trail. I have a heck of a time filling my tank from 5 gallon cans!!
take a broom handle or something similar that just fits inside your filler use it to shape the inside to create more of a opening ,broom handle could leave wood splinters metal pipe is better
Quick update:
The proper fuel injection hose clamps arrived yesterday, so I replaced the worm drive clamps with those. I replaced all the fuel lines at the same time, as advised, for piece of mind. I also capped the vapor line with vacuum caps. This line is abandoned, so the caps are really just to keep road debris and water out of this line, in case I ever need it again:
I also tackled the fuel line on top of the gas tank. During my last update, I was complaining about the fact that this line looked nearly impossible to access without dropping the tank. I even emailed Jeff at Acme Adapters to verify that the tank had to be dropped, which he did verify.
Well...it actually was pretty simple to get at the line and clamp it with a 1/4" ratchet. Thank Christ! :thumbup::thumbup:
One thing I'm not super comfortable with is that the hard line itself isn't flared on the gas tank side. It did make sliding the new fuel hose onto the line pretty easy, in a difficult spot to reach, however. I'm a bit concerned that even though the clamp is tight, the lack of a flared end may result in a fuel leak. This is a return line, so hopefully the pressure won't be super high at this point??? Perhaps I should double clamp it?
Here is one end of the line, which is right next to the fuel filler tube, simple to access:
And here is the other end, which is the one above the fuel tank. This is the union without the flared end:
So if you are asking what is left to get this thing to fire up, here it is:
1. Wire up fuel pump
2. Run new hard lines and fuel hoses in the engine bay.
3. Hook up PCV on block.
4. Plug in ignition coil, MAF, O2 sensor, etc.
I'm REALLY close now!
The proper fuel injection hose clamps arrived yesterday, so I replaced the worm drive clamps with those. I replaced all the fuel lines at the same time, as advised, for piece of mind. I also capped the vapor line with vacuum caps. This line is abandoned, so the caps are really just to keep road debris and water out of this line, in case I ever need it again:
I also tackled the fuel line on top of the gas tank. During my last update, I was complaining about the fact that this line looked nearly impossible to access without dropping the tank. I even emailed Jeff at Acme Adapters to verify that the tank had to be dropped, which he did verify.
Well...it actually was pretty simple to get at the line and clamp it with a 1/4" ratchet. Thank Christ! :thumbup::thumbup:
One thing I'm not super comfortable with is that the hard line itself isn't flared on the gas tank side. It did make sliding the new fuel hose onto the line pretty easy, in a difficult spot to reach, however. I'm a bit concerned that even though the clamp is tight, the lack of a flared end may result in a fuel leak. This is a return line, so hopefully the pressure won't be super high at this point??? Perhaps I should double clamp it?
Here is one end of the line, which is right next to the fuel filler tube, simple to access:
And here is the other end, which is the one above the fuel tank. This is the union without the flared end:
So if you are asking what is left to get this thing to fire up, here it is:
1. Wire up fuel pump
2. Run new hard lines and fuel hoses in the engine bay.
3. Hook up PCV on block.
4. Plug in ignition coil, MAF, O2 sensor, etc.
I'm REALLY close now!
cygnus x-1
Well-known member
stuntnuts date=1586870614 said:
There should be very little if any pressure on the return line. If there is pressure, something is very wrong.
I wouldn't worry about it.
C|
Milestone Update:
I'm at the point now where I'm focusing on getting all of the loose ends tied up in order to see if the ABA will actually run. I spent the end of last week mounting the ignition coil, running the wires to the alternator, wiring up the fuel pump, and figuring out how I was going to extend the fuel lines to the front of the engine bay.
Up first was the ignition coil. It was absolutely simple to mount, right where the stock Samurai coil was. One of the bolt holes was already where I needed it to be and was even the same size thread as the ABA mounting bolts. In case you are wondering, the extra yellow wire you see in this pic is for getting a tachometer signal from the coil, if that is how I end up getting it. There are several possibilities for getting a tachometer signal, this is just one of them. More on that down the line:
Next, I wired up the alternator. I chose to run the power wire from the alternator directly to the starter, then from the starter to the battery (as a VW is wired). I used a 4 gauge, car audio quality wire and ran it around the back of the engine. I zip tied it to the coolant pipe and clamped it to the head. It was really hard to get pics of this, but here's what I have. In the first pic, you can also see how I secured the Samurai throttle cable to the intake manifold:
After that I wired up the fuel pump. A power wire was run from the engine bay harness, thru the firewall, under the carpet, thru the floor, and to the pump. I also ran a short ground wire, grounded to the body, inside:
Last but not least, my best work yet (IMO)....the extended fuel lines. The fuel lines (supply and return) terminate in the passenger rear of the engine bay. The stock Samurai fuel pump is mechanical, and mounted on the engine back there. In order to reach the fuel rail on the ABA, they need to be extended from at point to the middle-front of the engine bay.
I didn't want to just run fuel hose from way back there to the rail, so I fabricated some new fuel lines to run on the passenger side frame rail. Since I didn't have a flaring tool, and my friends who did could potentially have COVID-19, I used regular 5/16" coated brake line from NAPA https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_8135467?keywordInput=5%2f16%26%23034%3b+brake+l ine, 20" long. I had to cut off the union nuts and modify the flared ends a little bit because they were too big to slide the fuel hose over. I bent them as required and secured them to the body with cable clamps:
Fuel hose connecting the existing fuel lines to the new ones:
And everything hooked up:
I have to come up with some heat shielding for these lines, either with sleeves or sheet metal heat shields, or a combo of both. I also plan to wrap my downpipe once that is built. Sadly my best work will all be covered up.
The airbox sits on top of the new fuel lines, as well. Oh well, it will always live on in these pics. 
Once all of this was finished, I hook up to VAG-COM and ran an output test to activate the fuel pump and prime all of the lines and check for leaks BEFORE trying to start the engine. Everything seemed OK, so I had the wife come in the garage and film the first start.
So without further ado...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FBTBZkiloQ
I connected it once again to VAG-COM and scanned for codes. Nothing critical, a couple EVAP codes and a code for a check engine light that isn't hooked up. More may pop up once it runs for more than 20 seconds, but I was satisfied:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ89UYlzAkY
And that's it for now. I've got to figure out and hook up the tachometer, the coolant temp gauge, put the coolant bottle back in, fill with coolant, build a downpipe, hook up the O2 sensor, and plug the holes in the firewall where the AC components were located.
I'm at the point now where I'm focusing on getting all of the loose ends tied up in order to see if the ABA will actually run. I spent the end of last week mounting the ignition coil, running the wires to the alternator, wiring up the fuel pump, and figuring out how I was going to extend the fuel lines to the front of the engine bay.
Up first was the ignition coil. It was absolutely simple to mount, right where the stock Samurai coil was. One of the bolt holes was already where I needed it to be and was even the same size thread as the ABA mounting bolts. In case you are wondering, the extra yellow wire you see in this pic is for getting a tachometer signal from the coil, if that is how I end up getting it. There are several possibilities for getting a tachometer signal, this is just one of them. More on that down the line:
Next, I wired up the alternator. I chose to run the power wire from the alternator directly to the starter, then from the starter to the battery (as a VW is wired). I used a 4 gauge, car audio quality wire and ran it around the back of the engine. I zip tied it to the coolant pipe and clamped it to the head. It was really hard to get pics of this, but here's what I have. In the first pic, you can also see how I secured the Samurai throttle cable to the intake manifold:
After that I wired up the fuel pump. A power wire was run from the engine bay harness, thru the firewall, under the carpet, thru the floor, and to the pump. I also ran a short ground wire, grounded to the body, inside:
Last but not least, my best work yet (IMO)....the extended fuel lines. The fuel lines (supply and return) terminate in the passenger rear of the engine bay. The stock Samurai fuel pump is mechanical, and mounted on the engine back there. In order to reach the fuel rail on the ABA, they need to be extended from at point to the middle-front of the engine bay.
I didn't want to just run fuel hose from way back there to the rail, so I fabricated some new fuel lines to run on the passenger side frame rail. Since I didn't have a flaring tool, and my friends who did could potentially have COVID-19, I used regular 5/16" coated brake line from NAPA https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_8135467?keywordInput=5%2f16%26%23034%3b+brake+l ine, 20" long. I had to cut off the union nuts and modify the flared ends a little bit because they were too big to slide the fuel hose over. I bent them as required and secured them to the body with cable clamps:
Fuel hose connecting the existing fuel lines to the new ones:
And everything hooked up:
I have to come up with some heat shielding for these lines, either with sleeves or sheet metal heat shields, or a combo of both. I also plan to wrap my downpipe once that is built. Sadly my best work will all be covered up.
The airbox sits on top of the new fuel lines, as well. Oh well, it will always live on in these pics. Once all of this was finished, I hook up to VAG-COM and ran an output test to activate the fuel pump and prime all of the lines and check for leaks BEFORE trying to start the engine. Everything seemed OK, so I had the wife come in the garage and film the first start.
So without further ado...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FBTBZkiloQ
I connected it once again to VAG-COM and scanned for codes. Nothing critical, a couple EVAP codes and a code for a check engine light that isn't hooked up. More may pop up once it runs for more than 20 seconds, but I was satisfied:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ89UYlzAkY
And that's it for now. I've got to figure out and hook up the tachometer, the coolant temp gauge, put the coolant bottle back in, fill with coolant, build a downpipe, hook up the O2 sensor, and plug the holes in the firewall where the AC components were located.
When I fired up the Samurai for the first time last week, I didn't have the O2 sensor/sensors plugged in. The ABA engine came out of a 2002 Cabrio, I got the O2 sensors from the donor, but the harness was all chopped up, so I had to source another harness. I got one from a 1998 Cabrio, which worked great, minus the O2 sensor harness connectors were different.
The 2002 Cabrio uses Mk4 style O2 connectors:
The 1998 Cabrio uses Mk3 style O2 connectors:
As a result, I could not plug my 2002 O2 sensors into my 1998 harness. I found a proper female version of the 2002 connector and repined my 1998 harness to accept it. I did not repin the downstream O2, as I'm not sure if I will be using it or not. The cat location is way under the truck and without extending the harness, I doubt it will reach. I may tackle that at a later date, however.
This is the existing 1998 harness O2 connector:
And the repinned 2002 harness O2 connector with the 2002 sensor plugged in:
I did not fire up the Samurai after installing the O2 sensor, so I can't report on how it ran, but I'm hoping it will run better now that it's plugged in. I also have to put coolant in, so the temp sensor for the ECU can receive a proper signal. Once I get coolant in there, I'll fire it back up.
I spent Sunday morning cleaning up the grille, fitting the new front bumper, and wiring in the front indicators. All I can say is WOW! The front end looks so much better now than it did when I received the Samurai. For one, the original bumper had a good sized dent in it and it was rusty. It was also accessorized with tow bar equipment on the front end and the stock leaf springs were all rusty. Replacing and/or removing all of these items really clean up this truck.
As received, last fall:
As of yesterday:
I still need to refinish the plastic bumper corner pieces, to complete the front end, but I'm SO happy with the results so far. So much so, that I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase a matching rear bumper, just to complete the look. The rear bumper currently has a rusty appearance to it, like the front one did. A new one is only about $88 shipped, so what the heck, right?
That's all for now, more updates soon.
The 2002 Cabrio uses Mk4 style O2 connectors:
The 1998 Cabrio uses Mk3 style O2 connectors:
As a result, I could not plug my 2002 O2 sensors into my 1998 harness. I found a proper female version of the 2002 connector and repined my 1998 harness to accept it. I did not repin the downstream O2, as I'm not sure if I will be using it or not. The cat location is way under the truck and without extending the harness, I doubt it will reach. I may tackle that at a later date, however.
This is the existing 1998 harness O2 connector:
And the repinned 2002 harness O2 connector with the 2002 sensor plugged in:
I did not fire up the Samurai after installing the O2 sensor, so I can't report on how it ran, but I'm hoping it will run better now that it's plugged in. I also have to put coolant in, so the temp sensor for the ECU can receive a proper signal. Once I get coolant in there, I'll fire it back up.
I spent Sunday morning cleaning up the grille, fitting the new front bumper, and wiring in the front indicators. All I can say is WOW! The front end looks so much better now than it did when I received the Samurai. For one, the original bumper had a good sized dent in it and it was rusty. It was also accessorized with tow bar equipment on the front end and the stock leaf springs were all rusty. Replacing and/or removing all of these items really clean up this truck.
As received, last fall:
As of yesterday:
I still need to refinish the plastic bumper corner pieces, to complete the front end, but I'm SO happy with the results so far. So much so, that I'm pretty sure I'm going to purchase a matching rear bumper, just to complete the look. The rear bumper currently has a rusty appearance to it, like the front one did. A new one is only about $88 shipped, so what the heck, right?
That's all for now, more updates soon.
Update:
I went out to Home Depot, fully decked out in PPE and picked up a small sheet of aluminum. Due to the proximity of the fuel lines under the airbox to the exhaust manifold, for piece of mind, I needed to make a heat shield. I plan to fully wrap the downpipe with heat wrap, as well as the fuel hoses themselves, but I wanted a little extra protection. I cut, bent, and drilled the sheet to the appropriate size and shape to fit under the airbox, above the newly created fuel lines.
Some basic shaping:
Some hand bending. Boy, a sheet metal brake would have been nice to have in my workshop for this one:
The test fit:
With the airbox in place:
It fits!
Next up, after removal of the Air Conditioning system in the Samurai, I was left with an under dash tray that was all hacked up so the evaporator would fit in that space. I really need this tray because I plan to mount the ABA ECU to it. I ordered a new under dash tray, advertised as for Left Hand Drive vehicles. When I went to install it, it was clearly obvious that what I received was definitely for a Right Hand Drive vehicle. Everything is a mirror image, and it simply does not fit. The mounting brackets are riveted on and could be reversed and re-riveted for LHD, but why should I have to do that when an item is CLEARLY advertised for LHD? I'll see what the seller comes back with, before I start dismantling this one.
To make up for that disappointment, I moved onto a part of this swap that I'm really excited about. It is something that will, without question, be overlooked and unappreciated by most, but it a crucial part of the whole integration portion of this.
The coolant sensor for the Samurai coolant temperature gauge simply does not fit anywhere on an ABA engine. It's a one pin, thread in unit, that just doesn't have a provision anywhere on the ABA to mount it. All the coolant outlets are plastic, so you can't simply drill and tap a hole for this sensor. Along with that, there aren't any VW coolant temp sensors that play nice with Suzuki coolant temp gauges. The only way to get this sensor to fit in the ABA was with a little help from https://performancemrp.com/ again.
Enter this little guy:
What this is, is a modified catch can adapter for Mk2 9A and Mk3 ABA engines.
https://performancemrp.com/i-30497555-volkswagen-catch-can-adapter-for-mk2-9a-16v-mk3-aba-8v.html?ref=category:1389192
It's a little fitting that plugs into the PCV outlet on the block. It also is, luckily, the same size as the VW coolant temp sensors. So theoretically, if one of these was tapped with the same threads as the Samurai coolant temp sensor, it would make a wonderful adapter for my dilemma.
I spoke to Matt at Performance MRP about this and he was more than willing to help me out with my wacky one off. I gathered together what I needed: The Performance MRP fitting, the Samurai coolant temp sensor, an oring, a spacer washer, and a ring terminal and went to work:
Once that was ready, I needed to tap into a ground source. Typically, these sensors thread into aluminum on the head of the Samurai engine, so they receive their ground from there. But because this little guy is being plugged into a plastic coolant outlet, an additional ground supply needed to be added.
So I added this little wire to source my ground from one of the coolant flange mounting bolts:
And here it is, fully installed. I now have a proper signal from the ABA to the temperature gauge on the stock Samurai cluster:
So once again, big thanks to Matt at Performance MPR for helping me overcome obstacles that this unorthodox swap delivers.
That's it on updates for today. UPS has just delivered my downpipe materials, so I will begin to get into that very shortly.
I went out to Home Depot, fully decked out in PPE and picked up a small sheet of aluminum. Due to the proximity of the fuel lines under the airbox to the exhaust manifold, for piece of mind, I needed to make a heat shield. I plan to fully wrap the downpipe with heat wrap, as well as the fuel hoses themselves, but I wanted a little extra protection. I cut, bent, and drilled the sheet to the appropriate size and shape to fit under the airbox, above the newly created fuel lines.
Some basic shaping:
Some hand bending. Boy, a sheet metal brake would have been nice to have in my workshop for this one:
The test fit:
With the airbox in place:
It fits!
Next up, after removal of the Air Conditioning system in the Samurai, I was left with an under dash tray that was all hacked up so the evaporator would fit in that space. I really need this tray because I plan to mount the ABA ECU to it. I ordered a new under dash tray, advertised as for Left Hand Drive vehicles. When I went to install it, it was clearly obvious that what I received was definitely for a Right Hand Drive vehicle. Everything is a mirror image, and it simply does not fit. The mounting brackets are riveted on and could be reversed and re-riveted for LHD, but why should I have to do that when an item is CLEARLY advertised for LHD? I'll see what the seller comes back with, before I start dismantling this one.
To make up for that disappointment, I moved onto a part of this swap that I'm really excited about. It is something that will, without question, be overlooked and unappreciated by most, but it a crucial part of the whole integration portion of this.
The coolant sensor for the Samurai coolant temperature gauge simply does not fit anywhere on an ABA engine. It's a one pin, thread in unit, that just doesn't have a provision anywhere on the ABA to mount it. All the coolant outlets are plastic, so you can't simply drill and tap a hole for this sensor. Along with that, there aren't any VW coolant temp sensors that play nice with Suzuki coolant temp gauges. The only way to get this sensor to fit in the ABA was with a little help from https://performancemrp.com/ again.
Enter this little guy:
What this is, is a modified catch can adapter for Mk2 9A and Mk3 ABA engines.
https://performancemrp.com/i-30497555-volkswagen-catch-can-adapter-for-mk2-9a-16v-mk3-aba-8v.html?ref=category:1389192
It's a little fitting that plugs into the PCV outlet on the block. It also is, luckily, the same size as the VW coolant temp sensors. So theoretically, if one of these was tapped with the same threads as the Samurai coolant temp sensor, it would make a wonderful adapter for my dilemma.
I spoke to Matt at Performance MRP about this and he was more than willing to help me out with my wacky one off. I gathered together what I needed: The Performance MRP fitting, the Samurai coolant temp sensor, an oring, a spacer washer, and a ring terminal and went to work:
Once that was ready, I needed to tap into a ground source. Typically, these sensors thread into aluminum on the head of the Samurai engine, so they receive their ground from there. But because this little guy is being plugged into a plastic coolant outlet, an additional ground supply needed to be added.
So I added this little wire to source my ground from one of the coolant flange mounting bolts:
And here it is, fully installed. I now have a proper signal from the ABA to the temperature gauge on the stock Samurai cluster:
So once again, big thanks to Matt at Performance MPR for helping me overcome obstacles that this unorthodox swap delivers.
That's it on updates for today. UPS has just delivered my downpipe materials, so I will begin to get into that very shortly.
Update:
I got the rear Trail Gear 3" lift springs installed over the weekend. The fronts were installed months ago, so it was nice to finally get this thing sitting level.
The original springs came out very easily:
One issue is the driveshaft is now too short, so a spacer will be in order:
And here are the results. These are the best shots that I could get from inside an 18' wide garage, with an iphone camera:
It's blatantly obvious that the stock 205/70-15 tire size isn't going to cut it. I will need a lot of help with determining a proper tire size to fit the suspension and the stock 15x5.5 wheels (if at all possible). The two tires I have in my mind right now are:
BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2
and
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S
They both offer 15" sizes, but that's about as far as I made it. Tire sizing for trucks is WAAAAY outta my comfort zone. I'd REALLY appreciate some help figuring out an appropriate tires size. I know I want tall and skinny, but is that possible on a 15x5.5 wheel?
PLEASE HELP!
I got the rear Trail Gear 3" lift springs installed over the weekend. The fronts were installed months ago, so it was nice to finally get this thing sitting level.
The original springs came out very easily:
One issue is the driveshaft is now too short, so a spacer will be in order:
And here are the results. These are the best shots that I could get from inside an 18' wide garage, with an iphone camera:
It's blatantly obvious that the stock 205/70-15 tire size isn't going to cut it. I will need a lot of help with determining a proper tire size to fit the suspension and the stock 15x5.5 wheels (if at all possible). The two tires I have in my mind right now are:
BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2
and
Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S
They both offer 15" sizes, but that's about as far as I made it. Tire sizing for trucks is WAAAAY outta my comfort zone. I'd REALLY appreciate some help figuring out an appropriate tires size. I know I want tall and skinny, but is that possible on a 15x5.5 wheel?
PLEASE HELP!
cygnus x-1
Well-known member
As far as rim width goes, assuming a 75 profile, anything up to 235 section width should be fine on the stock wheels. 235 is technically too big if you go by the recommended rim widths according to the tire mfgs; but it's close enough that it shouldn't be a problem, and many people have fit 235/75R15 tires on stock Samurai wheels. Anything in 205, 215, and 225 widths will fit no problem. With 70 profile tires 225 is technically too wide, but close enough. I wouldn't go below a 70 profile with a Samurai unless it's a street vehicle only. The taller profile helps the ride to be less harsh.
The other consideration is steering clearance. With the lift you have I don't think you'll need to do any trimming up to 235/75R15. My Samurai is far from stock though so I have no experience with this specific scenario.
C|
The other consideration is steering clearance. With the lift you have I don't think you'll need to do any trimming up to 235/75R15. My Samurai is far from stock though so I have no experience with this specific scenario.
C|
Zuki4x4
Well-known member
I have the same springs in the same config (spua).
I am thinking of going back stock or a different config (coil?) one of these days, the springs are too stiff for any ride quality.
My rear d-shaft has been like your pic for 10+ years with no issue.
Granted I don't wheel at all, strictly a street zuk.
I also have 8" wide wheels with 275/60/15 tires.![[thumbsup]](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f44d.png "Thumbs up [thumbsup]")
I am thinking of going back stock or a different config (coil?) one of these days, the springs are too stiff for any ride quality.
My rear d-shaft has been like your pic for 10+ years with no issue.
Granted I don't wheel at all, strictly a street zuk.
I also have 8" wide wheels with 275/60/15 tires.
