This is the kind of message I like, lots of details, I'm adding a temp 
     gauge soon. Couple of things to watch out for, based on what I have 
     read.
     
     Gene Berg instructions say to NEVER use Teflon tape on the senders. 
     Don't recall the reason, whether it will contaminate the oil or just 
     because with tape it would be easy to overtighten and possibly split 
     the hole. Good you kept the original pressure sender, Berg also 
     recommends this when adding a gauge.
     
     I think Bob Hoover mentioned in a sermon that you have to watch out 
     for air bubbles trapped in the multiple connector, it can cause 
     erratic readings. I had this problem with mine when I added a tee 
     connection. Bob also mentioned that the temperature shown by the gauge 
     will vary depending on the mounting point, consider it a relative 
     indicator.  Check out his 'sermons' on the net if you haven't seen 
     them, all worth reading.
     
     Jeff

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: 87 Vanagon: installing VDO oil pressure and temperature send
Author:  raven@halcyon.com at INTERNET
Date:    5/28/96 11:09 PM

This past weekend I purchased VDO gauges and senders to monitor the oil 
pressure and temperature on my '87 Vanagon syncro Westfalia. I'm planning a 
trip up to the Canadian Rockies in about a month and would like to be able 
to keep an eye on the oil temp as I climb the mountain passes. I haven't 
installed the gauges, but I did manage to finish installation of the two 
senders. Since I found the installation of these senders to be non-trivial, 
I think that some list members could benefit from what I learned. So here's 
a complete report, starting with the parts list:
     
231 002 087D VDO oil temp gauge 300F, $34.95
221 002 042D VDO oil pressure gauge 80psi, $34.95 
532 900 037D VDO oil temp sender 300F, $14.50
521 001 019D VDO oil pressure sender 80psi, $29.95
     
2 1/8 npt fitting
1 1/8 npt T fitting
1 2" nipple w/ npt threads
4' 1/8 copper tubing
roll of teflon pipe tape
     
I purchased the VDO stuff at Bow Wow, a local VW FLAP. They specialize in 
air-cooled rigs and have little knowledge of waterboxers. Consequently, 
they were of little help in helping put this project together, other than 
getting me the correct VDO parts. I got the npt fittings at another FLAP, 
B&B Auto Parts in Seattle. They were able to help me assemble the correct 
npt (National Pipe Thread, I think) fittings. They had a kit that included 
everything I needed except the T fitting and the 2" nipple. I'm not sure 
I'm giving the exact specs on the npt fittings, so let me describe them. 
The 2 1/8 npt fittings have 3/8" threads and a compression fitting for 1/8" 
tubing. The T fitting is tapped for three 3/8" threaded connections. The 
nipple is simply a 2" pipe with 3/8" threads on each end. Take your sender 
to the parts store and it should be fairly obvious what to buy. All of the 
fittings are used in mounting the oil pressure sender, none are required 
for the temperature sender.
     
First, let me say that installation of these senders is not a "bolt-on, 
shrink wrapped" type of project--you have to do some creative problem 
solving to get through this one. But that makes it all that much more 
rewarding once the job is completed. Let's start with the oil pressure 
sender. First step is to remove the tin on the bottom of the engine that 
covers the push rod tubes on the left side. This entails removing two bolts 
that also fasten exhaust headers. Be sure to replace these with new 
exhaust-grade bolts and use anti-seize compound. There is an oil pressure 
switch mounted on the case up between two of the push rod tubes. Remove 
this switch and hang on to it. There's not enough room in there to mount 
the pressure sender because it is quite a bit larger than the switch it 
replaces. That's why you have to fabricate all this tubing and fittings to 
mount the sender somewhere else. I chose to mount the new sender and the 
old switch in the T fitting and locate them on top of the left head just in 
front of the intake manifold tubes. They are easily accessible there and  
 it's also easy to spot any leaks in the fittings. Screw the 2" nipple into 
the case where you removed the pressure switch. Then use one of the  npt 
fittings to connect the 1/8 tubing. I ran the tubing over the top of the 
push rod tubes, up the rear of the head along the rubber gasket, and under 
the intake manifold. Then use the other npt fitting to connect the tubing 
to the T fitting. Screw the new pressure sender into one side of the T and 
the old pressure switch into the other side. I chose to reuse the existing 
pressure switch instead of buying a dual VDO sender with a built in switch. 
(You could buy the dual sender and do away with the T fitting altogether.) 
I had plenty of tubing so I made a couple of loops about 3" in diameter to 
dampen any resonances that might occur from vibration. Next, fasten the T 
fitting and senders to something to keep them from flopping around. I used 
plastic tie-wraps to secure everything to one of the intake manifold tubes. 
Once I had all of the fittings tight, I replaced the exhaust header bolts 
and fired up the engine to look for oil leaks. I had leaks where sender and 
the switch connected to the T and where the 2" nipple connected to the 
case. I suppose this is because the npt fittings are close but not exact 
matches for the metric threads. I then reworked these connections using 
some teflon pipe tape I had in my tool box. This fixed the leaks and didn't 
break the electrical connection between the sender and the engine block. I 
suggest trying the fittings without the teflon tape first and if you have 
to use the tape, checking electrical continuity once you get all of the 
fittings tight. I'm going to keep an eye on these connections for a while, 
but so far they are not leaking at all.
     
That done, I tackled the oil temperature sender, figuring it would be a 
breeze. Not so. The sender is designed to be mounted in an oil sump plate 
by removing the plate and drilling a hole for the sender. Trouble is, my 
engine does not have an oil sump plate. However, the threads on the sender 
are identical to the threads on the oil drain plug. No problem I thought, 
just drain the oil and screw the sender in place of the drain plug. The 
sender screwed in nicely by hand but because the drain plug is recessed 
into a small circular housing, I couldn't get a 19mm socket on it. Damn. I 
had to have a reliable way to get this thing in and out without screwing up 
the sender or the threads on my case. To me that meant I had to be able to 
get a socket on it. I called around looking for thin-wall sockets, but 
nobody had such a thing. Then I went to Sears and bought a cheap ($2.50) 
19mm socket that was deep enough to work with the sender (there's a tab on 
the bottom of the sender for the electrical connection). I pulled out my 
drill and a grinder attachment and went to work fabricating a thin-wall 
socket. Took about ten minutes and worked like a champ!
     
-Mark McCulley
'87 syncro Westfalia