# save or swap (digifant content)



## thevwspecialist (Nov 13, 2013)

hello 8v forum! Eric here. im in a bit of a bind, I've only had a couple 8v's get the best of me.. and this is one of them..

chasis: 81 diesel pick up
engine: 91 cabriolet 8v

might have jumped the gun on this guy, its an 81 diesel truck with a not so complete 91 cabriolet motor swap.. I was told all it needed was the fuel system installed and it'll start right up and yup, you guessed it, I installed the fuel system and no start up..

ill try to keep this short and simple..

the fuel system I installed was an in line Walbro GSL392 with a mk3 fuel filter behind it. 

once installed, this thing barely ran. sounded like it had a constant misfire. ran through the basics, noticed the timing was off a tooth on the cam and the cap had some build up. replaced timing belt, cap, rotor, spark plugs. no change. 

dug a little deeper and inspected the fuel injectors, noticed one of the injectors was aftermarket. didn't have any vw stamps or part number so I dug around my garage and found an aba fuel rail. I searched to see if the aba injectors can be swapped with the digi injectors and didn't find much so I decided to just do it and see what happens. and nothing happened. now it just cranks and cranks.

im guessing the aba injectors don't work with this fuel management?
any ideas with the misfire?

heres some pictures and a video :beer:

engine bay:









fuel system: (will revisit and install properly, just Mickey moused it in to get it running)









work done:

































distributor: (questioned this, part number didn't match to a 91 cabriolet)

















fuel rail:









video:





im pretty close to just calling it a day and finding a donor mk3 and doing an aba swap. something easy and something running.

thanks in advance for any help/input!


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## thevwspecialist (Nov 13, 2013)

just realized something right when I posted this..

one of the fuel injectors looks identical to the aba injectors, if that one injector was causing the misfire.. and I just installed a whole rail of them.. that would definitely prevent this engine from starting at all..

:banghead:

guess thats a good place to start! lemme find the right fuel injector and try again..


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## vw4x4 (Jan 7, 2002)

I would check the MAFS make sure its free. Put a fuel pressure gauge on it. Make sure the pressure it solid.


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## thevwspecialist (Nov 13, 2013)

good news! it was most definitely that fuel injector.. I went to a local junk yard and bought a new complete fuel rail with all 4 injectors, installed it and it ran better.. not perfect but I was about to set the distributor right with a timing light. it still run a bit rough but now I wanna tend to an oil leak and I also noticed the alternator isn't charging, after replacing voltage regulator, so ill need to replace that.

ill post some pictures on here soon!

:beer:



vw4x4 said:


> I would check the MAFS make sure its free. Put a fuel pressure gauge on it. Make sure the pressure it solid.


thanks for the response! I did check it and it was free.. I do wanna throw an in line fuel gauge on it so I can alway monitor it but it seems good for now..


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## thevwspecialist (Nov 13, 2013)

update: installed proper fuel injectors and the car was able to start.. now it just runs really bad. ill take some video of how long it takes to get it started and how poorly it runs when it finally does start.

as for now I need some help identifying my throttle switches.. I believe they're bad. theres a pretty bad hesitation in the throttle and when I click the WOT switch, it does nothing.

I took a few pictures to help find a set or a fix for the swithes:


























:beer:


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## thevwspecialist (Nov 13, 2013)

another item to add to this weird diagnosis process.. I noticed I had to turn the distributor pretty far counter clockwise, but I set the timing pretty well I think (pictures above).

anyone know why this could be?

heres a pic:










it seems its almost pointing at cyl 4 spark plug when I thought I set it correct above.

thanks for any input!

:beer:


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## Butcher (Jan 31, 2001)

You seem to have a lot of issues, but very little test results. Way too many pictures and not enough testing. Do you have any type of work manual? Bentley? wiring diagram? Anything? If it is a 91 Cabriolet, I'm assuming it's Federal, is it?


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## thevwspecialist (Nov 13, 2013)

Butcher said:


> You seem to have a lot of issues, but very little test results. Way too many pictures and not enough testing. Do you have any type of work manual? Bentley? wiring diagram? Anything? If it is a 91 Cabriolet, I'm assuming it's Federal, is it?


im only posting a lot of pictures so I can keep everyone up to par with the work ive done, which as of now im only questioning the throttle switches and the distributor position. the stuff from the first post about the fuel injectors was already taken care of. I do have a cabriolet Bentley and im sorry I don't follow with 'Federal'

I assumed to test the throttle switches, all it took was an activation of the WOT switch on top.. so there was my test

with my distributor, it was just odd that I had to turn it back so far to get it running.. wasn't sure if I could test the position of my distributor ?

this is why im here, to help guide me with the right 'tests' to figure it out, to me theres so much happening with this motor, im having trouble trying to pin point whats good and whats bad.. 

:beer:


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## Butcher (Jan 31, 2001)

Federal or California emissions [Digifant 1 or 2]


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## thevwspecialist (Nov 13, 2013)

Butcher said:


> Federal or California emissions [Digifant 1 or 2]


its digifant 2. unsure of the origin of the motor, bought the truck with the motor installed.

im gonna be working on it today, I need to tend to an oil leak so I don't loose oil while im diagnosing. also gonna check the injectors I installed, I need to install new seals on em so while they're out im gonna check spray pattern and throw on a spare fuel pressure regulator I have. gonna look in the Bentley for checking the throttle switches and just run threw all the basics again, timing being the main thing.

ill update tonight if I have time :thumbup:


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## garryt (Dec 22, 2016)

it sounds a bit throaty. you might be drawing air somewhere.


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## thevwspecialist (Nov 13, 2013)

decided to go the way of the swap. this engine is gonna need a lot more money than I was expecting. so a mk3 donor came my way, figured heres a motor that starts, runs, less miles and if im gonna be spending any more money at this point, at least ill have an aba instead of a digifant motor..

I started a build thread!

the caddy

:beer:


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## garryt (Dec 22, 2016)

that's a cis dizzy you have there. no use for the efi engine.


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## garryt (Dec 22, 2016)

try advancing the bob weights inside the dizzy. then lockwire them in place:thumbup: so its basically locked in the fully advanced position, then try setting the timing again.


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