Beru connectors, are VW the same?

[Chuck Moreland]

I am wondering if Beru connectors for a VW are the same as our pricey ones. Here is a guy selling berus for 911 on ebay for what appears to be a deal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1833441964

Notice they come in a 4 pack and he has 2 extras laying on top. Me thinks these are for a VW and probably cost a whole lot less then the ones for a 911.

How much do VW berus cost?

[Early_S_Man]

Chuck,

To my knowledge, VW never used Beru connectors! All of the brown or black connectors for VW types I - IV were made by Bosch. None of the VW connectors were long enough to reach down into the head, connect to the spark plug, and still be able to seal at the valve cover.

So, those look to be as advertised ... OEM 911 connectors!

[jkeyzer]

Beru connectors... run away, run away!!

[pwd72s]

They're gone..."buy it now". Not everybody is afraid of these connectors?

[CamB]

Matt Smith bought "Bremi" ones from the local VW guy here in New Zealand - NZ$9 each (about US$4).

They work. I dunno for how long (especially with Matt's MSD) but they work.

Cam

[Matt Smith]

The ones I bought were indeed Bremi. They are for type 4 VW's, and are easily long enough to accept the seal, put on & pull off and anything else needed of a connector. I installed them initially one at a time as the Beru's blew (after MSD & big plug gaps). Then I replaced them all as it seemed they were going to last. They have. I have had no problem whatsoever with them, so there!

But I'm putting a different set of leads on soon, because I have found what I consider a better set up in Cam's barely used Top Gun (Aussie) set, which he has kindly allowed me to evaluate.

[pwd72s]

So, is there a multimeter test to determine if a connector is good or bad? If anybody knows this, I'll bet it's Warren

[si2t3m]

What exacty was the symptoms with the MSD and the berus?

I might be stuck in the same boat. Still having intermittant activity on 3 spark plug wires. Changed rotors 2 times and swapped caps. Still the same. Well now it's not as bad but it's still missing.

cables all show in the same rang except the one giving me trouble. all are in 1350ohms while one is in the 2030ohms rang and this is not the longest one???

Help!!!

Marc-Andre

[Early_S_Man]

Well, all of the Beru connectors can be tested individually or assembled. The early, non-shielded type are supposed to be 3000 Ohms +/- 10%. Later, shielded types can be either 3000 Ohms or 4000 Ohms, +/- 10% ... from what I have heard. The distribhutor cap ends can be either 0 Ohms or 1000 Ohms ... so the end-to-end resistance can be nominally 3000 Ohms, 4000 Ohms, or 5000 Ohms. A steady, constant reading is a good sign! Don't bang the connectors against anything ... but, I recommend a 'shake' test where the connector is held out in front of you with test clip leads held firmly in place with both hands, and the connector is shaken to & fro to see if an intermittent connection can be found! Be very certain that it is NOT the test lead connection that is being shaken loose ... before you declare the Beru connector bad!!! Usually, the bad ones are NOT intermittent ... they go open!

The factory CDI ignition can jump accross the open in a bad Beru connector in cold and moderate weather ... but the output Voltage falls slightly at the elevated underhood temperatures when ambient temps are above 85° F, and a miss will develop! So, if you have a miss show up when waiting in line at the bank with the A/C on in 90°+ F weather ... it would be a good idea to test your ignition wires for end-to-end continuity!!!

[CamB]

I had exactly the symptoms Warren describes - it ran ok (with the MSD, not the factory CDI, but my other car did it with the CDI) when cold or warming up, but once up to temp it would miss.

Specifically with the MSD, I had one bad Beru before installing the MSD (the '69 only had points and a coil - no factory CDI). Once I installed the MSD, it seemed to accelerate the demise of the remaining Berus (two more died within about 1000 miles). Believe me, you REALLY know when you have a four cylinder.

[CamB]

Back on the Bremi trail

My '73 BMW 2002 has Bremi connectors too. What with VWs and BMWs running around with them, no wonder they are cheap (US$5 each).

I still don't believe in any sort of resistive connector, preferring the Magnecor style "sprial wound" as a better method to stop RFI (disclaimer: I am easily influenced by product hype and modern technology, I have no actual research to prove either is better, and I ain't no engineer).

I am too poor for Magnecor too, so I use an Australian made equivalent.

[Early_S_Man]

I hope Magnecor has improved the quality of the silicone insulation in the past 15 years! I bought a set when they first came out in the early '80s and they were putting on a light show and causing a constant miss just like a 911 on four cylinders ... on my Mopar 340 after only three years, whereas the OEM orange silicone's had been good for13 years!

[Chuck Moreland]

Where are you buying the Bremi connectors?

Do the have the same resistance as the Berus 3k-4k?

[Early_S_Man]

Chuck,

I am wondering if you don't have to buy a ticket on Quantas ... and make a 'little' side trip to find those connectors?

[jkeyzer]

I'd be interested to see if there is any difference in the internal construction, or if all those connectors look like this:

[CamB]

Matt bought them from a local VW guy.

I don't know what the resistance is, but whomever sells them could probably tell you.

As I discovered the same connectors on the 2002tii, BMW Mobile Tradition (ie any BMW dealer) probably stocks them.

I used Australian made Magnecor (ie spiral wound) equivalent on the 911 and Bosch spiral wound on the BMW - why wouldn't modern technology be better?

[Matt Smith]

Cam- have you bought a clothes peg recently?

Nice pics of the Beru internals. It nearly makes up for their cost, all that brassery and fancy electronica.

Nearly, but not quite. Bring on the Bremis please mister.

[Chuck Moreland]

Cam

The deal with the spiral wound is that the resistance is a function of their length. With un-equal length leads the resistance values are all different.

With solid core wire and resistive connectors you get a consistant resistance.

The problem can be mitigated by making all the leads close to the same length.

Which is better? I doubt it matters provided you have the correct resistance.

[CamB]

I understand the resistance is to avoid RFI, and too little or too much resistance is not necessarily good or bad (Magnecor have a massive diatribe (sp?) on this subject on their website).

I do wonder about the difference in resistance between wires. Obviously, the difference in length is at least double from the shortest to the longest lead (#1 vs #6).

Sorry I can't help more (I am personally working on the theoiry that it seems to be normal for cars to use spiral wound now and for the wires to be different lengths, so it must be ok).

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

Just a short note:

The early 911 2,0 had "normal" connectors. The Beru connectors came with the CDI Ignition. A normal connector wouldn´t have had the same radio supression and survived like the then new developed Beru Connectors.

Grüsse