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(Answer) (Category) Java Apache Project : (Category) Apache JServ 1.0 : (Category) Configuration :
AJP Protocol Error / Malformed AJP request
I had exactly the same problem. The security settings where wrong. I wanted to use a java.secret.key file so I had the following settings :
(In httpd.conf (sometimes named jserv.conf)) 
  ApJServSecretKey /usr/local/apache/etc/jserv.secret.key
(In jserv.properties) 
  security.secretKey=/usr/local/apache/etc/jserv.secret.key
But I forgot to activate the security authentication by changing the security.authentication property to true. 
  security.authentication=true
I had it set to false and got the same error message as you.

If you don't need the security authentication just say 

  ApJServSecretKey DISABLED
  
  security.authentication=false
and comment out the security.secretKey line.
More information about the security settings can be found at http://magiccookie.com/computers/apache-jserv/
I hope this helps,
GPM
> [19990728 225226.056 EDT] Connection from localhost/127.0.0.1
> [19990728 225226.056 EDT] Initializing servlet request
> [19990728 225226.056 EDT] Reading request data
> [...pause...]
> [19990728 225323.693 EDT] AJP Protocol Error: java.io.IOException:
> Malformed AJP request: error reading line length [id = ]
> [token1 = null]
> [token2 = null]
> [19990728 225323.693 EDT] Sending response headers.
> [19990728 225323.694 EDT] Status: 400 Bad Request
> [19990728 225323.694 EDT] Servlet-Error: Malformed data sent to JServ
>
> Barry Fruitman
gudmundurpmATsimiDOTis
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