Date:         Thu, 17 Feb 2000 09:40:56 -0500
Reply-To:     Caston/Payne <happycampers@PICUSNET.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Caston/Payne <happycampers@PICUSNET.COM>
Subject:      Re: Cold Morning Puzzlement Part Deux
Comments: To: CMathis227@AOL.COM
In-Reply-To:  <c1.1082dff.25dcae92@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 8:53 PM -0500 2/16/2000, Chuck Mathis wrote:
>I'm still having a bit of trouble with my '85 1.9L.  When I first start the
>van in the morning it won't idle for more than a minute or two before it
>dies.  It is a little fussy to restart and I have to carefully work the brake
>and  gas to keep the rpms up (just over 1k) at a stop (the curse of an
>automatic).  Once it's been running for a few minutes it idles fine.
>
>I replaced the Temp Sensor II and have a Digitool hooked up.  The Temp II
>reading starts around 1.5v and steadily drops as the engine warms up (with
>both the old and new sensors).  The engine quits at 0.9v and remains contrary
>until the reading drops to about 0.4v.  By the time I get to work this has
>dropped to .05v and the beast is running nearly perfect.  The Temp Sensor I
>reading stay fairly constant around 1.5v and the O2 reading fluctuates all
>over the place.
>
>Any suggestions?
>
>Chuck

I've found that with everything working well, the system is fairly
sensitive to subtle adjustments. Try bumping up the idle just a hair at a
time to see if the results are favorable.
Are your plugs fresh? If not try the Bosch Plat 4's. pn #4477 will fit
Vanagons (and the I-4 motors as well). They make a big difference IMHO.
Also check your cap and rotor. Carbon tracking will affect idle quality
until warm up on Vinnie.
Your 02 sensor sounds suspect as well. In my experience, the factory wired
O2 sensor performs better in Vinnie than the generic splice type. I've had
both.
Also, is the air filter fresh?
And the CO setting and timing have to be right for idle quality to be
stellar. Check those, or have them set after you check everything else, as
well.
All these things make thier own contribution to the performance of the system.
Later,

Dave C.
Williamsburg, VA
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'85 GL Westy (His)
'91 Cabriolet (Hers)