Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 22:14:41 -0400
Reply-To: David Beierl <dbeierl@IBM.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Beierl <dbeierl@IBM.NET>
Subject: Re: Engine Dies/Vacuum test
In-Reply-To: <3910D482.32C6775D@renaissance-design.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
At 21:38 5/3/2000, David Ricketts wrote:
>The engine died while driving home today. While trying to accelerate in
>2nd or 3rd the engine lost power all of a sudden. I stop and gave it
>full gas and it would rev a little then die and then rev a little until
>it finally died. It didn't sound like it was missing, but rather
>running normal then stopped running for a second then started again. I
>turned of the engine and immediately restarted and it ran fine (BTW the
>engine was warm). Not sure where to look??
Electrical connector at distributor -- they break and short out. No
promise, but it would cause that sort of trouble. Bad connection at
ECU. *Maybe* throttle switch -- should close at idle and full
throttle. Bad connection at ignition module or coil. If 1.9l, bad idle
stabilizer box or connections thereto. Prolly lots of other things. Get a
digitool from Darrel Boehler to help sort out possibilities -- it shows
coil pulses, FI pulses, fuel pump power, throttle switch; AFM, O2, T-II,
T-I sensor outputs.
>I also took a look at the engine and found that the air/vacuum hoses are
>horrendous. It looks like it was a NASA project on building an engine
Obviously you've never looked at a mid-'80s carburetted engine. Those
folks must have owned stock in spaghetti factories! Seriously, it's not as
bad as it looks, even makes sense once you've seen a diagram.
>bering on the problem above, but is there a simple way to check
>connections for vacuum leaks. I know for example, pressure leaks could
Propane, WD40, starting ether if cautiously waved around suspected areas
will cause a change in the idle when they get sucked into a leak. Propane
obviously the neatest. I'd vote for it or WD40 as safer. The ether scares
me. Both the liquids put a lot more actual fuel content around the engine,
but the WD40 has much higher flash point.
>PS If my multitude of emails seems odd, I am trying to work out all the
>bugs before I return to RI from TX!!
So where in RI already (I'm in Providence)? And is it true that our fair
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations would fit into the King Ranch?
david
David Beierl - Providence, RI
http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"