To all my fellow mechanically challenged Vanagon owners: I have been experiencing an intermittent power loss, generally on hills. Even low grades could be a challenge. The power loss was coupled with an intermittent problem with a discharged battery. For the life of me I could not diagnosis the problem. The guys at the battery shop gave me two batteries, thinking they had sold me a dud the first time around. My regular mechanic installed a new alternator. I could always jump start the van when the battery went dead,, Until last week. She died and when I went to jump start it, there was nothing coming from the starter. I wrongly assumed I had done on the starter motor. On looking at the Bentley trouble shooting guide to starters, I came across the ground strap that runs from the tranny to the frame. Upon crawling under the van, I learned the nut that secures the ground wire to the frame was gone. A quick trip to a nearby hardware store provided a replacement, the van cranked right up, and has not had so much power in years. The morale of the story for me, was to be mindful of the "little" things, like a missing nut and a loose wire. I've seen descriptions of similar problems on the list, If yours is still looking for solutions, you might want to begin checking all the grounds.... I hope this is helpful and does not engender too much ridicule form those of you with a clue about the magical working of the internal combustion engine.. Christopher Irvin Eagle River Alaska
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