Date:         Wed, 7 Jun 2000 15:50:05 -0700
Reply-To:     BRENT CHRISTENSEN <bchristensen@INFOGENESIS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         BRENT CHRISTENSEN <bchristensen@INFOGENESIS.COM>
Subject:      Re: Damnagon stutter !@#$
Comments: To: Richard C Welsh <welshcu@PB.COM>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

Have you checked the ignition switch?  Are you sure that this is related to
rain?

While driving, try fiddling with the ignition switch a little bit and see if
the motor cuts out.  Jiggle it again and see if it comes back on.

Parts of your description make this sound very likely.  (I just had this
happen to me today, as a matter of fact, and I will be ordering an ignition
switch pretty quick here...)

Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy
Santa Barbara, CA


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
> Of Richard C Welsh
> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2000 2:37 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Damnagon stutter !@#$
>
>
> ---------------------- Forwarded by Richard C
> Welsh/MSD/US/PBI on 06/07/2000
> 05:34 PM ---------------------------
>
>
> Richard C Welsh
> 06/07/2000 05:26 PM
>
> To:
> cc:
>
> Subject:  Damnagon stutter !@#$
>
> My schitzo '87 2.1L assumed its evil alter ego personality
> yesterday during a
> hellacious downpour and kept loosing power/dying every 1-2
> minutes.  I've had
> highway-stutter before around 4000 rpm, but it usually worked
> itself out after
> loping for a bit.
>
> here's the scenerio: (very rainy, 50 degrees) An hour into
> the trip it starts
> loosing power under acceleration at 3000-4000 rpm.  it then
> stalls, but will
> start up if i turn the ignition off and then on again.
> sometimes it'll run for
> a few minutes, other times only 30-60 seconds.  despite the
> rain, everything in
> the engine compartment seems pretty dry.
>
> i'm thinking its an electrical or fuel system problem:
>
> -could the fuel pump or fuel injection relay overheat/fail
> and shut off power to
> the pump or injection system? i learned a while back that the
> pump will kick on
> for a few seconds when you crank the engine, then shut down
> unless the engine
> starts.  (it seems that could lead to fuel starvation)  When
> it dies, it doesn't
> sputter, it just cuts off and coasts w/o power.
>
> -how do you test an ignition coil/related ignition components?
>
> -isn't there a over-rev limiter built into the digifant
> system?  if this is
> engaging at around 4000 instead of 6000 rpm, would it shut
> the engine down or
> just prevent additional RPM's?
>
> -btw, i just replaced the fuel pressure regulator and fuel
> filter recently.
>
> as always, thanks for your advice.
>
> -Curt
>

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