Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 22:22:33 EST
Reply-To: James Flanigan <vanagon40@hotmail.com>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: James Flanigan <vanagon40@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Repost of Power loss in rain
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
I had this sort of problem and YES it turned out to be a fuel problem. As
odd as this may seem it was my fuel filter clogging up with moisture.
Nearly drove me crazy till I solved it.
On my '83 there are two plastic tanks mounted directly behind each front
wheel, with hoses to the fuel tank. The rubber seals on the top were shot
and the wheel spray was draining into the plastic tanks to the fuel tank,
and then to the fuel filter. As soon as the road was dry, the problem would
usually clear. This kept up for six months or so until the fuel filter was
so saturated that it never cleared. I put a fuel pressure gauge on and
discovered low pressure. Until I discovered the source of the moisture, I
was changing my filter on a regular basis.
I also noted that often if I stopped and restarted, the van ran better.
Try running the van on a rainy day with a pressure gauge and timing light
installed. (I had one of my kids watching the pressure gauge and another
pulling the trigger on the timing light.) Should be able to determine
whether it is spark or fuel. (I don't know anything about a Digitool.)
Good luck.
Vanagon40
>From: Joe Fahy <72510.1173@compuserve.com>
>Reply-To: Joe Fahy <72510.1173@compuserve.com>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Repost of Power loss in rain
>Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 12:13:25 -0400
>
>I hope that someone has seen this before:
>
>'87 auto Westy 2.1l loses power in rain or dense fog.
>
>I can restore power by turning ignition key off then on when I lose power,
>this only works for 10 to 15 seconds and then must be repeated. The tach
>does not go to zero when the power loss is experienced, nor do I lose any
>dash lights. This procedure is a little dangerous afterdark, not
>recommended for distance travelling!
>
>As soon as I am off of wet pavement, the van resumes proper operation.
>
>From the symptoms and the Bentley wiring diagrams, I believed that a
>failure
>of the left engine compartment ground, where the Digifant relay and the
>Fuel
>pump are grounded was the most likely candidate. I still had a tach
>reading, meaning that the coil was being triggered so I still had spark.
>So
>this reinforced the loss of fuel possibility.
>
>I have measured all grounds, except the ground lead from the Bosch ECU( I
>have not found it yet), and all have been about 30 milliohms to the
>negative
>terminal of the battery. I used a 4 wire technique, where both current and
>voltage are coincidentally measured and the resistance computed. I then
>sprayed all the grounds with water and the resistances went up about 10
>milliohms. I do not think that this is significant. I may be wrong.
>
>I then started the van and proceeded to 'hose her down' while it was
>running
>to try and find the offending part- NO JOY! This included ALL electrical
>sensors/components/connectors in the engine compartment, including both the
>exposed (cover off)Digifant and fuel pump relays. I also sprayed the O2
>sensor and it's connector and the fuel pump and it's connectors. The van
>continued to run. Note the van was up to operating temp prior to spraying
>with water.
>
>With the sensitivity of the failure to water on the road, I thought that
>almost any amount of liquid sprayed on the component/sensor would cause an
>immediate failure, it has not.
>
>I have 3 keys on my key ring and have played with the keys and the switch
>while experiencing the power loss. While the ignition switch might be a
>contributor, I can not make it cause the failure.
>
>I have planned to get the Digitool before this started now it seems
>imperative.
>
>Can anyone offer some direction?
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