Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 17:45:00 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@worldnet.att.net>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Oil fill tube, overheating, and stalling
Lauren,
You're description of the poor running fits in with a major vacuum leak,
which you have!
Your light turning on and pegging the temp gauge sounds like a shorted
sender wire, but shame on you for not stopping immediately. If you had a
true oil emergency, you would have fried your engine in that mile.
Other than losing a belt and wiping out the wire and the oil filler tube in
one fell swoop, these two are probably not related.
Look for bare spots on your sender wire. I'm assuming that the metal part
of the oil filler tube is still attached (otherwise your van would have
dumped its oil all over the place). Stick a large potato onto the remainder
of the neck and see if it runs better. Better still, park it till you get
the new tube and cap.
Karl Wolz
----- Original Message -----
From: "- Lauren Pelzer" <VeeDubVan@aol.com>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2001 4:44 PM
Subject: Oil fill tube, overheating, and stalling
> Hi, everyone -
> Once again, I could use some advice. I have a plain old '85 Vanagon.
>
> Here is some background: On Thursday, after work, I started it up and it
did
> not want to idle - stalling unless I kept my foot on the gas. I drove
around
> in circles in the parking lot for a little while, and when it warmed up,
it
> ran and idled ok for the rest of the trip home, but it has been doing this
> every time I've started it since then. This morning, I had an oxygen
sensor
> installed - the last thing I needed to pass emmisions inspection - and I
also
> had them change the fuel filter.
>
> On the way home from picking up the van, the temp. light turned red and
the
> temp needle pegged all the way to the right. It was that way for about a
> mile, then everything went back to normal. I got home, topped off the
> coolant, and noticed the oil filler tube and cap were missing. The van
still
> does not want to idle when I first start it up, and it is still doing the
> sporadic overheating thing.
>
> Ok, so here are my questions:
> Can any of these problems be related to each other?
> I have ordered a new fill tube and cap, but in the meantime, should
I
> put something over the hole? What?
> Should I suspect the thermostat with this sporadic overheating
> problem?
> Is it normal for the oil filler tube to simply fall off?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help!
> -Lauren
>
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