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Date:         Fri, 8 Jun 2001 10:26:38 -0400
Reply-To:     sevenkevin@WEBTV.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kevin Hayden <sevenkevin@WEBTV.NET>
Subject:      Puh-Leeeeze Help!
Content-Type: Text/Plain; Charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi There!! :-)

I had the weirdest experience this morning on my way home from work. My 1985 1.9 L Vanagon was cruising down the highway when all of a sudden it started to miss and back fire. I pulled over to see what the problem was and to my amazement the distributor was NOT seated all the way into the hole in the block. I was able to turn the rotor by hand but felt some resistance at one point. The hold down bracket was tightly in it's proper place and I was not able to turn the distributor before losing it. Of course I had to get towed back home and have been trying to figure out why it won't run at all now.

Now here's the question....Does this distributor go in only one way??? I tried to install it at 180° but it would not seat. It will only go in one way and will seat all the way down into the block. Once it's in this position the rotor does not turn around by hand. When I do turn it over, the rotor does move clockwise on it's own.

By the way, it does have spark and I could smell gas, but the plugs aren't really wet. At some points it sounds like it's trying to catch , but I can't get it to start at all now. Also at one point when I pulled the distributor out, the grooved portion in the block lifted out about an inch and I pushed it back down. It has a spring that sticks up in the center. I also need to know the firing order and which plug is what cylinder number (LF, LR, RF & RR). If I know this, I can see if Number One plug matches up to the rotor.

Any help, recommendations, suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated to help save my sanity (what little there is left of it)!! :-) Thank you for taking the time to read my sad story!!

Have A Good Day!!

Kevin (Stranded In Pennsylvania) sevenkevin@webtv.net


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