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Date:         Sun, 2 Dec 2001 13:27:31 -0700
Reply-To:     Blake Thornton <thornton@MATH.UTAH.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Blake Thornton <thornton@MATH.UTAH.EDU>
Subject:      84 Still dying!
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Well, I've done almost everything now and I'm getting close to giving up. First, let me summarize what is happening again:

While driving, van "almost" dies. By this, I mean the rpms drop to about 500-700 (no tach) and I get NO response from the throttle. While many of the suggestions made are quite good (and all are appreciated!), it seems most people are not fully understanding that I get NO response from the throttle. When this is going on and I'm in the engine compartment and I play with the throttle, I can hear the flapper in the AFM moving, but still NOTHING happens.

Then, usually (but not always), if I turn off the van, and then back on, everything is immediately back to normal. If its not back to normal immediately, I can usually wait a few minutes and then turn my van back on and it runs again.

I'm 99% sure it is an electrical problem, but dont' really know how to find it.

I remember I had a slight wiring snafu a couple years agoe with the harness touching the muffler. I suspected that the mechanic just taped over some problems so yesterday I opened up the wires and it looked like only the casing got melted (all the wires "looked" fine). I then tugged and wiggled each wire both when running good and when running wierd as above. In both cases, wiggling these wires did nothing. So, I figured that the wires are probably fine in this location.

I also put in a "new" (used) ECU and that didn't change anything either.

I'm running out of things to try. I'm going to call my mechanic and maybe take in in, but I can't imagine he will have any other ideas.

Let me list again the things I've now done to date, including the dates.

- temp II sensor is quite new (replaced 8/01) - new ignition switch (12/01) - new O2 sensor (4/01) - new hall sender (11/01) - cleaned all grounds in engine compartment (10/01) - replaced AFM with a new one (possibly rebuilt?) (10/01) - replaced throttle switches (both of them, 10/01) - new fuel filter (7/01) - new plug, cap, roter, wires (4/01) - idle stabilizer (probably 1997?, but it can't be bad can it?)

I'm at a loss. I guess I need to start checking every wire, but this worries me because the problem in intermittant - so when I check the wires, they will probably be fine.

Blake 84 Westy SLC UT


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