Date:         Wed, 17 Apr 2002 16:20:26 -0400
Reply-To:     gritis@ATTGLOBAL.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Karen Gritis <gritis@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Idle speed, racing engine
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I hope this is an inexpensive problem, because I just got my vanagon
back about 2 weeks ago from having a new rebuilt engine installed.  Not
cheap!

Here's the trouble.  May be two separate things, may be connected.  I
know you guys of the list will know.

Turned on the AC for the first time since I got the new engine
yesterday.  Of course, idle dropped, power dropped (severely, worse than
it used to) and then the brake pedal sank to the floor, a la master
cylinder.  I just replaced the master cylinder, maybe 750 miles ago.
This trouble went away when the AC was turned off and I just assumed the
idle speed was just too low and the engine was preparing to stall.

Today, a frightening occurrence - I picked up 5 kids from school and
turned on the AC and almost immediately the engine started racing.
Tapping the gas pedal didn't make it stop.  I turned off the AC and
about 20 seconds after I did, the engine slowed to a lower than normal
idle (I don't have a tach, so can't give you numbers).  Got to one kids
house to drop him off, put the vanagon in neutral, set the brake and got
out to walk him to the door.  From 30 feet away, with no one in the
driver's seat, the engine started racing again.  Here's the scary part,
it wouldn't TURN OFF.  Turning the key made absolutely no difference.  I
starting driving, rationalizing (probably the wrong rationale, but hey,
I was panicking) that moving the van would let the air circulate and
would cool the engine down and help it stop.  Well, it did stop racing,
but repeated it again before I got it home.  Fortunately, it stopped the
racing and was at a slow idle when I got home and that time turning the
ignition key off, turned the engine off.

I called the shop that did my engine work and I am having it towed in,
because I wouldn't know what to do if it started the uncontrolled
revving again on the way to the shop.  The mechanic says he can't tell
me until he looks at it what the trouble is.

Does anybody have any idea what's going on with my vanagon?

Thanks,
Karen