Date:         Wed, 12 Jun 2002 04:06:49 +0000
Reply-To:     Mike Finkbiner <mike_l_f@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike Finkbiner <mike_l_f@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Bucking, cutting out and loosing power - Update
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

To recap - in March I had a problem with my '87 Westfalia not wanting to run
on a trip to Seattle.  It was solved temporarily by disconnecting the O2
sensor (my digitool was showing really high O2 sensor readings)

On the way back to Moscow, it died again, lost power, didn't want to keep
running, seemed to be belching black smoke.  The next morning, it ran fine
for the last 150 miles home.

Following a list members advice, I added an additional ground to the ECU O2
sensor line, and ran it directly to the block.  Seemed to solve the problem
completely.

Three weeks ago, the van had a more agressive episode, and shut down
completely.  Swapping to another ECU solved the problem.

I have been fiddling around with three different ECUs since then, the three
year old Bosch which was in the van on the trip to Seattle and during the
other problems I had, a TA which I had for a spare, and a TA borrowed from
Matthew Pollard, which was known to have psychotic episodes.

The Bosch is completely dead, my TA has just reeled off about 400 miles with
no problems, and the psychotic TA had a fit, which was resolved by replacing
it with my TA.

So - it seems that the problem all along was probably the Bosch ECU.  The
extra ground did seem to solve the problem for awhile, but not permanently.
Why?  No idea.

I'm going to ship the Bosch and the psychotic TA to Darrell Boehler, if he's
willing, and get the TA fixed as a spare (with a digitool cable added)

An interesting observation.  My '87 runs better with the TA.  It seems to
have a bit more torque.  I can run up the same hill with first one, then the
other, and crest at 53 in 4th using the TA, but have to go to 3rd to avoid
dropping to 50 with the Bosch.  Darrell says that's what he has observed,
and I think he's right.

It would be really nice if this was the last intermittant problem I had for
awhile!


Mike Finkbiner
'87 Westy
Moscow, ID
mike_l_f@hotmail.com


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