Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2002 09:18:00 -0600
Reply-To: Ben McCafferty <ben@KBMC.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ben McCafferty <ben@KBMC.NET>
Subject: Re: '85 Vanagon with a loud identity
crisis
In-Reply-To: <F5BA8FC2-BCD6-11D6-80C1-0003938DF3FC@gci.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
Devin,
The tailpipe may or may not be the whole story. If you start following the
muffler, work your way backwards along each pipe until is meets with a
cylinder head. At every junction, look for black soot or evidence of a
gasket blowing out, etc. Also look for small holes in the pipes themselves,
and on the muffler, especially along seams. Do all this with the engine
cold. If you can't find it that way, start the engine and do the same thing
(carefully), but now listen for the loud pop-pop-pop of an exhaust leak. It
will be very apparent where it's coming from. You can then fix it yourself,
or at least go to the mechanic armed with the knowledge of what's wrong.
The backfiring you're hearing is probably just normal "popcorn" backfires
(i.e. when you're coasting downhill, off the gas, in gear), but it is much
more noticeable now that it's amplified.
HTH,
bmc :)
"Faith will move mountains, but you'd better bring a shovel...."
> From: Devin Chalmers <seraphim@GCI.NET>
> Reply-To: Devin Chalmers <seraphim@GCI.NET>
> Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2002 03:44:08 -0800
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Fwd: '85 Vanagon with a loud identity crisis
>
> Exhaust, eh? That's what my dad thought it was, also... we looked and
> noticed that the exhaust pipe seemed to have gone missing, but I
> honestly can't remember if it was there when we bought it... (I know, I
> know, I'm a bad owner.) I assume there's not much I can do 'at home'
> about this? I guess it's probably alright to drive until we can get an
> appt. with the Vanagon guy in town, anyway.
> It's a little incredible to me that this is all that it could be, cause
> the difference in volume is just insane. And yeah, there's quite a bit
> of backfiring also. And you could be right about the psychological
> aspect of having a crazy loud engine.
> This sounds pretty plausible to me, are there any other possibilities
> of what it could be?
>
> Thanks again,
> Devin Chalmers
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
>> Date: Sat Aug 31, 2002 02:26:24 America/Anchorage
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: Re: '85 Vanagon with a loud identity crisis
>> Reply-To: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Kim Brennan" <KimBrennan@AOL.COM>
>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>> Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 6:48 AM
>> Subject: Re: '85 Vanagon with a loud identity crisis
>>
>>
>> In a message dated 8/31/02 1:31:49 AM, seraphim@GCI.NET writes:
>>
>>
>>> Apparently, my Van thinks she's a Harley Davidson. When she idles,
>>> there's an odd, loud PUT-PUT-PUT that gets even worse when I
>>> accelerate. She seems to be running fine, if anything the acceleration
>>> seems better than normal, except that the problem she has with sort of
>>> hesitating at stop lights has gotten more frequent and more
>>> pronounced.
>>>
>>
>>> Hole in the exhaust system. Might be in the pipes to the cat, or the
>> muffler
>> itself (but probably before the muffler). Since mufflers tend to
>> be...slightly restrictive on the flow of exhaust gases, at least on
>> most
>> cars, when you have a hole in the system ahead of them, you may notice
>> more
>> power and an easier running motor. Of course you also notice how LOUD
>> the
>> engine is (after all, it is Exploding gas to make that power!)..
>>
>> I'd suggest that most holes in exhausts actually reduce power. A weak
>> mixture is one result (hence coinnected to rough running and
>> backfiring on
>> the overrun), splashy irregular shockwaves in the syetm etc. etc. Any
>> supposed power gains are usually psychological due to the loder noise.
>> This
>> is in contradistinction to a properly designed shorter or more open
>> 'tuned'
>> exhaust, which don't always give the increased power they are supposed
>> to
>> and if they do, only in a narrower power band, with poor running and
>> reduced
>> torque elsewhere.
>>
>> Sorry, but this doesn't help your question, and I'm not suggesting
>> that Kim
>> is wrong about a blown exhaust -
>>
>> Clive
>> '88 Syncro Transporter
>>
>
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