Date:         Thu, 5 Sep 2002 10:19:03 -0600
Reply-To:     Andrew Fox <afox@CNR.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Fox <afox@CNR.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Subject:      Stranded Westy in SF is fixed.... (fwd)
Comments: cc: m_laken@yahoo.com
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Some of you may remember the post about the van in SF that was stranded.
Appartently it just died at a stop light and would not restart.  Thanks
for all that replied with great advice and generous offerings!  The owner
checked the spark at the plugs and checked injector spray pattern and all
seemed ok.  Even sprayed quick start into the intake manifold, no start
even though there was a spark at the plugs.  Well here is the answer to
the puzzle...

the van is up and running....i nailed the problem on
the head when i asked about his coil and had him do
the hillbilly coil check (hold coil wire 1/2" from
engine block and have freind turn ignition key, blue
spark means good coil, yellow spark maens okay coil,
red spoark means bad coil)...he replaced the coil and
she started right up......did not realize that a bad
coil could still produce a spark at the spark plugs,
and that the spark could fail to ignite mixture in the
cylinder...odd anyway he is up and running.