Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003 12:42:46 -0400
Reply-To: Marla Stelk <mjstelk@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Marla Stelk <mjstelk@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Yet ANOTHER idle update!
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Congrats Marc - that sounds hopeful! I still need to get my new ISV to see
what problems I can eliminate with that first, and then take it from there.
I would think a good exhaust would do wonders for your power and fuel
efficiency. Mine's gotta wait 'til I get some other things fixed first. I
am gonna check my O2 sensor as well - tho - bet its an original and could
probably use some TLC or replacing. What mechanic do you use (I forget
where you live...)? Always good to know where to find a good one. :)
Peace,
Marla
'87 Westy GL Vana Morrison
>From: Marc Perdue <marcperdue@ADELPHIA.NET>
>Reply-To: Marc Perdue <marcperdue@ADELPHIA.NET>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Yet ANOTHER idle update!
>Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 21:20:07 -0400
>
>I know you've all been hanging on the edges of your seats waiting for
>yet another idle update (NOT!), so here it is!
>
>First, the patient: '87 Westy, Auto tranny, no A/C.
>
>I got my leaky exhaust fixed today, new muffler, new gasket on the
>J-Pipe before the cat., welded a crack in the rear-most header, new
>tailpipe. I asked them, while they in there tinkering around, if they
>would go ahead and loosen the O2 sensor and they DID! I'll replace that
>later this week. Also, while they had it apart, I asked to inspect the
>cat. converter and it looked fine.
>
>The work was just done today, so this is not a long-term update, but
>here's what I've noted so far. When I started it up after work, it
>didn't idle up and down like it used to when started "cold". YAY!!
>When first started, it jumped up to about 1200 RPMs for a second, then
>settled down to a steady 950 RPMs. There seems to be more power, but
>this is such a relative and subjective thing . . . not sure if the
>change is actually measurable, but I feel like it has a little more
>power. YAY!! It shifts SMOOTHER!! YAY!! The rough shifting was most
>noticable driving through an area where the speed limit is 25 mph.
>Before, at 25 mph, it would clunk down into third from second. Now, the
>shift is barely perceptible. This is not a benefit a was really
>expecting, though I wondered if there might be some relationship there.
>Marla, there IS HOPE!! I hadn't really noticed a huge amount of noise
>because of the leaky exhaust, but it does seem quieter now. YAY!
>
>The downside: I will not really be able to test the O2 sensor to see if
>the repaired exhaust was causing faulty O2 sensor readings. When the
>technician loosened it, he also broke off the metal casing around the
>wires, so I think that if it wasn't bad before, it is now. No big deal,
>I was going to replace it anyway. First, I'm going to see if my gas
>mileage has changed as a result of the exhaust repairs. Then I'll
>replace the sensor and see if there's any change after that.
>
>All in all, I feel like it's been a good day for my Westy. I'm very
>pleased to find that the Westy's engine can, indeed, be a fairly
>smooth-running machine. Think I'll check on all those electrical
>connections and grounds after I get the O2 sensor replaced and try to
>get a little more out of it!
>
>Now let's see what tomorrow brings . . . ;^)
>Marc Perdue
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