Date:         Tue, 2 Sep 2003 12:40:37 -0500
Reply-To:     Brian Keese <bkeese@DIRECWAY.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brian Keese <bkeese@DIRECWAY.COM>
Subject:      Hard starting 84 vanagon - stumped
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Hi List,

Well, I've joined the list again after a two-year hiatus - last time I was on the list it was mostly for fun.  This time it is unfortunately by necessity.
I wonder if anyone can offer any advice to my mechanic in fixing my 84 Vanagon, 'The Ark'.   He doesn't have e-mail.

Here's my description of the behavior:
I turn the key to start the van.
The van cranks and cranks and eventually starts.
Sometimes it needs to crank for up to a minute, then it starts and runs just fine.
I don't know if it is related, but the van has always (in the 4 years I've owned it) run a little rough after warming up half way - sometimes stalling. When cold and fully warmed up it runs fine.
I never worried much about this because it would always just start right back up and I could keep on trucking.  Now when it stalls, I can't get it to start back up and I'm afraid of causing an accident. That's why I brought it in to be checked out.

I brought it to a mechanic who I trust and he went through all the normal testing procedures. Everything checked out OK, so he had me send the ECU in to be checked out.  I sent it to Darrell Boehler and he checked it out on the bench for a few hours.  Everything checked out OK.  He sent me a road-tested ECU from an 85.  My mechanic put it in and the van still exhibits the same behavior.  He doesn't know what else to do.

Here's what he said:
When the van doesn't want to start, the injectors are getting no ground signal from the ecu.
He checked and replaced all the grounds as necessary.
He went through the testing procedures for each of the injection system sensors - all test OK, even the TEMP2 sensor. (He did comment that the problem doesn't seem to be temperature related.)  At first he thought the hal sensor was bad, but then further testing proved it to be OK.
Of course, he also checked the fuel pressure and spark and they checked out OK.

Any hints or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Brian Keese

BTW: I read on the list about a weak starter causing somewhat similar behavior.  I know my starter needs a rebuild (sometimes I have to bang on it to get it to turn over).  Maybe it's just that the starter is bad and his testing methods are off a bit.  I doubt it, but I thought I'd just throw that out there.