Date:         Thu, 6 Nov 2003 15:15:28 -0800
Reply-To:     Jake Beaulieu <jake_beaulieu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jake Beaulieu <jake_beaulieu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: 82 now cranks but stil won't start when hot.
In-Reply-To:  <57DAA45518967B49931D2122BA96E6A76C49B2@hsnc-mail.hazenandsawyer.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I agree that it sounds like a fuel:air mixture problem, but I don't think you are in way over your head with this one.  I think in a previous post you indicated that you have learned your way around a multi-meter.  This is just about all you need to diagnose the FI in your Vanagon.  I would pay particularly close attention to the cold start valve.  Make sure it isn't leaking.  Also, make sure that the auxillary air valve is closing after five minutes of running.  Do the easy electronic checks of the air flow meter.  Be sure to check for vacuum leaks.  I have found that spraying carb cleaner on all gaskets and vacuum lines while the vehicle is running is a quick a dirty way to find those pesky leaks.  The idle will shoot up as soon as the carb cleaner hits the leak.  Don't forget to clean the grounds.  The major ground for the FI harness is mounted to the rear bolt that holds the central air distributor to the block.  The wires are usually grounded on the drivers side of the air
 distributor.
I recently acquired a 1982 Federal model Vanagon that was running very poorly.  I just did what Dr suggested; get the manual and follow the troubleshooting procedure.  You will feel very good about your accomplishment when you get it nailed.  Somebody in a previous post mentioned checking the O2 sensor, this assumes you have a California model.  Is this true?
Jake
"Higginbotham, David A." <dhigginbotham@HAZENANDSAWYER.COM> wrote:
Fuel/air mixture, this sounds very much like the problem. If this were a
carbureted vehicle I would thing it was flooded. When I feather the
accelerator pedal or push it to the floor it will often start when hot,
not always but often. I have just received a Haynes manual and will look
for troubleshooting tips in it tonight, especially concerning cold start
devices. Fuel/air mixture sounds very plausible. I may be in over my
head with this one. If so I need to get the brakes fixed before I can
drive it to a shop. I will most likely start asking stuck brake
questions next but I will read some in the manuals first so I can at
least formulate an intelligent question, assuming I understand what I
read ;)
Thanks again to all, this list is without question one of the best
communities out there.
David Higginbotham
82 Westfalia
Silk Hope, NC


-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Young [mailto:tomyoung1@comcast.net]
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 9:52 AM
To: Higginbotham, David A.; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: 82 now cranks but stil won't start when hot.

David:

The "not starting when hot" problem very frequently is an indication
that
the engine is receiving a too-rich mixture. The engine can tolerate
that
when it's cold, but not when it's hot. So, the first thing I would do
is
test the fuel/air mixture when the engine is completely warmed up.

DIY's can see if the fuel/air mixture is off by taking a reading using a
voltmeter and the O2 sensor, but you really should stop the engine,
disconnect the O2 sensor from the wiring harness, plug the voltmeter
into
the O2 sensor and then restart the engine. But you can't do that
because
the engine won't start when hot! Your best bet here is to arrange for a
shop to test the mixture with an exhaust gas analyzer (be sure they use
the
port in front of the catalytic converter); if you can swing into the
shop
with the engine warmed up and they can use the probe on your
still-running
engine, that will tell you if the basic mixture is too-rich.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Young '81 Vanagon
Lafayette, CA 94549 '82 Westfalia
---------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "Higginbotham, David A."
To:
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 4:30 AM
Subject: 82 now cranks but stil won't start when hot.

I started this adventure in getting our van road worthy again by trying
to fix a problem with the van not starting when it is hot. I received
suggestions that I replace the cylinder head temperature sensor, those
following this thread may remember my screw up in replacing the oil temp
sender instead. I did eventually get the right parts in the right places
and when I tried to crank her up to test it, well, that's right, the
starter died. So.... now I have the van cranking but the problem is
still there with not starting when it's hot. Has anyone had a similar
experience? There are several good shops in my general area that I can
take it to if I have to. But I am learning a lot and having some fun at
the same time. Does anyone have any suggestions on where/how I might
continue troubleshooting this problem?

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