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Date:         Wed, 19 May 2004 15:25:15 -0700
Reply-To:     TinkerMan <tinkerman007@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         TinkerMan <tinkerman007@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Vanagon GL 90 2.1L engine unexpectedly stalls while driving
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hello Volks!

I have this problem for some time. The problem is that it doesn't occur frequently enough to easaily analyze it.

Description: The motor just turns off and refuses to restart. The motor isn't cold (been driving at least 10 minutes. Cold start was easy). I notice that it's probably not a fuel problem because the exhaust smells of unburnt gasoline. I also hear the fuel pump turn on and off right after I switch the ignition, as it should.

I usually play with the AFM connector, remove and replace the HT wires from the distributor, etc. to no avail. Somehow, after a few minutes the motor restarts. I've been to the dealer but they don't have the proper equipment to analyze the motor anymore (i'ts been discontinued since 1992).

Of course I was suspecting the AFM (= vanagon syndrome), but if it was that then turning the ignition switch off and on again would have reset the ECU and restarted the motor immediately AFAIK.

I've also heard about bad chasis ground connections. Still, the problem goes away without touching them.

I still have to make sure there's a spark when the problem occurs (every time, by the time I finished playing with connectors, the motor would restart, so I'm not sure). I've now got a spark sensor, will try when problem re-occurs.

Anyway, I need new ideas to debug this problem. Looks like the ECU isn't getting some input it expects, thus disabling spark generation. Any other reasons except for the erratic AFM issue? I would have loved to build the digitool mentioned here, but I am afraid to open the ECU to add the external flat-cable - a simple mistake might leave me with no ECU at all... Anyway, most digitool inputs are avaialable elsewere in the wiring harness, so I'll go that route.

So, ideas, anyone?

===== Cheers, T-man.

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