Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 08:04:12 -0600
Reply-To: Michael and Traci <tmrmb@PCFASTNET.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Michael and Traci <tmrmb@PCFASTNET.COM>
Subject: Power Loss - fixed - thanks!
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Good day all! Sorry for belated public "thank you" to all of you who
helped with our power loss issues a little bit ago. We have been making
up for lost time with that and our tent replacement! We solved our
problems in a couple of ways - first after replacing the coolant temp.
sending unit and still having the problem - we narrowed it down to O2
sensor, ECU or AFM. We were advised, quite wisely, to also look at
cleaning all ground points as well. We wish we had performed that
general maintenance task a long time ago!! It was surely in need and
between that and replacing the O2 sensor all is well. As always we find
the list to be invaluable and the community that exists to be supportive
and giving. Just one more reason we own our westy! Thanks again to you
all!
Michael and Traci
Park City, UT
> At 05:25 PM 4/18/2004, you wrote:
> Good day! We have searched the archives and feel we are still up in the
> air as the next path to go down. Ours is a 1990 Syncro Westy.
>
> Last weekend while traveling from Park City UT to Boise ID we experienced
> a major loss of power. The van felt like it went from 4 cylinders to
> three to two to one, black smoke billowing out and sputtering away.
> note:we replaced the fuel filter and air filter the week prior. The van
> was running very rich and we were guessing perhaps the coolant sensor was
> failing. It isn't the typical vanagon syndrome as previously experienced
> on a prior van. There was no bucking etc...we had the van flat bed towed
> into boise where it sat overnight. the next day we proceeded to drive
> all
> day sight seeing with no apparent problem.
>
> The next day we proceeded home and made it about 10 miles west of Twin
> Falls when the same syndrome occured. We were able to coast down the
> hills with the ignition turned off and gain a few minutes in drive time.
> The VW service guys went for the temp sending unit and didn't have the
> part - as we were just trying to get it back home they jumped out the
> unit
> and it all seemed to be fine. We made it to Brigham City, UT and it
> started happening again. We took out the jumper and tried it with and
> without the sensor in. We basically limped it the rest of the way home.
>
> We replaced the the water temperature sensor (think usually referred
> to as
> II) the next day. Thinking all is well in the universe and our problems
> were behind us we took off this weekend for southern ut. same thing
> happened an hour plus into our drive. we took it to a local repair shop
> and we replaced the ignition switch as it showed signs of being worn out.
> we started on our way again and made it another bit down the road and it
> happened again. According to them they checked o2 sensor, cap, rotor,
> coil, and as previously mentioned we had just done the fuel filter. they
> cleaned the connections between the air mass meter and the ecu - cleaned
> greased and put back together. drove about 60 miles and there we were
> again
>
> our thoughts are - it seems to come down to the O2 sensor the air mass
> meter or the ecu. as none of these parts are cheap it's a big
> decision as
> where to go next....hence, the plead for opinions.
>
> It seems tough to want to go to get another diagnosis when twice it
> hasn't
> been found. We could just choose one of these and do the install on our
> own and save the extra labor expense.
>
> Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as it's camping time here in
> the
> west and we are getting a bit stressed out .
>
> The Butlers
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