Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 13:45:09 -0700
Reply-To: Vince S <gipsyflies@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Vince S <gipsyflies@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: 85 1.9L died on highway, won't start
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
One more thing:
Check the ground strap on the driver side of the engine that connects to
the chassis and make sure it is not broken or corroded. My camper broke
down within a few thousand when new because the bolt secures the strap
to the chassis was cross-threaded when the vehicle was built. Luckily I
check it among other thing and found the problem.
I carry a spare spark plug for diagnose ignition. I now also carry a DMM
a bunch of wires, and the Bentley manual prepare for diagnosing the
vehicle on the road. :-) I hate being stranded and the costly tow truck
fee.
- Vince
http://gipsyflies.home.comcast.net
1989 Vanagon GL Camper
1993 Mazda Miata (for sale)
1996 Land Rover Discovery
2005 Mini Cooper S
-----Original Message-----
From: Vince S [mailto:gipsyflies@comcast.net]
Sent: Saturday, September 11, 2004 1:38 PM
To: 'Aerowolf'; 'vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM'
Subject: RE: 85 1.9L died on highway, won't start
Assuming your diagonose of no spark at #1 is accurate. The most likely
cause of ignition problem (on a vehicle that was running before it dies)
are:
1) Hall sensor (assume you 85 has one or else it is the ignition
points).
2) Distribution cap too worn.
3) Igntion coil bad.
Here is the procedure for checking these.
1) Carefully dismentle the distributor and visually check the rotor that
is is not somehow broken.
2) Check the distributor cap and pay special attention to the center
spring loaded carbon contact.
3) Check the steel disc which creates the signal for the Hall sensor
that is is not spinning free WRT to the distributor shaft.
4) Check the Hall sensor make sure there is no machanical damage.
5) Check the connector to the distributor make sure it is not
discconected.
6) If all these are good than it may the the signal from the
distribugtor to the ECU, or the ECU.
Good luck.
- Vince
http://gipsyflies.home.comcast.net
1989 Vanagon GL Camper
1993 Mazda Miata (for sale)
1996 Land Rover Discovery
2005 Mini Cooper S
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Aerowolf
Sent: Saturday, September 11, 2004 1:09 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: 85 1.9L died on highway, won't start
Hee. No spark at all on the #1 at the distributor cap, didn't bother
checking the rest.
So, the question becomes... what things control the spark? (This is me
being clueless again.)
1) Battery -- replaced this morning.
2) Ignition coil
3) ECU
4) Ignition Control Unit
Is there anything else that I'm missing? (I have the Bentley, but it's
notoriously bad at explaining how these things actually work.)
And thank you all, again, for your assistance.
-Kyle
On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 14:24:00 -0500, Aerowolf <aerowolf@gmail.com> wrote:
> I ran the fuel pump (cycled it 4 times), shut off ignition, then went
> and unscrewed the bung a little bit. Fuel sprayed out, not merely
> dribbled. (I had checked the fuel pressure with a gauge within the
> past 300 miles, and it was within tolerance.)
>
> Spark... I'll try that. How far does the spark have to be able to
> jump? (and if it's a spark issue, I presume that since I changed the
> wires and plugs less than 500 miles ago, it's likely the coil? or the
> hall control unit? How would I diagnose something like this?)
>
> Thanks for your help,
>
> -Kyle Hamilton
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Zoran Mladen <zmaninco@yahoo.com>
> Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 10:17:35 -0700 (PDT)
> Subject: Re: 85 1.9L died on highway, won't start
> To: Aerowolf <aerowolf@gmail.com>, vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
>
> How do you know the fuel pressure is good? Did you put a pressure
> gauge on it?
>
> You either lost fuel or spark. A bad fuel pump relay will do this -
> had it happen to me.
>
> To check spark, remove one spark plug wire from the dist cap and hodl
> it so there is a small gap between the cap and the wire. Have someone
> crank it. You will see spark if there is one.
>
> Z
>
> Aerowolf <aerowolf@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> Hey, everyone, my 85 1.9L died on the highway, and I can't get it to
> restart. I'm rather confused as to what the cause might be. (though I
> also, just after this occurred, got the replacement AFM that my
> boyfriend had ordered from Bus Depot, and swapped it out because I was
> a fool and thought that it was the AFM more than anything else.)
>
> The fuel pressure is good. I'm not sure about the timing (and I don't
> have a timing light available). What's the best way to check the
> spark?
>
> I also just replaced the battery -- the one I had wasn't the right one
> for the van, and I'd drained it while trying to restart it. I've run a
> couple of attempted-start cycles on the new one, but I've not worn it
> down.
>
> What kinds of things have caused other folks' vans to die on the
> roadway?
>
> ________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Shop for Back-to-School deals on Yahoo! Shopping.
>
