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Date:         Thu, 11 Nov 2004 16:08:52 -0500
Reply-To:     Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Subject:      Re: 84 Camper engine dying
Comments: To: alvaro@EECS.BERKELEY.EDU
In-Reply-To:  <6c18a6e285.6e2856c18a@EECS.Berkeley.EDU>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Search the archives for "Vanagon Syndrome", that will give you lots of info.

My standard advice for random problems like this (ignore it if you've already done these things):

1. Clean the ground connection on the left side head. All the FI stuff grounds at this point. A little emery cloth and time can greatly improve the signals read by the ECU from all the FI sensors. 2. Make sure the ground braid from the left head to the body is in good shape, clean the point where this grounds to the body. If in doubt, add a second one. 3. Check for vacuum leaks! Make sure all vac. lines are tight and in good shape, make sure the rubber boot from the air intake to the throttle body is not cracked, make sure the throttle body is tightly connected to the air plenum. Make sure none of the larger vac. lines have collapsed. 4. Check all the little random wires in the engine compartment to make sure none are broken or melted. Hot manifolds and small wires do not mix! Pay special attention to the oxygen sensor wire (goes down to the 02 sensor on the left side exhaust).

It's a good idea to go through this stuff first, since it doesn't involve any purchase of expensive parts. If the problem still persists, then it's time to start looking at the ECU and the various gizmos that feed info to it... These steps *greatly* improved the running of my '85. When I bought it, it had a rough idle, and would sometimes die when "revving down" to come to a stop. A little cleanup of electrical and vacuum issues made a big difference for me... I hope you'll be as lucky!

Good Luck,

Tim

At 12:39 PM 11/11/2004 -0800, you wrote: >Dear all, > > > >I have spent several days trying to find a message in the archive >describing my trouble. Since I have not been able to find any one that >exactly matches my trouble, here it goes. > > > >The engine of my automatic 84 vanagon dies from time to time while >driving. It happens suddenly, without any previous noise or anything, and >even I may not even notice it for a few seconds. I have not been able to >identify a pattern of behavior when it happens (I mean the behavior of the >van, mine would be subject of a mental health list). It has happened at >various speeds, engine cold or hot, day or night? > > > >When it happens, I can not start the engine unless I do the following. I >unplug the idle stabilizer box and bypass it. Then the engine starts >normally. If right after this I remove the bypass and re-plug the idle >stabilizer box again, the engine also starts normally, as if nothing had >happened. Then I can drive normally but it may take a few hundred miles >until this happens again. Every time that happened, I was able to restart >the engine only by doing all this. If I don't do this or anything else, >the engine will restart only after a few hours, typically one day after. > > > >Trying to solve the problem, I have already replaced the idle stabilized >by a new one, and also I have been used a loaned Main Electronic Control >Unit (used) for about 600 miles, and all this keeps on happening. > > > >It seems as an electrical problem, but my mechanic does not know what to >do because it seems to be difficult to track the problem when the engine >is working normally, and there is no way to foresee when this will happen >again, and I can't take the van to him to be inspected when the engine >just died. However, the way I use to restart the engine bypassing the idle >stabilizer is so reproducible that I guess it should be a clue to where to >start looking for the cause of the engine dying? hopefully... > > > >Any comments, suggestions, similar problems observed? > > > >Alvaro San Paulo > >84 GL full camper


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