Date:         Fri, 25 Feb 2005 18:17:38 -0500
Reply-To:     Marc Perdue <marcperdue@ADELPHIA.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Marc Perdue <marcperdue@ADELPHIA.NET>
Subject:      Rough running engine update, sorta,
              was Re: Boston Bob Big Valve Update? Not really... (LONG)
In-Reply-To:  <42141049.8030108@adelphia.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Okay, this is not really an empirical test or anything, nor have I had
time to try out all of the excellent suggestions I've gotten, but I put
some fuel injector cleaner in my tank a couple of tanks ago and the low
power problem hasn't re-occurred since.  Mark Keller had pointed out
that my problems could be connected to problems with fuel pressure.
When my engine was replaced, so was the Temp II sensor and plugs,
points, rotor, etc.  Mark Deering and his crew claim that they cleaned
all of the ground contact points too.  The O2 sensor had been replaced
earlier and I realize that it could still be fouled by the new engine
and/or rough running, but . . .  I'm suspecting that Mark (or his
people) probably set the timing correctly; they do have a really good
reputation for their work.  Anyway, is anyone aware of a way that one
could borrow a fuel pressure tester and/or vacuum tester?  Do places
like Autozone do this?  Before my old engine died, I had had the vacuum
tested by the VW dealership and they said the vacuum level was 11 and
that that was low.  They couldn't find any leaks, but that doesn't mean
anything to me; they couldn't find their way out of a wet paper bag,
even if they had a knife.  I think that Mark also replaced all the
vacuum lines, but I can't swear to that.

So what does all this mean?  Not much really.  Here's my short list of
things I'm going to be doing in the coming few weeks:
1) Replace the cracked and leaking lines that go into the top of the
fuel tank;
2) Replace the fuel filter.  I don't think it's been replaced since I've
owned the van, almost 5 years.
3) Change the oil and filter;
4) Check the function of the O2 sensor;
5) Check the fuel pressure;
6) Check system vacuum;
7) Check AFM operation and possibly put in the spare that I've got.

News at 11 . . . March 11, that is . . . :^)
Marc Perdue

Marc Perdue wrote:

> Actually, the exhaust does smell pretty rich.  However, sometimes it's
> hard to tell where the gas smell is coming from because the fuel lines
> going into the gas tank are probably cracked.  Gas spills out the top of
> the tank if I top it off.  Another on my laundry list of projects to do
> in the near future . . .  Could the cracked hoses going into the top of
> the gas tank cause performance problems?  I would think this would only
> be the case if the fuel system was a closed and pressurized system.
>
> Marc
>