Date:         Thu, 16 Mar 2006 17:36:41 -0500
Reply-To:     Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Wierd (Ignition?) Problem...

Well here I am, the person with the O2 sensor/idle problem. What,me worry?
Still, got 2 cents for you.I had the broken wire in the distributor problem
too. The symptoms that I got were confused for vanagon syndrome.
Intermittant cut out while driving,then all is fine. It got progressively
worse,like VS.Finally did it all the time,every day. Bucking and more
bucking till the trans shifter got all messed up.Thought I was going to
break the third gear slider thingie. The little wire in the distributor was
broken,just out of sight,under the rotor area. Too small a legnth of wire
for my 10 thumbs to solder, so , what did I do ? I swapped with my parts
van.All was fine afterwords.

I suspect the hall control on the fire wall. It needs to be cool. See the
cooling fins? I think if something on the inside of the HC goes bad, it
appears when heated.When is cools , all is fine.  I had this once on my
ford fairmont. The vehicle started fine, but when engine heat transfered to
the thing inside the distributor, it would not restart for 2 hours. Had to
start it up and drive till there. No coffee at 7/11. Now I dont know if it
is the hall sender inside the distributor, or the hall control on the fire
wall, but I bet it is one of them. I put the odds on the HC.