Date:         Sun, 14 May 2006 16:53:49 -0700
Reply-To:     Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Lesson Learned: If It Ain't Broke......
Comments: To: Wet Westies <Wetwesties@yahoogroups.com>,
          vwvan <VWVANFULLTIMERS@yahoogroups.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

File this under the heading of 'If it ain't broke don't fix it'.  Two weeks
prior to my recent trip I had a set of four used injectors rebuilt and put
into Starwagen.  Ran fine at first but the next weekend, on the way to Dash
Point, I started having some running problem.  No power from a stop, fine
after 2000 rpm.  I'd had a couple of other things done at the same time
including some tweaking of the idle speed.  My shop (Schaffner Motors) was
to busy to get me in before I had to take off.  The Westy ran fine on the
highway but was using more gas than normal.  Suspect was the injectors.  I'd
run a can of Seafoam through the gas tank with no help, then a bottle of
Techron that cured the problem for about a half a tank of gas.  Contacting
the list and talking to people, Phil Zimmerman (who I was traveling with)
suggested disconnecting the O2 sensor to see what effect that had.  Problem
cured!  Ran great, but very rich (you could smell the extra fuel in the
exhaust).  I had an O2 sensor in the spares kit but decided to have a shop
work on it.  By now we were in the Albany-Corvalis area.  Several list
members urged me to contact Independent Auto Werks (formerly Bug Werks) in
Corvalis.  I explained the situation and they said they could squeeze me in
in the morning.  Dropped the Westy off about 0815, they called about 1030,
fixed!  After the O2 sensor was replaced there was still a problem, #2 not
firing.  Problem isolated to the injector and a used injector off their
bench installed (later traded for a used one I had, no charge) and the
throttle switch adjusted.  Continued on the trip with Starwagen running
better than I can remember for the next 2,600 plus miles.

The lesson driven home to me is if you are going to have work done before a
planned long trip, have time enough to have any problems that come from the
'fixes' corrected before you have to leave.  But also have available the
extensive support network that exists in the VW community and especially
with WetWesties.