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Date:         Wed, 30 Aug 2006 11:32:38 -0400
Reply-To:     Woody Halsey <WHalsey@SYA.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Woody Halsey <WHalsey@SYA.ORG>
Subject:      sudden failure to fire
Comments: cc: dbeierl@attglobal.net
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear All,

In the 20 years I have been happily driving my V'gon, through two engines and more replaced parts than I care to think about, have gone through just about every challenge discussed here over the years. The one thing my beloved wagen has never done is fail to start. It has always fired up "au quart de tour," as the French say. Until yesterday.

Here's what happened. Drove 40 miles to Logan airport, engine purring through the all-new exhaust system. Parked. Went to a meeting at the airport Hilton with the families of the students we were sending to Italy last night. Retrieved van in parking lot and drove over to the hotel to pick up colleague, wife, four kids and their 13 huge bags to check in and 8 small backpacks to carry on. They marveled at the capaciousness of the V'gon. (I took the middle seat out and carpeted the middle section years ago.) Drove to the terminal. Unloaded. Turned key to return to parking lot. She wouldn't start. Battery strong, engine turned over and over and over. No go.

Went home on the back of the AAA flat bed, dropping van of at garage.

This morning, she started right up the first time and the mechanic wondered why I was there. But then it refused to start the second time he turned the key.

So, does anyone have an explanation?

So far we know:

a) Battery strong

b) Plenty of fuel, no sign of fuel pump problems.

c) Spark string at the distributor cap (but terminals inside have heavy black deposits - I scraped them off with my pocket knife - probably should replace no matter what.)

Theories to date:

a) Something to do with temp? (Started up when cooled down this morning ...?)

b) Loose wire somewhere?

c) Vapor lock somewhere?

All suggestions welcome. Many thanks in advance.

Woody

83.5 V'gon

Haverhill, MA


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