Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:59:18 -0400
Reply-To: Jason Willenbrock <pooncerelli@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jason Willenbrock <pooncerelli@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: '86 GL stutters, stumbles and dies intermittantly
In-Reply-To: <c000a7ff40c2d2c83249d14c3f6e7d46@bluemarble.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
well,
it sounds like you may have already checked them but check them again, and
again, and again, and again. everything you are describing sounds like bad
grounds. i bet if you pulled one spark plug it is jet black from running
rich, which bad grounds will do, because they mess with the computer and
tell it all kinds of bad info. on your firewall on drivers side of engine
where there are like a billion wires grounding to one bolt thru the fire
wall, clean those REAL good. then, if you have not done so, make one or
even two more grounds connections for those wires in the firewall to split
them up. it is silly to have all those grounding on one bolt. then go thru
EVERY single ground and clean, replace, retighten as needed. when it comes
to grounds you can't be too overzealous. on vanagons bad grounds create so
many problems. i even created a ground for my AFM to engine. it is easy
there is about a 13mm or bolt hole in back of AFM, i used this and builkt a
ground wire going from that to the engine block. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN,. they
are buggers. can't emphasize this enough. grounds are frustrating but i
bet you will find this to be the source of your problem and if not, well,
you still did a good thing by cleaning them up! if all else fails, see if
you can borrow an ecu from someone and test that, but prolly unlikely, i
think it is grounds
IMHO, 02 sensor doesn't do s#$t, mine has been disconnected for 48,000
miles now and no difference in mileage, performance, emissoins or anything.
good luck
jason
87 syncro westy
1970 ghia coupe
so many roads to ease my soul...
>From: Neal Barrentine <vwneal@BLUEMARBLE.NET>
>Reply-To: Neal Barrentine <vwneal@BLUEMARBLE.NET>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: '86 GL stutters, stumbles and dies intermittantly
>Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:12:41 -0500
>
> Okay listmembers, where do I look next. Lately I can't make it a
>mile
>away without the 2.1L acting like it's starving for fuel, missing
>terribly, or just running like s**t. The rest of the time it runs great
>with plenty of power, and then it won't even run at all except at an
>idle. Sometimes while sitting at an idle it will just act like it lost
>a cylinder and run all uneven, then back to running smoothly. Today I
>thought I had fixed it, only to have it lose power and die just as I
>was braking for traffic and down-shifting. I managed to get off the
>road and opened the hatch to disconnect the O2 sensor to see if it
>would make a difference. Tried to start it again but it just cranked
>over and over. I decided to wait a minute (read about ten seconds) and
>it started right up and ran great for about another minute before
>starting to buck and miss and act like it was starving for fuel. I made
>it to the gas station, filled the tank and made it the 2-1/2 miles back
>home without incidence. I pulled over about half way and re-connected
>the O2 sensor. It didn't seem to make any difference whether the O2
>sensor was connected or not.
>Here's what I've done to try to fix this:
>-New gas tank
>-New gas tank seal kit
>-New fuel line
>-New fuel filter
>-Tested fuel pump pressure and fuel pressure regulator - held at around
>26 pounds for ten minutes
>-checked plug wires, replaced one bad one with a spare
>-checked cap and rotor
>-checked throttle position switch
>-checked idle stabilizer - it vibrates on idle
>-cleaned and adjusted the wiper arm in the AFM, tested air temp sensor,
>installed capacitor between terminals 2 and 4
>-cleaned ground connections
> Any suggestions as to where I look next? I'm supposed to go camping
>in
>two weeks and have been fiddling with this problem for two months now.
>I want my Vanagon running again! I miss it! Sigh....
>Neal Barrentine
>Bloomington, Indiana
>1986 GL
>1960 Baja Bug
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