Date:         Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:51:30 -0800
Reply-To:     Brian Jarvinen <brianvwagain@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brian Jarvinen <brianvwagain@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: 1.9L intermittent stalling at random
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Ok, well there are enough ideas out there that I can't
quote each one. Thanks everybody!

Someone mentioned the coil wire, probably before
they read my second post about that. I thought I had
it solved when I replaced a coil wire that was so bad,
it was surprising it ran the van at all. In that
process
I swapped out the coil. Unfortunately, the batteries
in
my little Radio Shack test meter were dead and I
couldn't
test the other coil first. But I'm pretty sure that is
not
it; everything has stayed the same.

Another idea was random electronic signal cut-outs,
possibly affecting the distributor. An important part
of the whole system is the Hall Control unit, and I
have
some experience with that that may help others. One
time my van died and I was checking electrical
connections
all around the motor. I forgot I had left the key on,
and when
I bumped the wire harness near the Hall unit
connection,
the van turned over! I could get it to run just like a
swiss
watch as long as I held that wire in the just exactly
perfect place, until I let go of the wire. One of the
seven
wires going into it had broken inside the 90 degree
bend piece.
So this became the very first item rescued from the
junkyard van I now own. (The junkyard wants to keep
the body for storage in the future - perfect). So the
new
connector was spliced in and I've even had a pro
mechanic completely re-do my splice work with
excellent connectors and wrap it. I check this
connection frequently.

Another key to the Hall Control unit is the heat sink,
and I've
been through that and keep that nice and clean, and
even use Heat Sink Transfer Compound (99 cents at
Radio Shack) on it (coat the back of the plastic frame
and the back of the aluminum sink). And that causes
problems more in the summer when it is hot anyway,
and the van just dies when the HCU is unhappy, not
cut in and out.
But thinking about the whole
thing has my obvious solution - swap out with my other
Hall unit. Or is there a way to test the Hall unit
itself?
There are several in Bentley but they don't seem like
they would reveal performance problems at full
RPM.

I think the idle stabilizers were mentioned. I have
run
the van fine without these connected after a
professional
tune-up (they forgot). I doubt the stablizers could
cause this problem? But Bentley does mention stalling
as a possible result. So another idea to try,
disconnecting
them.

Can't see a vacuum problem being this random to
affect the distributor either. My distributor has
never
been opened, just regular cap & rotor replacements.
The other day I lightly sanded the inside contacts
and blew the dust out of the cap. But there is a
wire connection to it... hmmm?

And this may have some readers wondering, 'what about
the fuel control unit computer'? Yes, I have an extra
one
of those and already tried swapping it. No change in
performance.

The O2 wire was also mentioned. Right now, mine
is disconnected. I put in a new one three months
ago and have been too lazy to work on the needed
wire splice, too much going on around here.
This has prolly cost me some money
via a bit of a lower gas mileage. But I can't
see that not being connected causing such
a random problem.

Today I put in a new air filter, it wasn't too
terribly
dirty, have seen mine worse. But when I tried to start

it for some more testing, it was pretty hard to start
when it was cold...so now it is time to do the simple
test on the auxiliary air regulator or whatever it's
called. (And time to try some archive searches
tonight).
There is a simple test for how it is working in cold
start conditions...but I wonder if it goes bad, might
it open at random at warm temperatures, sending
too much air into the engine and causing a hiccup?

But I would think that thing is controlled by the
air sensors ...

[One of the annoying side affects of this stalling
is such a heavy jolt to the engine that the auxiliary
air intake line falls out of the intake boot
eventually,
definitely making it stall just because of that.]

Tonight I tested the temp sensor II in a pot of
water on the stove. Perfect readings ... bottomed
out at 209 ohms in boiling water exactly as the
Bentley chart predicted.

So I'm still wondering about the air sensor box.
My Friendly Local Auto Parts Store has a re-build
in their supply chain for $290. Bus Depot is at
around 150 but I'm three days away on UPS ground.
So I'll start a different thread....


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