Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 14:20:07 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Still running like crap, the saga continues
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.58.0803051348240.9538@kenneke.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Just wanted to emphasize checking the throttle switch setting very
carefully.
I'd sure try another Air Flow Meter or two on it.
I'll tell you, it SURE helps to have half a dozen other vanagons to try
components from.
Compression must be checked, like a basic.
Any shop chasing after weirdness that didn't start with a quick and simple
compression check .....i don't know about that .
And you're damn right - if I'm working on a van and can only get it so far,
I don't act like it's fixed and give it to them - NO WAY !!
Of course I'd tell them what progress I made, where their money was at, and
other thoughts I had about it, but if it ain't fixed yet, I wouldn't dream
of letting anyone think it is. The shop just looks stupid or dishonest when
they do that.
...here's another factor too, in a really weird or illusive problem - the
shop gets nervous that they'll have 7 hours in it and no result, and they
don't want to charge you for that, or....they think it might take them 15 or
whatever hours to find and fix it, and they don't want to charge you 2,000
labor.....so it gets tricky there.
'many shops' I think are willing to 'go the bit extra' to produce the
result and don't even mind a little extra time in it, if they can get to
everyone is happy, they made enough, you got value and the van works.
They ALSO may not like admitting or demonstrating that they couldn't figure
It out- another reason they might have just turned it over to you with more
'Hope than Reality' .....not that that justifies it, it's just how they
might have 'let that happen.'
Clogged cat ??
they can clog and unclog btw, I've seen it.
But what I wanted to say....
I worked on a guys waterboxer one time until finally I was gong to 'just
install a NEW throttle body."
....and the dealer price was $750 or something crazy !!!
so I didn't do that.
I have about a dozen throttle bodies, and I've never actually identified one
as causing a problem really, by itself.
I know for sure I could fix it. But it's taken me days at times. I cheat
though, I don't 'go home at 6 PM" ....I might work until 3AM.
But, 'it's just a blockage or leakage of fluids or electrons." ( or
multiples often )
Yeah, people tend to think it's 'one thing'. I commonly find 6 half things
not right, and they all add up.
Scott
www.turbovans.com <http://www.turbovans.com/>
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
jon
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 1:53 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Still running like crap, the saga continues
Besides fixing the throttle body leak, make sure you have no exhaust
leaks. Those will throw off the O2 measurements, and the ECU will set the
mixture all wrong.
Also, make sure your throttle switch is set properly.
And, have you done a compression test? If one or more cylinders is off
from the other ones, that can cause this problem.
Then, less likely are injectors, ECU and fuel pump. You've replaced your
fuel filter recently, right? Temp II??
My two guesses on Thump, thump are CV joints, or your brakes. I have a
buddy that thought his CV joints were going, and it turned out to be
something in his brakes.
Jon
On Wed, 5 Mar 2008, BJ Feddish wrote:
> OK, awhile back I posted about my van hesitating. If you remember I took
it
> to my mechanic who cranked the AFM screw to get it to run rich. The
> hesitating went away, the van ran pretty good but I was down to 11 MPG. I
> took it back, he cranked it back the other way, still ran OK but now we
had
> more hesitation. This type of hesitation was where there was a power loss
> for a few seconds then the engine went back to normal. I thought I could
> deal with this until spring but then it started stalling at lights and my
> mileage was still crap. I decided to take it to a well known shop about 45
> NE of me. They fixed my ground wires, replaced the O2 wire and set my
> timing, idle and C02 to factory specs. After a vacuum check everything
> looked fine except a slight leak at the throttle body. I thought I was
> going to be getting a great running van back but that was not the case.
Low
> speed is worse than it's ever been. It's almost as if there was a tennis
> ball under the gas pedal. If I'm trying to accelerate in 2nd gear there
just
> seems to be no power. There are no "big" hesitations but now I have allot
of
> little ones like someone was tapping on a switch. The low power at low
> speeds is frightening. The van idles fine now and traveling at high
speeds
> seems to be slightly better than before this latest change. I'd like to
> call them back and see what else we can do but I'm kind of upset they let
me
> drive the van out of the shop in that condition. Anyway, can this small
> vacuum leak in the throttle body be the cause or is there something else I
> should be looking at? Is it time to just start replacing parts?
>
> BTW, I just check the timing and it was dead on the V mark.
>
> Also, nobody has been able to find the "thump-thump-thump" noise emanating
> from the rear. 2 places think it "could" be the axel. I can't wait for the
> tow truck ride to discover what that is....
>
> Thanks,
> Bryan
>
--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.21.4/1313 - Release Date: 3/5/2008
9:50 AM
