Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:33:25 -0700
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: NVC--wife's car dies at idle
In-Reply-To: <4d1b79350806111439r48088f34w729e8515c3911fc6@mail.gmail.com>
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I would treat it as just a 'weak idle' ................
and don't get drstracted yet about the electrical load making it die
easier at idle.
A car like this should be VERY smart about keeping it's idle right..........
it can be 'smart' enough, in the Electronic Idle control that it can
easily compensate for additional loads at idle, whether from incresed
electrical load, or say power steering load like when parrallel parking.
also.............you should know...............might not be by
1990...........but with an Acura it's possible...........
some mondern honda's don't even charge the battery with the alternator
at idle unless 'The Brain' thinks it's neccesary.
I'd check the function of ...........surely it must have Electronic Idle
Control- I'd check for a sticky valve etc.
What the 'real problem' is though Jim..............from a real
diagnostic point of view you most likely don't really ..
A.....under stand all the systems at work very well.
B. don't have a way to test them or determine if they are or are not
working.
it's like one just reaches a block...............
the Very Simplest Case of a diagnostic procedure is :
Take a Tail Lite out.
withour realizing it your brain immediately comes up with a hypothesis
about what could be the cause of a non-working tail light.
the typical brain comes up with 'burnt out bulb..
So that's parts A & B of step One.
Step Two is to test your hypothesis .........
how to do that ? ..........one crude way is try a known good or new bulb.
That's Step Two ..............testing your 'theory' of why the tail
liight isn't working.
Other teest you could do besides trying a new or known good bulb would be
- test the old bulb on a battery with jumper wires .
- check for voltage in the bulb socket
- check the fuse of the circuit...........
etc.
my point is............in a system that we are not familiar
with............we can't do this process very well.
you 'tried' to by trying a new battery and new alternator - but that was
just a vague 'hope; guess.
I would at leas look at the electronic air idle valve - it shoul have
one ..............all 86 and up 2.1 waterboxer vanagons do.
all 90ish Golf's / Jettas do.
all 90 and later Subaru's do.
my 88 740 turbo volvo sedan does.
the first and very crude test of the electronic idle valve..........this
is on a 2.1 waterboxer, you turn on the key ( which does NOT mean start
the engine ) ........then feel the valve to see if it's humming.
On a waterboxer there are only two parts - the valve, and the Control
Unit. The price of the control unit is .........prohibitilve.
On an Acura I would expect it to be incorpartated into the main ECU.
what is the first year of Acura ?
I have ................a Genuine Acura Shop Model - when that model came
out ............it was a Big Deal..........the Acura Legend. It was like
Honda's Mecerdes Accord - this quite thick Shop Manual even came in
every car I think.
and it is SO DETAILED......
they show a physical layout drawing of each and every wiriing harness in
the whole car in this book.
there is just one systsem they don't talk about ...............Air Bags
- air bags were very new that year and they didn't want people messin'
with them so every last system is covered in detail.
Very, very thouroughly. You should buy this manual from me. Might take
me a while to find it, but I am doing a 150 hour full shop
re-organization and remodel- I still have about 15 boxes of papers, old
brochures and car magazines and a collection of perhaps a 120 or so
Repair Manuals for all manner of foreign cars. I'm sure i have it yet.
it would be like a Bentley.........only better - ,much better. .
scott
www.turbovans.com
Jim Felder wrote:
> I've been having the worst time with my wife's 90 Acura Legend. The thing
> drives fine, but when she's in traffic or cruising slowly through parking
> lots, say, the car dies. It doesn't do it unless there is some drain on the
> battery like the AC fan or lights.
> The car has a new battery and a new alternator in an attempt to fix this
> nagging problem. This is taking money and time away from my 90 vanagon which
> has even worse problems.
>
> I'm asking here for ideas because I don't know who else to ask.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>
>
>
