Date:         Mon, 4 Aug 2008 14:05:38 -0700
Reply-To:     Randal Jett <randal_jett@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Randal Jett <randal_jett@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: ECU optimization -- one quick question
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Yes Todd, the grounds have been checked and rechecked.  Thanks.  I know there is good charge flow goin ga all over as there has been a lot of cleaning when I was in there doing the engine harness.  I forgot to say that.  And also the AFM retrofit cable has been in place for many years.  It DID fix the really bad stalling and bucking that put me on the side of the road back in 2000, just after I bought this van.  I think I paid something like $140 for it and I know it's still working because I don't have an really bad, bad problems.  Just the lacking in idle and stock-spec power boost on demand from the accel. pedal.
 
I also recently did all the standard rotor/cap, plugs, wires, air fliter, using proceeds from a money order "carry-over" gift-payment from my brother-in-law for the loan he is delinquent on -- so that was a nice pop to the overall vanagon but it was not enough to get it to what I consider to be stock performance.
 
Are there other ideas out there on this list?
 
tia
rANDAL



----- Original Message ----
From: "rubatoguy@comcast.net" <rubatoguy@comcast.net>
To: Randal Jett <randal_jett@YAHOO.COM>
Sent: Monday, August 4, 2008 3:48:19 PM
Subject: Re: ECU optimization -- one quick question


Check your grounds. On my '88 someone along the way cut the ground wire to the ECU and grounded it to the body (alternate location)
I've also added a ground wire to the AFM and an extra one from the engine block to the body.
 
I was having the bucking and hesitation and stalling and tried many things, but the only thing that finall worked was installing the VW retrofit AFM cable. It was not cheap, but my van has not bucked or stalled since.
 
Todd
 
 
-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Randal Jett <randal_jett@YAHOO.COM> 

> I have been following, with great interest, all the conversations about the guy 
> with the 1984 ECU issues, looking for a good match, known good or not ECU, and 
> so forth. It got me thinking about my 1987.5 stock Wolfsburg and the idle 
> profile post the last shop visit. I had some troubles with that shop who will 
> remain annonymous because the issues that came from their work indeed were so 
> serious that I had to enlist legal help to get over our stalemate. That was 
> then and this is now, so back to my ECU. Here's what I know and what I've tried 
> so far. Maybe there is some experience on this list that can help me consider 
> the next opportunity for what to try or do. 
> My issue is also with the idle, the surge/stall features at requests for power 
> at the engine, and mpg is, well, just OK enough at close to low-mid 20's 
> 1. Removed and cleaned wiring harness; unwrapped looking for any shorts or 
> 'mystery' wires -- found nothing unusual 
> 2. Did a 'test reflow' on solder on the ICU board paying attention to the big 
> resistors in particular. I gave only a little heat not wanting to over charge 
> any of the delicate circuitry that was so painstakenly manufactured and 
> installed. This, I think, was a very good idea as a first step 
> 3. Removing the eCU for inspecting and the 're-flow' involved unleashing the 
> unit from the zip-tie and foam pad it was resting on in the driver's engine bay 
> well. I wiped the cobwebs out of this area before putting the unit back 
> together clean. 
> 4. Back to the innards of the ECU -- I did observe some gold potential 
> connections, maybe copper but liked like it could in deed be gold, and I avoided 
> getting too close to these as the reflow solder operation was specificalleya to 
> the silver stuff only. I did NOT string solder 'saliva stringie' all over the 
> board thereby at risk of contamination of these other colored terminals/PCboard 
> features. So, that's not it at a minimum, I'm sure. 
> 5. After reinstall of the ECU in the van body, and reconnection of the engine 
> harness, which I had premarked with all connections and wires without connection 
> terminations so I would not just start soldering on terminals in my 
> absent-minded considion when I sometimes get that way with my nose over the 
> engine -- I did not succomb to it becasue I had taken pictures of the engine in 
> advance of wiring harness removal to make sure I could remember where everything 
> went back on. (I learned that on the hard way from another project years ago.) 
> 6. I tested the reassembled ECu and engine harness configuration, which as 
> stated above, was identical to the way it was removed. It worked just like 
> before, with the same idle stumble, surge/stall at acceleration request/demand 
> and I'm still puzzled. 
> 7. I did not do anything with the oxygen sensor except disconnect it when I 
> removed the harness and reconnect when I put the harness back on. 
> So that's it for what I know I have done to it. If any of you, especially the 
> ones who have had the case open on the ECU, could reply with ideas for what is 
> possibly going on, and in your experience what other information would help me, 
> I would be forever grateful in the event that I have gotten lucky and won a big, 
> big lottery -- I would gladly share the proceeds! 
> Randal 
> '87.5 wolfsburg patient stock configuration 
> 
>