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Date:         Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:30:59 -0700
Reply-To:     Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Engine cuts/drops out while accellerating - 2.1 WBX
Comments: To: James Ballen <jamosb78@yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To:  <671647.77315.qm@web83722.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

When you were checking the wiring at idle did you wiggle the three wires that feed the distributor? Its a common point for intermittent failure, right inside the insulating jacket.

On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 8:54 AM, James Ballen <jamosb78@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hey folks, > > Now I know there are several reasons that this could be happening...and am > trying to narrow down the possibilities. > > Here's the deal: > > '86 westy weekender with a rebuilt 2.1 WBX, ~40k miles on it. > Have had very few issues with it until today. We drove it about 75 > miles yesterday on the freeway and on some curvy, hilly roads. It ran > great. > > Today coming back on those hilly, curvy, sometimes bumpy roads it > started to cut out when accelerating...causing the van to buck a > little. It started to do it more frequently, happening probably 15 > times in as many miles. Gas was getting low, we filled up and I wanted > to determine if problem was still there. Still happening, almost > stalled at idle twice, but always catching itself and continuing to run. > > I checked out the engine bay, and found a small brown, ground wire that > had some deterioration in the jacket...it was sitting on the block and > was pretty hot. I zip-tied it up to a hose to keep it cooler, and while I > was doubtful this was the culprit, I did it anyway. Couldn't find > anything else that looked off...so we continued on. I'd say in the 50 > or so miles after that, it happened 3 to 4 times...seeming to > correspond with a bump in the freeway, although it could be a > coincidence. > > We made it home and after unloading the van. I poked around, moving > all wires I could get to while the motor was idling, hoping to find one > that caused the problem. Nada. Couldn't make it happen. > > So...when it happens: > > -the engine and tach die, but it never lasts long enough for the tach to > fall all the way down. > -almost always while accelerating, never with my foot off the gas. > -engine never completely died, and always started right up after I did shut > it off. > > I thought it might be "vanagon syndrome", but since it happened at idle, I > think that's ruled out, no? > > I thought it might be a fuel filter issue, and I think I'll replace it > anyway. > > I thought it might be a ground wire issue, but can't find any > obvious problems besides the one I described...which I'll be splicing a > section of new wire into soon. > > What else should I be looking for? >

-- Jake 1984 Vanagon GL 1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie" Crescent Beach, BC www.crescentbeachguitar.com http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27


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