Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:01:05 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Low Idle/Stalling when cold
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I was wondering if your idle valve is working.
The timing normally never gets off, but wondering about that too.
how about throttle switch ? ...........very common that things get worn a
bit and it won't make contact for sure, every last time the throttle plate
returns to idle.
I find throttle switch adjustments off all the time too.
'it's not replacing parts, .......it's carefully adjusting and fine tuning
what's there, and treating things.....
whether for corrosion or lack of lubrication etc. Cheap, or worn out, or
wrong parts , replace those of course. )
no mention of fuel filter, I imagine you attended to that along the way, or
when replacing the fuel pump.
There are faulty parts sometimes, yes.......but mostly it's adjustments and
fine tuning.
Even treating the fuel sometimes, like with a high quality injector cleaner.
I winter especially, it's important to consider the fuel itself. I do find
water in vanagon gas sometimes.
make sure you don't have a crack in your intake air boot at your throttle
body. Not likely, but needs to be checked for sure.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Hart" <mjhart853@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 5:24 PM
Subject: Low Idle/Stalling when cold
>I previously posted (Nov '08) about rough idle and stalling problems on my
>'87 Westy (stock 2.1L engine). and got lots of good advice (Thanks to BenT,
>Mike Miller, Chris S. etc.). Based on that & the excellent article on
>Van-cafe's website, I changed many items - service items (plugs, plug
>wires, distributor cap & rotor, air filter, fuel filter); O2 sensor
>replaced; fuel pump replaced (and there was no fuel restriction at the
>tank); swopped out ECU, idle computer (no effect)
>
> Since then I've driven the van for 2000 miles without any repetition of
> the original problem (engine stalled out when hot, ran extremely rough and
> stalled out after ~1 minute when re-started from hot or cold, would not go
> more than 100 yards).
>
> After that things have been much better, but still not quite right. On
> cold mornings (relative at least, it does go down to 30F in the 'depths of
> winter' here in N. CA), the engine runs very low rpm and stalls out in
> idle (need to keep your foot on the gas). This only lasts for a minute or
> so, the engine seems to warm up very quickly to normal idle. Other than
> that, mpg is lower than I've been used to (now ~18mpg vs. ~20mpg before).
> No noticeable loss of power, the van cruises fine as before.
>
> Any ideas on next steps (I haven't changed the idle control valve yet;
> disconnecting it prevented the engine from starting at all)
>
> Thanks,
> Mike
> '87 Westy (2.1L)
> Palo Alto, CA
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