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Date:         Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:38:27 -0500
Reply-To:     Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
Subject:      Engine stutters, tach nosedives. Then, just as suddenly,
              it's normal again.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Hi Volks,

A couple of times in the past two months I've had stutters at highway speed that remind me of the time the coil went bad in my baywindow camper. And when it happened last week I just happened to be looking at the tach; and watched it spike briefly towards zero. Definitely an ignition event rather than fuel delivery.

This morning it was raining on the way into work, and it happened twice. And then again later in the morning on my way to a service call. The first two times it happened the engine died for 2-3 seconds, and the tach was flatlined even though the engine was still turning. The third time was just a short blip, more like when I first saw the problem.

I suspect the coil or the hall sensor; though Mark Dearing at Salem Import suggested it could also be the ECU.

At work this afternoon I took a close look at the engine compartment, and when I checked the coil wire going into the distributor cap was sitting about 1/2" high on the post. I pushed it down flush on the cap and since then (35-40 miles) the problem hasn't recurred.

So what do you'all think? Was it just a loose plug wire, or are there deeper issues lurking?

Happy Trails,

Greg Potts 1973/74/79 Westfakia "Bob the Tomato" 1987 Wolfsburg Weekender Hardtop www.busesofthecorn.com www.pottsfamily.ca


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