Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2009 17:18:12 -0700
Reply-To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: [WetWesties] 1.9 loss of 1/3 power- Boggy Please HELP!!!
In-Reply-To: <312062.7618.qm@web33904.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Maybe related, maybe not -- a couple months ago I had a sudden loss of
power. It didn't come and go, like your problem, but it could have because
it was traced to a failed spark plug wire. Such a failure could be
intermittent, too. Worth checking because I'd call how the engine ran as
"boggy," too.
Plugs could be implicated? Could be a fouled injector? I'm not an expert
on these engines.
I am, however, a pretty good electrical engineer and I gotta comment that
the circuitry in the ECU is hardly a "computer" -- it's a bunch of
op-amps and other analog circuitry. I've only owned one Vanagon so I don't
have a mass of experience (unlike many other on these lists) but the idea
of a power cycle resetting the ECU seems fishy.
You're sure to get plenty of better advice from those what know how to
Sherlock the cause of the problem. Hang in there -- whatever it is can be
fixed, although at times the cause of bad engine behavior can be a sly and
subtle critter.
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
Bend, OR
KG6RCR
On 4/7/2009 4:38 PM Danny C wrote:
> So I just spent $3500.00 and had my 84 1.9 vanagon westy engine rebuilt
> by Halsey automotive. They did a wonderful job. The van has been
> running so good. I have only 1300 miles since the rebuild. Just the
> other day I was driving the van and was stuck in rush hour traffic,
> stop and go. When the cars finally started moving my van has a sudden
> loss of power. It felt like it was running on 3 cylinders. Then it
> started surging In and out. So I pulled over turned the engine off and
> found the only tool I had (a screw driver) I popped the cap and looked
> at the rotor and cap. There was a little build up of a green colored
> corrosion. I scrapped it off. Put it back together and started the van.
> It started right up and was running normal again. (I have since
> replaced the cap and rotor) I called Tom at Halsey and he said
> sometimes the computer has a hick-up and by turning the power off and
> then back on it will reset the computer. All was well for another 3 or
> 4 days. Just this last Saturday I was getting ready to take the family
> up to Mt. Hood and right before we left it started the boggy loss of
> power. I turned the engine off let it set for a minute or two then
> started the van again. It was still boggy. So I just drove it off.
> After a few minutes of driving it started surging, In and out then
> finally back to normal. Then again to day it did it again. I called Tom
> at Halsey and he suggested disconnecting the Oxygen sensor. When I
> looked to see if it was connected or not I found it was already
> disconnected. I’m at a loss and very upset. I just want it to run
> normal, I drove the van for over a year before I had the engine rebuilt
> and never had a problem like this. I have a trip to Texas in September
> and need the van in tip top running condition. Anyone out there ever
> have this same problem?
>
>
> Danny C. '84 Westy (Vanny) '84 Deluxe (Blue Van)
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
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