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Date:         Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:24:22 -0700
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: Help! Stranded in Phoenix-Loses power and dies
Comments: To: Toni Rizzo <toni@MCN.ORG>
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check out the shop reviews at roadhaus.com. Should be some shops in the Phoenix AZ area listed on that list.

as for how to proceed - in any no-start situation you test for which one ( usually it's just one ) of the essentials is missing. those would be : - lack of fuel pump running - lack of fuel pump being able to deliver fuel under pressure to the injectors. - lack of igntion (takes no tools, and a few seconds to test for the presence of igntion , super easy to do .....and I find , is the most common reason for a no- start, followed by fuel issues next. - lack of signal from ECU to injectors. - rare - but always needs to be considered - clogged or restricted cat or muffler. - or lack of basics like decent compression ......but that by itself would have to be really bad to keep an waterboxer engine from being able to run at least.

basically, when you find out what is missing ...... then you just go about figuring out WHY it's missing - could be a simple as bad grounds, faulty temp sensor, poor connections to temp sensor etc. but the basics are pretty easy to check for.

always helps to look at the spark plugs - they can tell you a lot. Seems to me lots of vanagon owners wonder about this and that and what is could be wrong, but they don't inspect the spark plugs. Whether those are wet or dry, or worn to huge gaps, or all black , or whatever - that all tells you very useful information. Sorry ......another one of those things often not checked, when it can provide very valuable information - the fuel filter. Just had a case of 'some guy' working on a vanagon of mine, that I rented, then had a no-start thing going on ...........and somehow we knew it was a fuel issue.... and no body would check the damn fuel filter !! The van got back to me, running poorly .........besides checking spray pattern on the injectors ( I went through 10 to find 4 really good ones ....... a week later I sold that van and we got a smog check on it - it passed A + - I think it was those very decent injector spary patterns and a good oxygen snesor, plus throttle swithc adjustment, and good cat, and really good compression that all added up to a really stellar smog check passing ) ...... anyway ........when I get my hands on it, I find the fuel filter about 70 % restricted. Hey it's really messy to mess with ......but you MUST check the contents of the insides of the fuel filter whenever you go to change one, or if you are troubleshooting ..........empty them out backwards on a clean dish .....I find water, dirt particles, rust particles, and shinny bits of metal in vanagon fuel filters .......and it would be pure folly - just like this 'guy' who worked on ( he said he cleaned the injectors, for 200 bucks..... made it so it could start, but he sure did not 'fix' it ) ...........it's pure folly to work on injectors and fuel system, and not inspect in the fuel filter. Not checking the fuel filter when you have a fuel issue is like working on an electrical problem for 5 hours...... and not getting anywhere, but you never checked the fuses to start with. pretty embarising to spend a lot of electrical troubleshooting time when it was a fuse blown it the first place. The fuel tanks, those that are original, are getting pretty old these days. I'm going to be paying more attention to injector spray pattern too ....... i'll bet that lots of our injectors are sparying ......but not in a nice little cone like the book shows - I saw several that sprayed in a steady stream ....... and those fuel molicules won't be mixing with air like they should - raising emissions, lowering power and fuel milage. Fwiw, I don't think that 'all new rebuilt injectors' will produce the disired result every time ......like that's an automatic guraantee that all 4 injectors are good - it's that way some of the time I'm sure, .........well this is just me ........ given how you don't always get what you are suppossed to be getting when you buy something , I have more faith in tested used injectors that I have observed spraying properly myself, than I do in rebuilt ones.

anyway, hope your van gets going soon ! It's just a blockage or leakage of fluids or electrons, after all. Scott www.turbovans.com

I'm in another Phoenix, btw, Phoenix, Oregon, at the southern end of I-5 in oregon. Bring her in and we'll get right on getting to the bottom of what the issue is ! Scott www.turbovans.com

----- Original Message ----- From: "Toni Rizzo" <toni@MCN.ORG> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2009 10:18 AM Subject: Help! Stranded in Phoenix-Loses power and dies

> While driving to Phoenix last night on I-10 from Tucson there was an > accident and a major slow down for about 10 miles. After we got past the > accident and i stepped on the gas, my '90 automatic Westy just lost > power and went from 30 mph to 20 to 10 and after creeping along died and > wouldn't start again. I waited about 20 minutes and tried again and the > same thing happened. So I got towed to my brother's in Phoenix. I tried > starting it this morning and she didn't want to start...sort of > sputtered. The second time I tried she did start but sounds weak. My > brother has the Bentley out now but doesn't really know anything about > these engines. Any ideas anyone? I just had a new O2 sensor put in 3 > weeks ago before I left on this trip and she's been running fine until > now. The coolant looks good and the oil level is fine. Anyone in the > Phoenix area have any ideas? Is there a good mechanic here? > > Thanks! > > Toni from northern Ca > '90 Westy


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