Date:         Tue, 4 Aug 2009 10:08:28 -0400
Reply-To:     Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: vanagon syndrome plus poor gass economy
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Ellen,

Here is my writeup on the subject.  One thing I need to add is that
lately I have been running into problems with the signal wire to the
oxygen sensor.  This is the large green wire that goes from around the
coil area of the engine bay to the ECU.  This wire is coaxial and over
time the insulation between the signal wire (center) and the shield can
break down.  You can easily replace this wire with a new one.  I bought
some gray speaker wire from Radio Shack that works well for this.  If
you try the usual suspects and that doesn't help, try this signal wire
before you through down a bunch of money. The idle valve does nothing
when you are not at idle.

Let me know if I can help you,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com

*_Why does my Vanagon Buck or Miss and lose power?_*

Many Vanagons experience a similar problem of bucking, rich running and
power loss. This page is to help troubleshoot this problem and determine
it's cause so that it may be corrected.

1. Any and all normal wear items should be checked and replaced if they
have excessive wear on them. Spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap,
rotor, fuel filter, oxygen sensor and air filters should all be checked
first. If you can eliminate these normal wear items from being a
possible source of your problem then you can move on to the next step.

2. After eliminating these relatively cheap wear items as a possible
cause of your problem then the next step is to check all of the engine
grounds. These are located on the driver's side head. There should be
several small ground connectors attached to the head along with a larger
ground strap that goes from the head to the firewall under the coil. All
of these straps should be there, and the connections should be clean and
tight. If this doesn't fix your problem go to the next step.

3. Next check your ignition switch. There have been times when these
have failed intermittantly. Usually a large key chain that is heavy with
keys can cause premature failure of this switch. These are only $9 from
me and easy to test if they are bad. Simply unfasten the lower cover on
your steering column and remove it. Now unplug the black plug that hooks
into your ignition switch. Plug in the new switch and start the car
using a screw driver (be sure your key is in the ignition and to the
"on" position or you won't be able to steer the van). Now drive the van
in similar situations where you were having your bucking problem. If
they reoccur then you have ruled this switch out.

4. The next step is to trouble shoot your fuel injection system per the
Bentley Manual. The tool you need to do this is a multimeter which can
easily be had for $30 from your local Radio Shack. The things that
commonly go bad to cause the engine bucking syndrome are:

The Air Flow Meter (located on the plastic air box)

The temperature II Sender (located in the thermostat housing and it has
a blue connector on it).

The throttle position switch (located on the throttle valve).

If you need a Bently Manual <http://www.vanagain.com/search.asp> in
order to get the charts to troubleshoot you FI system I have these for
sale (part number is LPV800148 in my online store). I could also fax
these pages to you if you agree to buy whatever parts you find you need
from me. If so please email me <mailto:sales@vanagain.com> with the year
of your Vanagon. I encourage you to buy the manual as you will need it
for many other things down the road and it is a good investment.

5. It is possible that you have a problem with some expensive item like
your ECU or distributor. If you have ruled out everything else then you
can feel better about purchasing a new or rebuilt one of these expensive
items. I sell rebuilt ECUs and also new distributors or just the hall
unit (which can be replaced in your exsisting distributor). Email
<mailto:sales@vanagain.com> or call me at (856)-327-4936 if you need help.

I hope you find this page helpful. If you do please support Van-Again
with your parts purchases.