Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:43:33 -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: Powerwashing FAIL
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I might have missed that the difficulties started with powerwashing the
engine .............???
if so, I would say ........sure, it's nice to have somewhat clean engines,
but really blasting it with any sort of water power washer is really asking
for trouble.
When I wash an engine ......I do it like this :
warm engine, then spray everything down with Simple Green.
next, wash it briefly .........like maybe half a minute of quickly spraying
around here and there. Don't concentrate at any one spot, particularly on
the engine. No 'blasting' the crab out of it at all.
next...this is the most important step Spray everything down with WD-40
generously.........everywhere except into the alternator.
Especially coil and ignition.
a slightly dirty perfectly running engine is a much nicer thing than a clean
one with issues, of course.
I read about one guy that cleverly fixed his 2.1 wbxr idle and cold running
idle by finding an open wire in the circuit involving the idle valve and the
control unit for it. I was impressed. There are not all that many wires in
that circuit .
on the same subject, I have an 87 Wolfsburg that likes to idle cold just
fine four about 40 seconds, then it just shuts off.
It had a terribly tired engine in it .........so I thought that might be a
factor.
Now with a better engine in it, it still does it...........idles fine cold,
then shuts off like you turned the key off.
I've barely started to dig into it though. Popping on another idle control
unit doesn't seem to make a difference.
and the one from it worked fine in an 86 GL I have.
perhaps I'll find time one of these days.
hey ........here's a good one for ya.
I bought a wonderful 85 Vanagon Adventurewagon a couple of years ago. I
never found time to pull the heads, and it was obviously sending coolant out
the tail pipe. Then I got a 2.1 together for it, so never even ran or worked
on that 1.0 wbxr engine.
Last night, for the first time, I pull the heads off that 1.9 wbxr
engine that was in the AW when I got it .........on one side, someone had
installed the thinner black o-rings at the top of the barrels - on the
right side.
Pretty sure that's it. Things look very new in there too.
the other side had the proper green o-rings at the top of the barrels.
I'll be checking the valves, and rubber gasket compression distance, but it
could be it's just those o-rings is all that engine needs - how nice !
and ..........man do I see a lot of improper work like this. Sad to see.
Someone probably paid good money for that 'repair.' I bought it off a used
car lot in Virginia .......perfect body and paint too, for only $ 2,200.
The shipping was 1,300 a few years ago ....but best vanagon I've owned yet !
But be careful power washing. I've seen them almost never be right again.
And wiring harnesses ....20 + years old now.
Weakness can creep in with age and current flow.
Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: "mordo" <helmut.blong@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 12:23 PM
Subject: Powerwashing FAIL
> Citizens,
>
> I've revisited this issue finally. I've done some testing and I'm still
> baffled.
>
> Summary:
>
>
> 1. Seemingly coincident with the aforementioned powerwashing escapade,
> the engine will not cold start without applying some throttle and will
> not
> hold idle without holding the throttle open slightly.
> 2. Once warm(and not even completely warm), the engine runs well; it
> will
> even hold a slightly wandering idle at stop (800-950 rpm).
> 3. I've tested the ISV and it snaps open and closed smartly. However, it
> does not hum at all when the engine is operating.
> 4. I've tested current at the ISCU, it's there. So, ISCU is bad is the
> diagnosis?
> 5. I've tested the TPS for adjustment and current. 5 volts at the
> connector, as specified
> 6. I cannot find any other component amiss - vacuum, electrical or fuel.
> 7. Even after sitting for weeks, the engine starts immediately if I give
> it a little throttle.
>
> Questions:
>
>
> 1. What is likely to be at fault given these circumstance? Fuel?
> Ignition?
> 2. Does the ISCU figure into the cold start operation?
> 3. If the engine will idle decently without an operational ISCU and ISV,
> what will happen if I input a working ISCU?
>
>
> Any ideas, anyone?
>
> cheers,
>
> mordo
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: mordo <helmut.blong@gmail.com>
> Date: Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 5:53 PM
> Subject: Powerwashing FAIL
> To: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
>
>
> Hey, gang. Happy Friday.
>
> Recently, I changed AT oil and filter and was eager to know if I had, at
> the
> same time, fixed weeping oil filth. So, I took La Vana Blanca for an
> engine/trans/diff wash at the local self-serve carwash. I soaked it all up
> with the engine cleaning selection and then blasted it all with the
> "powerwash" device. I did all of this with the engine running under the
> premise that if I got anything sufficiently wet enough to make it shut
> down,
> it would be good to know right away. Nice, clean engine and trans, no
> prob,
> drove home.
>
> Long story short, I have since not been able to start the engine without
> coaxing the throttle a bit. It will not hold idle when cold. After coming
> up
> to operating temp, it will idle but at about 850 rpm and a little bit
> lumpy.
> My question of the collective experience is: what is the most likely
> component to cause this condition under the conditions described above?
> BTW,
> the engine was running very nicely prior to this folly.
>
> Cheers and thanks for any wisdom you can offer.
>
> --
> mordo
> 1990 Carat
> 2.1l WBX, AT, 171k miles
>
>
>
> --
> mordo
> 1990 Carat
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