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Date:         Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:04:12 -0500
Reply-To:     Walter Houle <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Walter Houle <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM>
Subject:      Re: 1.9 Stumbles When Damp

Time for a follow up, its been a few weeks.

Week 1 - My immediate fix to the problem was to drive to the desert and go camping. Van ran great and we had fun.

Week 2 - Did the water spray test in the dark, no sparks or missing seen. Checked the inside of distributor - looked nice and clean,and no tracks. Took Scott's advice on adjusting the TPS, the only thing I hadn't done, which he expertly pointed out. For some reason, I had been avoiding doing this procedure for some time, mainly because I could hear it clicking when I moved the throttle linkage by hand. Read the Bentley procedure for my 1 switch design, and saw that the symptoms described exactly matched the symptoms I was experiencing. Misfire when cold, and flooding / fouled plugs on long off-throttle descents. So I finally adjusted the switch. It was pretty easy, though the switch was near the limit of its adjustment range, and its final position would change whenever I snugged up on the adjusting screws. I put my ohm meter in beep mode and moved the accelerator pedal from the drivers seat - that way I could hear the switch working under actual operating conditions. Took the van to the mountains, parked & camped overnight in the clouds and the morning frost. It ran fine, no more symptoms. A little plug fouling on the long downhill home, buy way better than before.

Week 3 - More cool damp weather, drove around town for several trips. Ran fine, no more symptoms. I think I got it.

Thanks Scott and Zoltan, for your help and motivation. This list is a great thing.

Walter

On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:41:55 -0800, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:

>fwiw, I've yet to have any issue ever with a Bosch distributor cap on a >waterboxer vanagon. ( Non-Bosch ones I replace automatically, even if new ) >. >So for me......as long as it's a half decent Bosch dist cap, it's probably >not that. > >but I would pursue ignition breakdown in the presence of moisture, >especially with the plug wires. > >some of my low tech but often very effective tricks for testing spark plug >wires - > >In TOTAL Darkness, watch the engine running, looking for tiny electrical >leaks, little flashes ....if you see any, the plug wires are leaking. >With the engine running .......spray a mist of water on the plug wires and >coil....any stumbling ..........you suspect the spark plug wires. > >too large spark plug gaps could contribute to voltage leaking upstream of >the spark plugs. > >and bosch parts ........that's what I only use. >I'll use NGK spark plugs say, but for cap, rotor, or wires, Bosch. >and ......there are plug wires better than Bosch ones - based on what a set >costs me, I figure they are ok, but not the best made in the world. > >and even though all electrical contacts have been cleaned ........I'd do it >again , with electrical contact spray cleaner. >I'd want some extra components to swap in too............ecu, air flow meter >etc. >But mainly, I'd concentrate on ignition to start with. >oh...........spray everything down with WD-40. >Everywhere except inside the alternator. >I might even try it on the running, cold, stumbling engine. >I have seen an electrical 'not right' connection get instantly fixed with an >application of that magic juice. >and I find throttle switches off all the time, and I don't think I saw that >on the list, so check that. >'most' of the vanagons I encounter, have a non-working, or an incorrectly >adjusted throttle switch at idle. > > >Scott > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Zoltan" <thewestyman@GMAIL.COM> >To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> >Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 10:17 AM >Subject: Re: 1.9 Stumbles When Damp > > >> You said, you changed it, but for me most of the time it is the cap. >> Moisture inside connects the four edges that also maybe loaded with >> graphite >> from the center piece. It can eventually crack the cap also along the >> line >> where the "lightning" is travelling. >> Zoltan >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Walter Houle" <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM> >> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> >> Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 7:40 AM >> Subject: 1.9 Stumbles When Damp >> >> >>> My 85 1.9 has had this problem for more than 2 years and I've never been >>> able to solve it. Its time to ask the experts. Whenever the van sits >>> overnight and its cool and damp out, it misfires until it warms up. It >>> idles fine, but won't rev under load without breaking up. When I say its >>> cool and damp, its the San Diego version, which means 50 degrees and 65% >>> RH. It doesn't matter if the van is in the garage or outside in the rain. >>> The problem is intermittent, which is one of the reasons that its been >>> around so long. Once the van gets fully up to temperature, the problem >>> vanishes and it runs fine until the next damp day, which usually is a few >>> weeks away. However, its finally getting worse, so its time to do >>> something about it. >>> >>> Over the past 2 years, some of the items that I replaced were the coil, >>> cap, rotor, plugs, plug wires, hall sender & connector, injectors, temp >>> sensor, and O2 sensor. I also have cleaned all ground connections and >>> cable connections at the ECU, AFM, idle stabilizer, etc. I have not dealt >>> with the last 3 items other than simple cleaning. Next 2 simple things >>> I'll check are the wire & connections for the temp and the O2 sensors. >>> >>> Any suggestions? >>> >>> Thanks, >>> Walter >>> 85 VAnagon 1.9


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