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Date:         Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:00:48 -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: 1.9 Stumbles When Damp
Comments: To: Walter Houle <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="Windows-1252";
              reply-type=original

Hey Walter, that's darn clever using beep mode on your ohm meter so you could test switch function from the driver's seat. Glad you got 'er fixed ! Scott

----- Original Message ----- From: "Walter Houle" <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Friday, February 12, 2010 6:04 PM 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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