Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 11:54:35 -0600
Reply-To: "Mike \"Rocket J Squirrel\"" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Mike \"Rocket J Squirrel\"" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Mystery engine cutouts
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Hi all, I'm back -- miss me?
Okay, so on my trip of nearly 2,000 miles of travel from here to
Flathead Lake, MT. and back, something very strange happened yesterday.
I filled up with gas in Pendleton, Ore., and turned south on highway
395. There are four or five summits to climb between Pendleton and John
Day, Ore., my night's destination.
It was a hot day. I was climbing the first steep summit in 2nd gear
(auto tranny) at about 3800 rpm - this is my usual steep climb routine.
Suddenly the engine cut out. After about four seconds, it came back to
life. It did that two more times before reaching the summit. It did that
going up each summit thereafter.
The timing between cutouts was anywhere between 30 seconds and 60
seconds. The cutouts only lasted three to five seconds, but that's
plenty long when climbing up a steep grade.
There may have been cutouts on the flats, but I didn't feel them.
In all cases, I was in 1st or 2nd (depending on grade) with engine
between 3,000 and 3900 rpm.
Every time it cut out, my O2 monitor display shot over to the left,
showing the exhaust mixture was completely lean. Like the fuel had been
cut off.
I was a nervous wreck by the time I reached camp, worrying about the two
more climbs between me and home I had to drive today.
I didn't sleep well. But today, it did not cut out once, the climbs were
of the same difficulty.
Here's what was different:
1. Before starting out this morning, I swapped in a spare ECU.
2. The day was 20 to 30 degrees (F) cooler than yesterday. Yesterday I
was seeing 95F in the cabin.
3. I had a new tank of gas.
4. I sprayed WD-40 on the various springs and pivots and hawsers and
pulleys on the throttle mechanism -- the throttle didn't feel to the
hand like it was moving smoothly after several hours of dusty dirt road
grime on it.
5. I checked the skinny little vacuum lines (1.9L) feeding the timing
advance stuff on the dizzy and they looked fine.
Too many things changed to be sure what the problem was and what fixed
it. I didn't want to spend the day tinkering, just wanted to get home.
So . . . any guesses about this?
--
Rocky J Squirrel
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Bend, OR
KG6RCR
