Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:51:08 -0700
Reply-To: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Mystery engine cutouts
In-Reply-To: <4C5C4C5B.1080207@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
So, was it a Phillips 76 station?
Jake
On Fri, Aug 6, 2010 at 10:54 AM, Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" <
camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
>
--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX 'The Grey Van'
1986 Westy Weekender/2.5 SOHC Suby 'Dixie'
Crescent Beach, BC
www.thebassspa.com
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27
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