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Date:         Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:31:00 -0500
Reply-To:     Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: 1985 Westy Vanagon shutters, dies,
              and then resurrects... help.
Comments: To: Millee Tibbs <millee.tibbs@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <AANLkTik4fBqVUOwcSV_mJXAwLn90igoh8rnU2kg_7DFU@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Millee,

Welcome to the list!

I would suspect that your problems are related to bad electrical grounds since moisture and temperature are causing problems. You should have the ground connections for the engine wiring harness checked and cleaned. I would also check the ground strap that is supposed to run from the firewall below the coil over to the driver's side head. Many times this strap is broken or has high resistance and will cause problems. With the age of the van it is possible that you are having multiple problems but the ground check is a good first start and bad grounds can cause multiple problems at once. It also sounds as if your battery or alternator isn't working properly. Have them checked for proper output and if the alternator is bad I would be sure to have the battery load tested as a bad alternator can kill a battery and a bad battery can kill an alternator.

If you need further advice or parts, please feel free to contact us.

-- Thanks, Ken Wilford John 3:16 www.vanagain.com Phone: 856-327-4936 Fax: 856-327-2242

On 11/10/2010 10:47 AM, Millee Tibbs wrote: > Dear VW community, > > I'm new to this list and I hope that this email is not our of line. I'm on > my second vanagon, a 1985 Westy (named Sally), and she seems to be alive > (and moody!) I was hoping that some one might recognize her symptoms and > let me know what might be going on. (And yes, I refer to her as a person... > surely you'll understand). > > Since I have owned her she has had a problem where, when underload, she > shutters (hiccups, loses power, seems to lug even though she's in the proper > gear). This also happens a lot when we go over rough roads. When I first > got her, this would happen often and eventually she would stall. If I > waited long enough she would start up again and be fine. I changed the > distributor cap and cables (bosch). I brought her to the mechanic and he > adjusted her air flow meter (at the time I was at 7000 feet) and he put in a > new (used) coil. She continued to shutter, but she stopped stalling and > always started right up. As I drove to the east coast and down to sea level > she got a lot better. > > Recently, however, she has started to die again. Normally, she starts back > up pretty quickly. Lately I've noticed a burning smell right before she > loses power. Twice now, when I've gone to start the ignition after she's > been parked for awhile, she won't turn over. The first time this happened I > thought it was the battery - possibly due to an old battery and cold > weather. We jumped it and it started right up. This weekend, it happened > again. I called AAA, but the jump wouldn't start her. Two days later, I > gave a friend the keys just to check and see if she would start and, > magically it would seem, she did. Cold weather seems to be a determining > factor. What is going on?? > > On a potentially related note, there seems to be something wacky going on > with the wiring. When it rains or is humid, the radio won't work until the > vans been running for about 10 minutes. In addition, the odometer doesn't > work at all. > > I don't want to take her to a mechanic to do diagnostic work again until I > have an idea of what needs to be fixed. She never does what I say she does > in their presence and they still charge me a small fortune without really > having fixed the problem. > > Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions. > > > -- > Millee Tibbs > www.milleetibbs.com >


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