Date: Tue, 3 May 2011 11:06:46 -0700
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: Won't start (tries) (coughs)
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could be so many things.
has any testing or diagnosis been done at all ?
say ..
has the fuel filter been checked , or ...not likely to be a problem, but
fuel pressure ?
I'd test for a fat spark coming out of the coil while cranking,
and investigate / test/replace Temp Sensor II.
the list of things to actually consider or check is pretty long really.
besides tired components like say ...spark plug wires, hall sender in
distributor ..
idle switch not making contact ................shorted oxygen sensor (
rare ) ....
there's ground connections, air leaks, and many things to consider.
if it's like most of the vanagons I see ...
they have not gotten TRULY good care and attention over the last say 15
years..
they are 25 years old...the first 10 years things will be ok..
has they get older..
really ...what most shops or people consider a 'tune-up' ............mainly
things like cap and rotor and spark plugs and air and fuel filter say ..
that barely addresses what really gets tired and weak on them.
I see LOTS of parts replaced on these old babies ..
but seldom do I see many of them that are truly, truly taken care of and
really cleaned, serviced, adjusted, and so on ....all the details that add
up.
I spend a lot of time correcting and treating corrosion, and lack of
attention to the finer details. Heck ..the tune up parts themselves barely
wear. Those are not the 'weak area' at all. If there's a weak area it's lack
of attention to details that add up ..
and so often ...it's related to corrosion, or lack of attention to
very small details in many spots. Also ..not-perfect workmanship ..I see a
lot of that. I could almost say, the two main areas I work in to get
vanagons to work truly right again....are about corrosion and correcting
previously done poor workmanship. I should log all that someday and
categorize it. Very often it's not even 'a part' or a component, it's
just straightening out overlooked details. I can typically find up to 10
details not right on many waterboxer engines, affecting how the start, idle,
and run. Not even big expensive parts.....mainly details that have not been
attended to properly over the years.
Someone needs to do some careful inspecting and testing on your engine.
Some intelligent inspecting and testing, not just throwing tune up parts at
it.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andree" <andreehurley@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 9:14 AM
Subject: Won't start (tries) (coughs)
> My van has had an early morning issue - quite different from the hot start
> issue
> it was having.
>
> It tries to turn over, then coughs and dies. It's been running rough in
> the
> morning until it warms up, but now it just won't start.
>
>
> If you keep the key turned, it goes in cycles (if that makes any sense).
>
> Any ideas? We tried jumping, just for the heck of it. It has gas.
>
> It's a 1985.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Andree
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