Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2011 07:50:16 -0400
Reply-To: Chris S <szpejankowski@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Chris S <szpejankowski@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Strange pattern of tach and motor dying(long)
In-Reply-To: <4de5e1c1.029b2a0a.4fa8.165d@mx.google.com>
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First things I check when there's trouble is fuel and spark. Once I know which is the culprit I get a voltmeter and start checking for loose connections and lack of power where applicable.
Chris.
Wysłane z iPhone'a
Dnia Jun 1, 2011 o godz. 2:52 Max Wellhouse <dimwittedmoose@CFU.NET> napisał(a):
> Folks: I have experienced a strange but semi predictable pattern of
> engine mis-behaving twice now in the last two weeks and it's time to
> find Mr. Wizzard and get some thoughts on its origin. The van is a
> 90GL 246k on it. otor was a Boston Bob rebuild and has maybe 120k on
> it. Compression is down to 110 in one cylinder and tyhe others are
> in the 160 range. I do ohave that funky Haltec ECU system on the
> motor, so that could be giving me trouble and I have to use a Bosch
> ignitior wired in the system; it came fro ma junkyard like 10 years
> ago off an old Rabbit or Sirrocco.
>
> Dead sequence number 1: Was driving in the rain on the highway and
> the tach dropped out and the motor quit for like 2 seconds. We're
> back with minimal speed loss. About 15 minutes later it repeats that
> behavior and we lose a couple mph ands we're back going again. Then
> maybe 15-20 minutes after that it quits and dies. Five minutes later
> I try to start it, no luck, ten no luck, 15 no luck, so I open up the
> hatch and start poking around. The only thing I see is one of the GM
> style waterproof connectors with a rubber grommet loose and aI was
> thinking water got in there and shorted something out. I also saw
> some crusty stuff on the internals of the cap and rotor, so I
> switched out another used cap and rotor I had with me, but much less
> crusty than what was in there. At 30 minutes the engine started right
> up and gave no further trouble for a week. 30 min. to dry out the
> wiring seemed like a plausible scenario, so I didn't give it much
> more thought. I poked the grommet back in place thinking I had
> solved the issue with either the cap/rotor or the grommet..
>
> Case Sequence #2.Last Thursday night I left for a long drive to
> Duluth. Before I left town, the tach dies along with the motor,and 2
> sec. later it returns to life. About 20 miles out of town it repeats
> that same behavior(2 seconds dead and back to life). About a half an
> hour later in the middle of nowhere on Hwy 218 at 1AM, it totally
> dies. Three attempts to start it this time failed,so I took a
> nap. This second round of orneriness was NOT caused by rain or
> moisture. At 20 minutes it wouldn't start so I went back in the hatch
> and milled around wiggling wires etc. The grounds by the coil didn't
> look corroded, so I was thinking maybe the coil(which wasn't THAT
> old) or the Bosch ignitor might be the culprit, but not sure how to
> test them. My Hall sender is maybe 4 or 5 years old too and the
> plastic connector doesn't have any cracks in it. Regardless, it
> started up again at the 30 minute mark and hasn't acted up since.
>
> If what I'm describing sounds like Vanagon Syndrome, I would agree
> with you, but I'm using the Haltech, not Digifant. The Haltech has
> been repaired once a few years ago, so I'm left wondering if it's a
> flaky ground somewhere, or if this unique pattern is the sign of
> something getting too hot to function properly and the 30 minutes of
> rest gives it time to cool off and function properly. I drove the
> van another 5-600 miles with no further incidents over the next 3
> days. I have a substantial heat sink on the ignitor. These sorts of
> problems seem to not want to get fixed, but maybe this time it will
> be the exception.
>
> Thanks in advance
>
>
> DM&FS
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