Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2011 14:40:27 -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: Misfire when coasting?
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I don't use any feeler gauges to adjust the throttle switch.
your goal is ..
it closes as close to zero throttle as you can get it,
and it makes contact every last time for sure.
if the switch closes far away from zero throttle..
you can get very uneven running at low rpm, bucking almost.
if it's running really right, not that you should..
they can pull smoothly from barely over 1,000 rpm.
though *everything* has to be near perfect for them to do that.
fwiw..
on an recent 84 with 1.9 wbxr ..
that van runs 'unevenly' during acceleration......which I attribute to a
tired air flow meter.
it also had a history of cutting out / loosing power.
I put in a new Hall Sender.......a new coil. a new igniter. and a
functioning Idle Stabilizer ( looking for a source for new ones ) ..
those 4 ignition parts ( and the very first thing I check on every
waterboxer van I see is the throttle switch ..
fully half to 3/4ths of them are not working right , btw. )
so that's good on this van.
it ran so smoothly in the lower rpm ranges it was just amazing.
still has a bit of 'lumpiness' in the acceleration due to the AFM I
believe..
but unusually smooth ..
you could drive around a corner and pull away from the corner at 1,500 rpm
and light throttle just as smoothly as could be.
ideally ..
a new Air Flow Meter every 60,000 to 80,000 miles would be about right.
They usually run ..
but they get glitchy and uneven eventually. You can read all about that
online of course.
there is an old rule in running diagnosis ..
from the carb era, but it still applies.
first ..engine condition - compression, vac leaks, etc.
second...ignition system ..everything about it, coil, wires, igniter , hall
sender etc. etc. etc. etc.
and then, finally ..
and only after those two areas..
THEN work on fuel system.
it's like two fires intersect in the combustion chamber.
one is the spark,
the other is the fuel/air mixture.
if either is weak or not right ..
it can't work right or completely right.
since the ign is the first 'fire' that starts the real fire, or combustion
event..
it only makes sense to make sure Ign is right first.
huge affect there.
if you convert an points ignition car to electronic ignition..
just that one change can significantly 'wake up' the car.
Better stronger starting, better throttle response etc.
it really pays to have very healthy ignition.
They can often work..
but I'd say ..roughly ..
in waterboxers, that often the Ignition is only working at about 75 % of
what it once did.
which causes all kinds of problems.
that can even look like fuel problems.
and make idle switch close very close to zero throttle ..
and 'every last time' you release the throttle for sure . They tend to hang
up a bit .
if that switch is not telling the ecu it's 'idle' ..
it can't work right.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Lapp" <carrothospital@GOOGLEMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2011 7:28 AM
Subject: Re: Misfire when coasting?
>I unplugged the O2 sensor and adjusted the TPS. I didn't have my feeler
> gauges with me, so I just roughed it, but it's better than before. It was
> a
> bit out of alignment. It would click closed, but it would click when it
> still had nearly a quarter inch gap at the stop screw. I tested the
> resistance and it seemed to be fine. So far, I haven't heard the
> "misfire".
> I may just need to drive it around some more and listen. Good thing I
> decided to take a look, because I also discovered one of my plug wires
> that
> decided to disintegrate. Another thing for the list!
> Now to research more exhaust systems...
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 12:58 PM, Peter Lapp
> <carrothospital@googlemail.com>wrote:
>
>> Well, you're right about that. I looked on cip1 and they are out of
>> stock.
>> The Bus depot kit is cheaper than I thought, but it doesn't include
>> hardware, straps, or the cat. Chris got back to me about the SS pipes,
>> which
>> is still tempting. Unfortunately, there will also be extra cost of having
>> someone else install it. Everything is so rusty and I told have all of
>> the
>> tools/expertise to remove it. I would just make matters worse. I may take
>> it
>> by a shop and see what they would charge for the pipes and labor, and
>> then
>> what they would charge just for labor.
>> Next, I've gotta check that tps....
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 11:42 AM, miguel pacheco
>> <mundopacheco@gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> You won't find favorable S&S testimonials. Looks like only me and some
>>> other fortunate soul have anything good to say, though on VWVortex,
>>> there
>>> are some who have not suffered as much as others, because they applied
>>> good
>>> exhaust paint, prior to installation.
>>>
>>> Miguel
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>