Date:         Wed, 9 Nov 2011 11:36:28 -0800
Reply-To:     jes poynter <clementineintwilight@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         jes poynter <clementineintwilight@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: '87 vanagon camper hesitating/bucking and burnin
              g gas in méxico
In-Reply-To:  <CAL=UKVhQ-j_yYF+QSL_cpAoXv3oCtz9rd0hWwqKU-y0JVC7LZw@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

good morning again all,
     so here's the scoop with our situation:

i have replaced the fuel filter and now am using the premium gas here in
mexico, as recommended by a few of you as well as a few people here.

we are cleaning all the grounds, only that one important one under the a/c
compressor that is the most difficult to reach.  i just got an extender to
do so.

i have replaced both temperature sensors.

now what's happening is the gas/bucking thing seems to be mellowing out.
yet the temperature light on the dash is blinking and the arrow is going
all the way up.  my concern is that the temp sensor II i got here is
actually for the other temp sensor... they aren't the same part, correct?
in our van, the temp sensor II (the one on the left of the thermostat
housing) is a square plug and the other (the one behind the thermostat
housing if one is standing from the back looking at the motor) is a
circular plug.  can someone please confirm that they are two different
parts and that i may have the incorrect one for the temp sensor II?  or
confirm that they are essentially the same thing and what else may be being
triggered, insofar as why the temp light is blinking and why the arrow is
shooting sky high?

another thing i'm noticing is that i am not hearing the fan working any
longer.  i noticed this a couple of days ago.  sorry to have not mentioned
it until now.  i feel like it stopped after another mechanic looked at the
radiator.  can i get some steps to fixing that also please?

next, the idle is still a bit nuts.  i'm going to try disconnecting the air
idle valve but am still trying to figure out how to adjust the timing.
seems like an easy thing but i'm feeling a bit overwhelmed as i've
mentioned.

finally, should i go ahead and reconnect the oxygen sensor since we're
pretty sure it wasn't acting up?

i'll be looking all this up too on my own, via the bentley and the
internet.  but i'm reaching out just the same.  thanks so much for all the
help!  we're hoping to go south at least a little today ? :)

On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 6:57 AM, jes poynter
<clementineintwilight@gmail.com>wrote:

> good morning all,
>
>      have been given some good suggestions about our problem(s) and
> although i am concerned about having explained the issues corrrectly, it
> seem that we've been able to rule out some things.
>
>      we disconnected the oxygen sensor, which was the most common
> suggestion, and the problem still occurs.  so we're going with that it
> probably is not that.
>
>      it's been suggested, more than once to replace the temp sensor II
> which, if my research is correct is not the coolant tem sensor but a
> cylinder temp sensor.  if any one is willing to elaborate more on this, for
> example how i can determine which one we would need (i believe it is either
> a square or a round one) it would be appreciated.
>
>      i feel as though i've checked all the hoses and everything seems to
> be connected fine.  i'm going to be cleaning the grounds this morning as i
> had to get some supplies for that task.
>
>      a couple of things i've noticed to add to the concerns are that when
> we start it up now, the idle is way high.  and just sitting, it goes all
> crazy jerky up and down.  another thing, we had cleaned out the AMF and
> found a little oil.  it was mentioned that a little oil in the intake was
> normal and nothing to be concerned about... then when i was underneath the
> engine, there is what seems to be fresh oil on the bottom.  perhaps i am
> just really naive and this is the way the engine is, with little bits of
> oil covering and seeping out.  maybe it's just dirty from all the gas being
> burned out.  at least it's not a big leak, right?  but i though i'd throw
> it out there at least to have my concerns dismissed.
>
>      i'm feeling a little overwhelmed, as if there are so many things to
> check and so many issues appearing.  so i am mostly writing to inquire
> about the damage we may do should we continue to drive in this state.
> we've been in one place for 2 weeks and things aren't really changing.
> we'd like to get back on the road and attempt to continue to resolve the
> issues and better the engine in general as we go.  is this a bad move?  i
> certainly don't want to do more damage.
>
>      thanks for everyone's time and efforts, they are very much
> appreciated.  i'll look forward to further education from all of you.  be
> well.  jes
>
>
> On Sun, Nov 6, 2011 at 12:22 PM, jes poynter <
> clementineintwilight@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> hello all,
>>
>>      this is my first email and i am new not only to the community but
>> also to working on my vw :)  i will do my best to be accurate and
>> informed.
>>
>>      we have been having issues with a lot of black smoke/gas burning as
>> well as the hesitating and bucking that seems to be so common with the
>> vanagons.  we have had the fuel injectors cleaned, the coolant system
>> checked out and have replaced the AMF most recently with the problem still
>> occurring.  we have had a friend here in the community send out our problem
>> to you all yesterday and received the suggestions he was given regarding
>> disconnecting the oxygen sensor and also cleaning the ground on the left
>> cylinder head, both the connections and where it goes onto, as well as
>> cleaning the distributor cap.
>>
>>      i do apologize but i need to ask for your patience and expertise
>> here.  i am more than willing to learn how to work on this myself and do
>> have a copy of our manual.  however i am writing for guidance and
>> elaboration on the above suggestions.
>>
>>      in regards to the 1st suggestion of disconnecting the oxygen sensor,
>> we did so at the connector and the problem seemed to persist during a test
>> drive.  i read elsewhere "Disconnect the Oxygen sensor wire and see if that
>> does not correct the condition. It is the green wire on the extreme left
>> side of the engine compartment."  and am wondering if this is a good next
>> step.  so i went out to take a look and am just not sure which one is the
>> correct wire.  additionally, there seems to be one wire already
>> disconnected, though it is a green and yellow/white wire with a yellow
>> rectangular blade terminal (i think) at the disconnected end. is this
>> supposed to be disconnected?  is this the wire to the oxygen sensor already
>> disconnected?  if not, what is it and do i let it be?
>>
>>      in regards to the 2nd suggestion, the easy part of cleaning the
>> distributor cap i checked up on and it is very clean.  the portion i am
>> having more difficulty with is knowing exactly where to go to clean the
>> ground on the left cylinder head.  i honestly don't know where it is.  i
>> apologize but am genuinely asking to learn from anyone willing to teach me
>> here in the community.  a picture or a place in the manual to look for the
>> picture would be very helpful to me as reference.  and again my gratitude
>> for your patience.
>>
>>      i realize i can continue to look up pictures of these parts and
>> glean info that way, which i will do, but i am reaching out as i have been
>> dealing with this issue intensely for almost 2 weeks, working with other
>> mechanics and not getting very far, literally as i am traveling with my
>> family in méxico but we haven't driven anywhere in days.
>>
>>      additionally, i should mention, i have been learning about the
>> "vanagon syndrome" and researching the fix with the capacitor/transformer
>> part and do see the options available there; i just don't want to have to
>> wait on a part another week if there are options to check.  i want to at
>> least be active in attempting to understand the issue and learning about
>> the engine.  i have been reminded that i can learn to fix these issues
>> myself with the help of those who know and are willing, as well as my own
>> motivation.  if there are any other specific questions i can answer for
>> anyone who is interested in helping me resolve this, i'll gladly do so, of
>> course.  and i think it should be stated that any other suggestions are
>> most welcome.
>>
>>      thanks!   jes
>
>
>