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Date:         Thu, 5 Apr 2012 19:32:39 -0700
Reply-To:     Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Metal can around distributor cap...do you need it?
Comments: To: David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

How much trouble?  For me, a lot...

Last night I made the beginner's mistake of replacing too many things at once.  Oxygen sensor, fuel filter, distributor cap, distributor rotor.  In succession, I started motor up outside my garage (experienced person's approach) after each replacement.  No problem.  Idled just fine, sounded good.

Trouble happened on the final test drive.  Drove a block...a little stumbling but figured motor needed to warm up some more.  Another few blocks..uh-oh...major stumbling.  Another few blocks.....dead.  (By the way, started right up, idled fine, but would not accept any pushing on the gas pedal.) Getting dark now, and chilly, and still a mile from home.  And parked half-way (actually only a foot or two) blocking a resident's driveway.

So...was it fuel or spark?  The eternal question!  Opening up the distributor under waning light, saw the problem:  brand new distributor cap had all kinds of "explosion" dust, and rotor was a goner.

Walked home, retrieved old distributor cap and rotor from trash can, polished them up with a rag as best I could as I walked another mile back to my Vanagon with darkness approaching.  Installed.  Success!  Packed things up and drove home.

Root Cause?  Me.  Did not properly seat distributor cap onto distributor even though the clips snapped on nicely.  Why?  That metal can.  I've wrestled with this thing MANY times before, after 160,000 miles of ownership.  Always been successful before.  Probably in a hurry last night, trying to do too many things at once. 

But that's the reason for my inquiry to the List:  if I don't need it and it causes me problems like it did last night, why should I keep it?  If the answer is "keep it", then so be it, I will be extra careful next time.

Gosh, my old 1970 aircooled bus had what looks like the same distributor cap, and no metal can surrounding it.....would un-snap those clips on that puppy, dress the rotor blade with a file or some croucus cloth, snap it back on, and be good for another few thousand miles!

Rich San Diego

--- On Thu, 4/5/12, David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> wrote:

From: David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net> Subject: Re: Metal can around distributor cap...do you need it? To: "Richard Koerner" <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET> Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Date: Thursday, April 5, 2012, 6:45 PM

At 10:24 AM 4/5/2012, Richard Koerner wrote: > putting things back on.  Do you need it?  I assume it's some kind of static-suppression device, but most modern radios

I think it's either AM radio spark noise suppression (along with the resistive high voltage wires) or protection for the unshielded part of the oxygen sensor lead, which is the only really sensitive thing back there, as far as I can see.  I have real trouble thinking that the ECU needs it, even though it's by the taillight on the 1.9s (and my 2.1l has one, and its ECU is the other side of a steel wall).  But clearly VW thought it was important, 'cause they spent a Deutschmark (or whatever) on it.

If you take the cap off every couple years, how much trouble is it really?  My only trouble really is forgetting to install it and having to take the cap off again to put it on...

Yours, David


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