Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 20:06:16 -0700
Reply-To: Jim Arnott <jrasite@EONI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Arnott <jrasite@EONI.COM>
Subject: Re: 88 GL - Failure to Start - but now it does!! Hip Hip Huzzah!!
In-Reply-To: <539A6232.1050205@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Fuel economy.
Diesel Westy average cost over 66k miles: $0.127/mile
ABA gas powered Adventurewagen average cost over 12k miles: $0.189/mile
Diesel avg price: $3.32/gal
Gas avg price: $3.74
If you find a place where you can get “stuck” without diesel, please let me know where it is. I’ve never found it. In my experience, the further from civilization one gets, the more likely it seems that you’ll easily find diesel.
Jim
On Jun 12, 2014, at 7:30 PM, JRodgers <jrodgers113@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Jim,
>
> I've always wondered "Why Diesel?". Back in the day it made since -
> diesel fuel was so much cheaper than gasoline. Back then diesel was not
> a convenient fuel for cars either. Availability is so much better today
> - but you can still get stuck out somewhere, while gasoline is still
> everywhere. Another thing against diesel - fuel costs. The Oil companies
> have caught on and diesel cost is way up there. Do you really save
> anything driving a diesel Vanagon with a late diesel engine? (not the
> original diesel in the Vanagons.
>
> Just curious.
>
> Any and all are invited respond to my question.
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>
> On 6/12/2014 2:36 PM, Jim Felder wrote:
>> Cam sensor. Mass airflow sensor. Two things that will drive a car wacky
>> that I never even had to mess with on a car until I got a new beetle with a
>> bad head gasket! I tore up the cam sensor and went through coil-like
>> purgatory until I finally broke down and replaced that MAF. No problems
>> since, but it taught me that new engines have a lot more ways to give
>> problems than old ones. And coil packs... though I've never had to replace
>> one, people talk about them like they are disposable.
>>
>> I suppose that putting a modern engine into a vanagon would result in the
>> same problems. But as least you'd have a scan gauge on your side as a
>> diagnostic tool. My experience on my newer cars with that has been pretty
>> good. The things tend to know what they are talking about.
>>
>> But, maybe I will just keep painting myself into the "diesel corner" that
>> I'm in now. I own two diesel vanagons, no gas one though I started on them.
>> So demanding to build a good diesel engine, but so rewardingly simple when
>> you do.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 2:14 PM, Project Pat <psdooley@verizon.net> wrote:
>>
>>> On newer cars that is almost always a crank or cam sensor failure.
>>>
>>> On an old VW, you may be on to something there.
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> *From:* Jim Felder [mailto:jim.felder@gmail.com]
>>> *Sent:* Thursday, June 12, 2014 2:57 PM
>>> *To:* Project Pat
>>> *Cc:* Vanagon mailing list
>>>
>>> *Subject:* Re: 88 GL - Failure to Start - but now it does!! Hip Hip
>>> Huzzah!!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I don't mean to say that coils are the most likely culprit, far from it.
>>> But when a vehicle starts, and won't restart until it cools, that's when I
>>> suspect the coil.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
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