Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:26:57 +0000
Reply-To: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Fuel System or Electronic?
In-Reply-To: <CAMjSMWvqHabM+009RAAn=wpA7c+=bE-4HqML-AsSv9Xzmj0ROA@mail.gmail.com>
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Ahh, this is good. Yesterday I inquired about proper method for cleaning engine bay and engine, whether by myself or "experts" on Craigslist. The advice was to do it yourself.
And now I'm thinking to go an "extra step" towards reliability. So...I will unplug, one at a time, every connection I can see. (Will first disconnect the battery.) Clean up the terminals and connections with appropriate stuff; steel wool, small file, fine sandpaper, Xacto knife...you know the drill. And before plugging back together, I will pay attention to how things are connected. I will apply the appropriate grease to prevent corrosion (Vaseline is good for widely spaced terminals where you want conductivity); the dielectric grease is for very closely spaced connections where you don't want possible conductivity.
So whether Subie conversion like mine or original WBX, to me it seems like solid electrical connections are a must do. All of these are 25 or 30 years old. And I live near the ocean...salty air.
Rich
San Diego
On Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 3:33:21 PM PST, Ryan Cresawn <jrcresawn@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
Mark,
In October 2017 I had similar symptoms with my 2.1l WBX engine. I turned
the ignition key on a cool morning and found that the engine would struggle
to start and run without constant pressure on the accelerator pedal. In the
Bentley I found instructions for measuring electrical resistance on what I
believe is an air intake temperature sensor. I can't remember the exact
details at this time, but I recall the solution. I disconnected the
electrical connector from the sensor, sprayed it with electrical contact
cleaner, dried it, and reconnected it. After that the engine cranked and
ran well. I have not had the symptom or cleaned the connector again in over
a year.
This link is to a photo of the connector. Notice that the two center pins
are darker than the two outer pins. I believe the darker pins were corroded
and were poor conductors.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/b95yd13CLYtktqNM7
I hope that helps.
My best,
Ryan
On Tue, Nov 13, 2018 at 3:05 PM Mark Pinnell <mark.stuart.pinnell@gmail.com>
wrote:
> A little back story first. Recently returned from a 2300+ mile trip from
> our home base in Ontario (last trip of the season as she goes into storage
> in two weeks). Pearl, our 1985 Westfalia performed flawlessly for a thirty
> plus year old vehicle, until the last 60 miles. I could feel a sudden loss
> of power at 60 mph and, although she did get us to a nearby rest area, she
> did not want to idle and I had to pump the accelerator pedal to keep the
> revs up to get her to a parking spot. When we came back out, it was a very
> rough start and again had to push/pump the accelerator to keep her going.
> As we were close to home, we decided to try to limp home.
> Basically had to keep the pedal near the mat on flat ground, could let up a
> little on the downhill, and matted her anytime there was a hill. The
> passing gear cut in below 50 mph and she sounded OK above 3000+ rpm.
> Thankfully, we got her home without further incident...
> When I cycle the key, the fuel pump does do its thing for a very brief
> (maybe a second) time, but it sounds quieter than normal.
> Did some research and checked that the fuses in the front fuse block are OK
> (they are), switched the two relays inside the covered box on the right
> side of the engine compartment to test the fuel pump relay and reversed the
> polarity on the fuel pump in case there were any stuck particles/sediment
> affecting the operation. I also inspected the white plastic tanks and all
> of the fuel lines that I could trace for cracks and/or leaks,but nothing to
> report. She does sound normal when and if I can coax the rpms up.
> Net result = 0. Symptoms remain the same.
> I will next check for fuel flow, and while my gut tells me fuel pump, just
> wanted to get wiser/more experienced views as to how I might proceed. I'm
> guessing that it may be electrical as well, or in addition to.
> I put a new fuel filter in before we left, and the spark plugs probably
> have 25,000 miles on them, but as I have new ones I plan on replacing both
> tomorrow (weather permitting as we may get 8-10" of snow tonight).
> I apologize for the lengthy post, but figured the more information the
> group had, the better.
> Any guidance, thoughts or direction would be greatly appreciated.
> Mark
>
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