Date:         Sun, 11 Aug 2019 09:45:36 -0700
Reply-To:     Neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Engine quite, restart after <>10 minutes
In-Reply-To:  <A7F1D741-62FA-4BF6-A58C-14A04554BCE8@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

> Gas tank venting plugged?  Starving because can’t let air into tank. Can try
> opening fuel tank filler. If u hear a whoosh, that prolly it

This was my thought as well. (tank venting issue).

The trick is to find a way to recreate the fault.

AC was on so it must've been a hot day. A fault in the fuel tank
venting system could be exacerbated by higher ambient heat and
altitude. BTDT. Hot day, steep dirt road to "no where", fuel pump got
noisy, pulled over, engine died at idle. Removed fuel filler cap, it
started right up.

Bentley manual shows how to install a jumper wire at fuel pump relay
socket for testing purposes. If need be, you could at least cycle the
pump with engine off, determine if fuel is moving through hoses when
fault occurs. Hear if pump is noisy. I find that if there's any air in
the hoses, you can kind of hear it as it moves through hoses in engine
bay. A kind of "gurgling" sound. e.g. after one changes a fuel filter.

Neil.

On 8/10/19, Dan Lamb <vanagongramps@gmail.com> wrote:

> Gas tank venting plugged?  Starving because can’t let air into tank. Can try
> opening fuel tank filler. If u hear a whoosh, that prolly it
> Dan
> Country Homes Camper, the Huckleberry Sky
>

>>> On Aug 10, 2019, at 1:12 PM, Ray Brubaker <rayandmerle@gmail.com> wrote:

>>> .....And why would it then work again after 10 min?


>>>> On Sat, Aug 10, 2019 at 9:35 AM Ray Brubaker <rayandmerle@gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:

>>>>> ...... after cruising at 70 for about 15 min. and was in stop and
>>>>> go
>>>>> traffic for another 15 min. when I stopped at a red light. The engine
>>>>> came
>>>>> to idle then sputtered a few times and quite. Cranking, it would
>>>>> sputter a
>>>>> few times but wouldn't start. Pushed it into a median. Unloaded the
>>>>> back,
>>>>> checked the engine, found nothing amiss, checked that the fuel pump
>>>>> was
>>>>> working normally, tank was 3/4 full (tank was new about a year ago).
>>>>> We
>>>>> were running with AC on, temp was in mid range, not overheated. After
>>>>> about
>>>>> 10 min. I was able to get it to start and got going again. Slipped it
>>>>> into
>>>>> neutral and kept it revved a little at every stop but it still quite
>>>>> the
>>>>> same way in about 10 min. This time I felt the fuel pump while my son
>>>>> cranked the engine and thought I felt and heard something that may
>>>>> have
>>>>> been cavitation. Again after about 10 min. it started and we drove
>>>>> home,
>>>>> about 15 min., with no incident ( I left the AC off).
-- 
Neil n

VE7TBN

1988 Westy 50º ABA swap: https://tinyurl.com/yap5hpwt

1981 Westy 15º ABA swap: https://tinyurl.com/y9n4xob8

VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>