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Date:         Thu, 6 Apr 1995 19:45:05 -0500 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         ringo@spike.aerodyne.com (Chris Getschow)
Subject:      85 Vanagon starts hard

Help!

My '85 Vanagon has trouble getting started. Here's the scenario:

What I do What happens --------- ------------ I get in and turn the key. The engine starts almost immediately, runs for about a second, and then quits.

I turn the key again. The starter cranks for as long as I hold the key, but the engine only stumbles a couple times and never catches fire.

I repeat the previous step The starter gamely cranks the engine but several times until I give up with each iteration the engine stumbles less in disgust or the battery often and eventually never fires a single wears down. (I have also cylinder. tried this while boosting the battery via jumper cables from my wife's Jeep -- which *always* starts, by the way...)

Here are some other clues:

The problem is worse when it's cold outside. Yesterday and this morning the temp was around 20F and I couldn't get the beast to start for squat. Yesterday I was able to drive the Jeep to work but today I rode my bike (18mi. each way ... brrrr!!).

When the temperature is above 40 or so then I can usually start it by partially depressing the accelerator when the engine catches and then driving away immediately. The engine runs rough for a couple minutes while I'm driving (in a low gear) but then runs smoothly thereafter. I can smell gas when I'm backing out of the driveway.

I have a couple theories. The first is that I'm flooding the engine by repeated cranking (it seems more likely to fire after I let it sit). The problem here is that it doesn't explain why the engine runs rough after starting on the first or second try. The second is that there's something screwed up in the FI system that's causing the starting mixture to be richer the colder it gets outside. I'm going to do some electrical tests tonight (per Bentley) if I can get the garage cleared out.. and then get the beast into the garage (the driveway's uphill). It would sure be nice if the Bentley folks included a little 'theory of operation' with all their pretty pictures -- they're a little thin on troubleshooting info, I find.

So if you've made it this far then you must care :{) . Can you help me?

-- Chris Getschow (getschow@an.hp.com, ringo@aerodyne.com) Bedford, MA '85 Vanagon GL


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