Date:         28 May 1996 08:05:40 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Michel (O'Hara) Escaravage <mescarav@fisher.sunnybrook.utoronto.ca>
Subject:      Re: 85 Vanagon Feedback

In <D0BA33F77C3F008935@UPR1.UPR.CLU.EDU>, A_OLIVARES@upr1.upr.clu.edu wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>Does anybody knows if this year was a problematic one? I have a 85 Vanagon
> and I see too many negative messages about this year. In fact I have an
>intermittent rough running in my wasserboxer. I changed the ignition cables
>the ignition cap, the rotor and the coolant sensor and still once in a
>while the van runs roughly and in other moments it runs fine. Is this a bad
>O2 sensor or flow meter? The injectors work perfect and the electrical     
>signal goes straight to the ignition. What is happening?!? Any help would be
>appreciated. Thanks to all.
>
>Angel
>78 Caribbean Westy
>85 EcoVanagon GL

   I don't know if I can contribute any words of wisdom for your idle
problem- maybe you're getting water in there someplace. I have a
problem whenever the roads get really wet- I come to a stop and she
begins to idle rough and then stalls. I gave the electrical contacts a
quick spray of silicon, but I guess I'll have to wait until it rains
again to see if it's done the trick.
   In defence of the 85, I've owned mine (a bronze Westy now named
Indica) for a year now and have made 2 trips from here (Toronto) to Halifax
(ahhh, Halifax....), a trip to North Carolina, and have driven all
over Southern/ Eastern Ontario as well as using her as a daily driver
all winter in TO while I've been on co-op. Never once, with the
exception of a frozen gas line early in the winter, has she ever let me down. 
Sure the cooling system is poorly designed and the 1.9L is
underpowered. Sure it handles like a pig in the wind. But I strongly
believe that if I take care to keep an eye on all of the known areas
of difficulty that this van will always get me wherever I'm going and
back again.... and it certainly looks much better than those new
eurotrashers... :) 
   Stones came over on Saturday and we spent the day puttering,
sipping on bottles of Sleemans and enjoying the sunshine. Since he's
got an 85 as well, I was able to have something to compare mine with. 
Strangely, I have a weird looking plug mounted to the right hand
side of my alternator that isn't conected to anything, and this wasn't
on Stones' alternator. What the begeezus is this thing? 
   
Mike Esc.
85 Westy INDICA
Toronto