Date:         Tue, 28 May 96 13:49 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Danke <JDANKE@macc.wisc.edu>
Subject:      Re: Head Temp Sender Tip!! (FI)

There must be something going around: I had almost the same
event happen to me on Friday night as happened to "Captain"
Jim Kirk this weekend. He's the guy who used a light bulb
instead of the head temp sensor for FI.
 
I left work around 8:30pm and drove north toward Wisconsin.
As I pulled into the last toll station my engine quit, and
refused to restart.
 
For the next hour I poked around the engine compartment
and surrounding environs (have multi-tester, will travel!).
I had some problems before, but this time I was able to
actually test some hypotheses with a hot (not overheated)
engine.
 
Voltage through the cylinder head temp. sensor was 10.5 volts,
which was the same as grounded, and the same as when the engine
was cold.  The resistance was around 1500 Ohm, I think.  I was
able to get the bus started, and I could make it stall by
disconnecting the sensor. So it can actually make the engine
stop, not just run poorly.
 
So I, too, was on the side of the road, thinking "resistor,
resistor,  where can i get a resistor?"  I ended up just
poorly grounding the lead from the harness.  My reasoning
was that the sensor only is supposed to have 60 Ohm of
resistance with a warm engine, so zero is a lot closer
than 1500.  My static timing light is one of those awl-like
things with an internal light and a wire terminating in an
alligator clip.  I couldn't get it to stay connected.
 
It got me to my mom's house OK, and I replaced the sensor
with one from a '75 (?) squareback that she is (reluctantly)
storing for me.
 
Monday afternoon I was outside of Madison, Wis., and my bus
wouldn't start.  It turns out that the sensor vibrated loose
(I was only able to hand tighten it because of crummy placement
and bent shrouding).  A friend of mine said I was sure lucky
that I know so much about cars.  I wonder if he ever thought
about the WHY and HOW I've had to learn about keeping 20 year old
cars running.
 
 
joel danke
 
Thanks to all who sent words of encouragement about the CV joints,
and thanks to the following for their insight regarding stalling:
30erainey@SOPHIA.SPH.UNC.EDU
carwile@ix.netcom.com
dworkin@village.org
 
Also, a special howdy to Chris in Madison, whose '71 Camper is
back on the road again! Howdy!
 
30SKUCERA@SOPHIA.SPH.UNC.EDU