Date:         Mon, 18 Nov 1996 07:13:15 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Rob McGee <rmcgee@trib.com>
Subject:      faltering engine, brake light

>Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 07:09:02
>To: vanagon@lenti.umn.edu
>From: Rob McGee <rmcgee@trib.com>
>Subject: faltering engine, brake light
>
>This weekend we took AIMEE (the Adventures In Motoring '85 Westy) on a
shopping trip.  (The nearest mall is 160+ miles away.)
>
>Everything was fine on the way there.  Yesterday, I spent about 45 minutes
in Aimee with the heater on (temp about 20 F.) and the parking brake on
while my wife shopped.
>We then drove to another store and when leaving the parking lot of that
store Aimee faltered; i.e., when I depressed the accelerator, she slowed!
At this time I noticed the brake light on.  I confirmed that the brake had
been off, but the brake light stayed on.
>
>On the trip home, the brake light stayed on for the first 70 or so miles,
then the engine faltered again.  I steered toward the side of the road (no
traffic around), put the trans in neutral and "revved" the engine once or
twice.  The faltering stopped, and the brake light went out!
>
>About forty miles later when I had to stop for a stop sign, the brake light
came back on when I downshifted to third and slowed to about 36 MPH. (No
faltering, this time.)
>
>The brake light stayed on all the way home from that point.  Faltering
reappeared several times, always after having slowed down and needing some
power to increase speed or go up a hill?
>
>Questions:
>        1.  Are these two connected?
>        2.  Any ideas as to what is causing them and how to fix?
>
>As always,  your help is very much appreciated.
>
>
>Rob McGee
>
rmcgee@trib.com