Date:         Thu, 27 Feb 1997 10:09:40 -0500 (EST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         jmglenn@grove.iup.edu (James Glenn)
Subject:      Sad story - HELP please (idle)

After the coolant hose blew on my '87 Vanagon GL, the heads poured forth. I
acquired some almost-brand-new heads ($500) and the gasket set ($250).
Lapped the valves good, plpaced the heads on glass plate with WetOrDry 320
saturated with WD 40 and made those babies as flat and smooth as possible.
But then - Scared to tackle this in winter, I bought an all-track Toyota.
Next summer my wife had an affair, we broke up, she took the Toyota, and
Vanagon repair was my only option. After scaring myself to death, me
underneath with the car  rolling off the front ramps with the help from the
back floor jack, I decided my emotional/mental condition was not conducive
to complicated operations. I took it to the local import guys.

They did a fine job, I was out $600 - only problem, they couldn't get the
idle to stay steady. They adjusted it high - when cold it revs to 2500-3K,
but when warms drops to 800-1500 and ranges bak and forth in a kind of
regular pattern. Never dies, never fails to start, runs good under load,but
this constant idle fluctuation has me worried.

The import guy says I need a new throttle body. Various people on the list
have suggested a new wiring subassembly for a similar but different
problem. Someone else mentioned a 100 mFd capacitor in the existing wiring.

The car sat for a year before I got it fixed, in a damp garage that oozed
clay every winter, and dampness caused some corrosion everywhere
underneath. I'd like to get this fixed with the RIGHT technique (can't
afford to try everything) before I sell it right after the bankruptcy
proceedings are done.

Any help/advice/tests would be appreciated.

====>James Glenn
     jmglenn@grove.iup.edu (work)
     jmglenn@mail.microserve.net (play)