Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 09:30:00 -0400 (EDT)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: PhilGeller@aol.com
Subject: Losing Power
I haven't been on this list for a few years, but I have an emergency now and
I can't think of a better place to find an answer on a holiday weekend.
I drove my '85 Westy from the SF Bay Area to Lake Tahoe today. All was well
until I hit the Foothills.... I was keeping up with the rest of traffic on
I-80, cruising along at 70 mph. Going up the west slope of the Sierras I
slowed down... what else is new? I'm used to being passed by 16 wheelers
going up hill. But at about 3000 feet, I noticed this was much worse then
the usual Vanagon uphill experience. I had to drop down to 2nd gear, and
bottomed out at about 25mph. That's not cool for Interstate travel. I made
it up here, but the last few miles were tough. Even when starting out from a
level top, I could feel the loss of power. And I also notice a mild
surging... the power would be there, and then go away... in about 5 second
cycles.
I need some theories. Is this something I'm likely to fix myself with a new
fuel filter? Or do I need to find a VW mechanic in North Lake Tahoe (if such
a soul exists)? Of course you'll need some more information... here goes:
- I refueled in Rockland... just before I started to climb. Could it be a
bad tank of gas?
- I went through fuel really fast... like 3/4 of a tank over the last 90
miles. On the previous tank I averaged 19 mpg. (Maybe I didn't really get
it full? I think I did.)
- Besides going uphill, there is also altitude to consider.... things got
very rough at 7200'.
- I have 61K miles. It was tuned up about 1K miles ago. Compression was
fine back then.
- I had a fuel like repaired earlier this week, and rack & pinion seals
replaced... could there be a connection?
- My oil consumption is normal, but I didn't check it again after this
problem occurred.
These of the possibilities I can think off... but I'd really like some advice
to narrow it down:
- fuel filter
- air filter
- vacuum leak
- fuel pump
- clogged injectors
All ideas are welcome, as are any recommendations for a VW mechanic in the
Truckee or N. Lake Tahoe area.
Phil Geller