> > OK, here's the latest weirdnesses with my 81 Westfalia... > > Weirdness #1: the cold-start engine noise. It sounds like baseball cards in > the spokes of your bicycle wheels, for those of us old enough to remember > before baseball cards were "collector's items" and there was no reason not > to casually destroy them. The noise diminishes but does not disappear > completely when the bus is in gear and rolling, louder in neutral. Also > louder when braking or facing downhill (center of gravity shifted forward). > After 5 minutes or so the noise stops and will not recur until I park it > and let the engine get _completely_ cold, like all day or overnight. Even > after sitting for an hour or so -- no noise on restart. It sounds more like > plastic than metal, I've tried sticking my head into the engine compartment > but I can't seem to localize it. Sounds like stuck lifter. Try my favorite fix: All quart of ATF fluid, run till good and hot or until fixed. Then drain and refill with oil. > > Weirdness #2: the not-hot-start. When the engine is *really* hot, like > after a couple of hours of highway driving in 95-degree weather with the > a/c running, if I stop briefly (like for gas) when I try to start her up > the engine turns over veeeerrrrry slowly and reluctantly, and won't catch. > I have to sit for about 10 more minutes, and then she starts right up. I've > also gotten it push-started by getting it rolling only as fast as I could > push it by myself on a level surface, probably 5 mph max. Could be a couple of things. As a diagnostic, retard the timing and see if that doesn't cure it. If it does, it's a distributor sticking. If it doesn't, starter could be binding when hot. TBill ***The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread*** |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.