Date:         Fri, 19 Sep 1997 18:23:18 -0800
Reply-To:     Ron Lussier <coyote@ZUNI.LIKEMINDS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
Comments:     Authenticated sender is <coyote@likeminds.com>
Comments:     Resent-From: "Ron Lussier" <coyote@zuni.likeminds.com>
Comments:     Originally-From: "William Bayer" <wbayer@rb-link.dcmdc.dla.mil>
From:         Ron Lussier <coyote@ZUNI.LIKEMINDS.COM>
Subject:      Failure to start problems.
Comments: To: vanagon@zuni.likeminds.com
Content-Type: text

     I'm having a problem with a 1984 Vanagon camper with 116,800 miles.
     The car is in mint condition, uses no oil, no coolant leaks, no
     starting or running problems, except:

     In the last two thousand miles, it would not restart twice after a
     normal stop.  I got a yellow spark from the coil to distributor tower,
     and yellow spark from tower to spark plug lead.  Fuel pump came on.
     After the first incident, it was towed to the service location, and
     after dropping off the wrecker, it started normally.  This after
     several days of fruitless attempts to start it where it went down.
     The second time, it had been running about 300 miles, when it died in
     an intersection and wouldn't restart.  We pushed it out of the street
     and called for a wrecker.  About 1 1/2 hrs later, it restarted.  I
     don't know whether the engine died or my wife stalled it to provoke
     this incident, but it wouldn't restart. When it did get going, it ran
     okay for another 230 miles and has been starting normally ever since.

     In January, at about 112,000 miles, after driving about 700 miles at
     65 mph, it started to cut out and slow down, but after gradually
     losing speed, the problem cleared up and we came in the last 50 miles
     okay.  One previous time, it wouldn't start at about 90,000 miles.
     Then, we pin checked the computer per the VW manual (all normal), the
     idle stabilizer circuit, etc, nothing worked until it just started
     with full throttle.  It made a lot of smoke and got half the usual
     mileage on the way to the shop, where it mysteriously started working
     normally again.  Stumped the service people.

     We did have that problem of cutting out & running rough after about 15
     miles when the car had about 45,000 miles, but it seemed to cure
     itself and we haven't seen that for 7 years.

     I would like anybody's suggestions of what could be causing this.  I
     don't have Javascript available for "chatting".

     Thanks for your help.