Date:         Fri, 27 Mar 1998 15:25:26 -0800
Reply-To:     David Bayer <bayer@SYBASE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         David Bayer <bayer@SYBASE.COM>
Subject:      Re: 93 Eurovan engine electrical problem
Comments: To: Carl.Scheider@STPAUL.COM
Comments: cc: vanagon@vanagon.com

>| This problem is a complete loss of engine electrical.  The engine stops,
>| and the tachometer goes to zero, even if the engine is turning while going
>| down hill -- trying to start the darned thing.  All other electrical is up
>| and running, the starter turns, etc.  It can be while idling or while going
>| 60 miles per hour!  The latter is called "An Event!"

        The signal from your hall sender is not making out of the
distributor (assuming the EV has the same distributor). These are the exact
symptoms that happened on my vanagon. My problem was caused by the plastic
elbow which comes out of the distributor to form a 3 wire connector cracking
inside the distributor. I had to pull the cap, rotor and dust cover to see
that due to the cracked plastic, the three wires going through the plastic had
come in contact with the distro body - thus the rpm singal used for engine
timing, fuel metering, and tach reading were shorting out. A little piece
of electrical tape threaded between the distro body and housing has taken
care of the problem for about 30k miles. Someday I will get to encasing the
wires in epoxy or silicon goop, some day...

dave