Date: Sun, 31 May 1998 20:40:45 -0500
Reply-To: Maureen Stretch <mstretch@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Maureen Stretch <mstretch@SPRINTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Hot Start, stumbling Part II (long)
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Two dealers, and another trip to mechanic and $617 poorer and sadder, the loss of power
and hot start problems persist. Thanks to all of you who warned me about the dealers
(one could not take the Vanagon on the day I had an appointment because I got there late
because of stalling, the other charged me $168 for a wiring harness and $209 for the
³labor² to install it.) One of the two dealers screwed the oil cap on too tight and may
have stripped it.
I took it back to the independent mechanic when it started losing power after the wiring
harness installation, and asked him to clean out the air flow meter area. That was $240.
So, up to now it has had: tuneup with new spark plugs, new oxygen sensor, new air filter, replaced idle controller valve with a used one‹mechanic cleaned the throttle plate housing and the fuel injector system, replaced a coolant line and fittings, and reset c/o and idle speed settings. Wiring harness installed and air flow meter and Fuel injectors cleaned again.
My next attempt is to get the coolant temperature sensor, which I understand is also
known as temperature sensor II, replaced. This was recommended by several on the list and seems to best fit the symptoms as far as I can tell.
Symptoms this week:
Loss of power after driving for about an hour or more on the highway.
Loss of power when a/c is turned on for about 10 minutes or more.
For a whole 7 days it would still start up again, but now when I make the mistake
of turning it off to run an errand,after driving it for a while, it will not start until
it cools completely down.
It seems to lose power whenever too much strain is put on the engine or it heats up.
When I tried to take it to the first dealer, I got caught in rush hour traffic, the van
stalled and wouldn¹t start. I called the dealer and told them I was stuck and had called
for a tow. While waiting for the tow, the van cooled down, I started it and got to the
dealer. They said they couldn¹t take me then, since I was late.
To get it off their lot, they had to start it. They said either a vacuum hose or a coolant
line had come loose. That did seem to cure hot starting problem for a while.
The second dealer chose to install the wiring harness without doing any other diagnosis.
I was able to drive the Vanagon out to the Berkshires for the wedding last weekend. I thought it was cured for the first hour of the drive on the Mass turnpike, but then it lost
power. On the way back, it lost power after turning on the a/c, and also after an hour of driving without any a/c.
This week I took it to the mechanic I have been seeing, he cleaned the air flow meter area, checked it out, and could not get it to stall or lose power and had no hot start problems.
At this point, I do not trust the dealers, and do not think the mechanic is able to diagnose
this.
There is another mechanic near me whom the PO did not like as much as the one I have
been seeing. This other mechanic, however, does specialize in VW¹s.
My plan is to call him tomorrow, ask him to change the coolant temperature sensor and check it out. I would call the $377 wiring harness dealer, but I think just talking to them will cost $60 and I doubt they will fix anything.
Does calling the other VW specialist and getting the coolant temp sensor replaced sound
like a plan?
I have a Bentley manual but know it will take me a few decades to get mechanically apt. Are there any hands on courses available for the tool-challenged who own Vanagons?
Has anybody ever really fixed the loss of power, stumbling, hesitation problem?
Thanks to all of you who have replied so far.
Maureen Stretch
Natick, Mass.
91 Vanagon GL Westy ³Johann²
