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Date:         Tue, 16 Feb 1999 22:15:45 -0500
Reply-To:     Matt Greenwell <matt-greenwell@UTC.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Matt Greenwell <matt-greenwell@UTC.EDU>
Organization: University of Tennessee
Subject:      another gremlin
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854";
              x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"

wondering if i'm crazy...

this is going to sound a little weird, so bear with me. i have an 87gl westy. recently, i cleaned the motor and transmission exteriors with gunk engine brite and a power spray (local spray and wash). this is something i have done a number of times, with no ill effect (electrically, and etc.). well, after the last wash, i noticed that the van is....well...hypersensitive to that moment between acceleration and deceleration at around 3000 rpm. that is to say, cruising down the road, at around 3000 rpm, if i take my foot off the gas, there is a noticable jerk as the van goes from forward torque to reverse torque. when i give it gas again (same rpm) there is another noticable jerk as the van goes from reverse to forward torque. at low speeds (1st gear) when this occurs, the jerk takes on whiplash like proportions. the van didn't used to do this. the jerk is not accompanied by any clunking, or differential noise, and the van otherwise runs perfectly (a relative term). the van shifts smoothly, and i can move through the gears from 1st to 4th with no problems...the problem surfaces only when i'm "coasting", alternately pushing and releasing the gas pedal to maintain speed, and again, its worse around 3000rpm. i realize that a certain amount of this "jerking" thing that i'm trying to describe is perfectly natural, and i have begun to wonder if it's all in my head, but after driving it around town tonight, i'm convinced that the van is driving differently than normal. that the "natural" jerk has been somehow amplified.

i'm wondering if, as a result of the power spray, i've lost some sort of electrical connection, fouled some solonoid, or some other such thing that would explain this behavior. before you ask, i did check the electrical connections on the distributor, and checked the inside of cap for moisture. no moisture, and, while the wiring harness (which is attached to the distributor) is showing some wear, everything seems intact (and my guess is the van wouldn't run at all if this wasn't the case). my gut instincts tell me that this is somehow an electrical problem (distributor, sensor faulty wiring, etc), not a mechanical one-but i'm open to any suggestions. this is one of those things that i can learn to "drive around" but ...well, its difficult to describe how profoundly irritating these little gremlins can be. if anybody can help, it's someone here on the list.

matt greenwell 87gl westy chattanooga, tn


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