Date:         Wed, 14 Apr 1999 11:02:07 -0600
Reply-To:     Carl Hammerdorfer <carlh@LAMAR.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Carl Hammerdorfer <carlh@LAMAR.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Organization: ACDI/VOCA
Subject:      The Dying 86 Vanagon
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

Hi,

Sorry to serve up this furry leftover again, but the panel is
still stumped.

Background:  My 86 Vanagon, with an extraordinarily strong
motor, dies on me from time to time.  I can bring it back to
life -at any speed- by simply switching the ignition switch off
and on.  It does not seem to respect any pattern in it's dying.
It does it when it's hot, when it's cold, when it's wet, when
it's dry, up-hill, downhill.....

My friendly local dealer told me I could fix it with a new air
intake harness, for which I happily shelled out $160.  Still
broken.  I replaced the coil, thinking that might be it.  Still
broken.  On the advice of the good people on this list, I
replaced my ignition switch, water temp sensor, 2 fuel system
relays, I checked fuel pressure and fuel pressure
regulator...blah blah blah.  But the thing is still broken.

Sometimes I can go several days without the problem rearing its
ugly head.  Sometimes it shuts off on me every quarter mile or
even more often.  In all cases, switching off the ignition and
switching it back on seems to clear the system and I'm chugging
along again, hitting on all four.

I took it to a mechanic.  He noticed this:  when it dies, there
seems to be a loud clicking or slapping of the valve to the left
of the mass air sensor.  (I think that valve is actually part of
the MAS)  He says that this butterfly valve opens when the
engine sucks air, but I seem to get this loud slapping when it
starts to die.  I said, "Hey, let's replace this thing for
$120"  He said he'd be happy to do it, but doesn't think it is
the problem.  He said he checked the MAS out thoroughly and it
works great.  I think he thinks that valve slapping closed is a
symptom of something else, but he can't say what.  HE thought
perhaps the rubber hose leading inton the MAS was collapsing
under suction pressure, thus not allowing air through and
causing that valve to slap closed.

Well, that's the history folks.  Anyone have any new insights?
I appreciate all of the previous advice.  I'm now several
hundred dollars into this fix, and have vowed to follow this
through to the bitter end.  Don't want to spend my whole
retirement though.

Any new advice will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Carl

86 Vanagon...

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