Date:         Wed, 13 Oct 1999 22:17:04 -0700
Reply-To:     "Tom L. Neal" <jneal@NETCOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Tom L. Neal" <jneal@NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      2nd most important waterleaker specialized measurement device
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

After a bunch of miles on an '87 syncro waterleaker, listening to a lot of
list wisdom, and talking over van reliability with Darrell Boehler and
others, I've concluded the digitool is a critically important measurement
device for the waterleaker owner who wants to anticipate and quickly solve
many common fuel injection problems.

The digitool allows monitoring of most electronic fuel injection control
signals.  Every day or two some new message on the list discusses
hesitation, cutting out, running rich, no-power-to-the-ECU-shutdown or
some other FI type problem. About 90% of those problems would be quickly
diagnosed with a digitool.  Without digitool or some equivalent FI
monitoring equipment, these type of problems waste many hundreds or
thousands of dollars in false or preventable repairs, not to mention the
disruption to trips, lost time, and the fear and uncertainty about whether
the van will keep running properly (BTDT, all of it).

The $100 digitool is an incredible bargain and is worth much more than
that. I was originally concerned about how invasive the system is, but
have concluded, for many reasons, that Darrell has a sound design if
implemented correctly.  Digitool....my van does NOT leave the driveway
without it.

As valuable as the digitool is, Darrell suggested that another specialized
tool was even more important.  After thinking about it and modifying his
suggestion slightly, I agree that the extremely valuable Digitool, or its
equivalent, is the second most important specialized measurement device for
a waterleaker.

...to be continued....

Cheers, Tom Neal