Date:         Fri, 19 Nov 1999 10:03:08 -0500
Reply-To:     "Fitz-Randolph, Douglas" <dfrandolph@TALKAM.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Fitz-Randolph, Douglas" <dfrandolph@TALKAM.NET>
Subject:      Re: Loss of Power and surging
Comments: To: ghowald@HOTMAIL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain

<<Noticed that there was a serious loss of power ( etc... )>>

Gregg - I has similar symptoms last year - intermittently at first - then
more regularly. It all ended one night outside of Hartford, CT on my way
from NYC to Maine - I was going up one of the big hills just east of the
city on I-84 when I started to lose power - I was going about 20 MPH by the
time I got to the top - "Whew, made it!" It was about 1.5 miles (downhill)
to the next exit, where I planned to get off and see what was up. As I
accelerated down the hill, suddenly there was a jet engine-like roaring
sound from the rear of the van. "This is bad" I thought, but since the exit
was in sight, I kept driving. Moments later, a guy in a chevy blazer (ha ha
- that could be a pun I suppose) pulls along side - window rolled down, I
can read his lips yelling "Pull over! Pull Over!". So when I came to a stop
on the shoulder, I got out with my $10 fire extinguisher in hand. Sure
enough, flames were leaping up from under the rear passenger side of the
van. After first shooting myself in the face (#@%@!! It *was* completely
dark out), I extinguished the fire. It turned out the end of the muffler -
which I'll add wasn't in great shape to start with - and tailpipe had broken
off. The bumper end-cap on that side was a pool of black plastic on the
pavement, and the remains of the muffler were literally glowing bright
orange.

I had the van towed a few miles to a local garage. Diagnosis? They said I
needed a tune up. "Naahhh - couldn't be that simple" I thought. Well sure
enough, after new plugs, wires, etc., etc. the problem never returned! Maybe
an intermittently bad plug wire was causing gas to pump right through to the
exhaust where after driving all those hours it finally got hot enough to
ignite? That's my final conclusion. Maybe its that simple Gregg? In any case
- this goes for everyone - do carry a fire extinguisher! $10 saved my van.

Doug Fitz-Randolph
Yarmouth, ME
'90 Syncro