Hi Jay,
    The fuel injector = cable o2 sensor wire going to the ecu from the o2 sensor = connector is  a coax wire. When it fell on the exhaust it may have been damaged enough = so the inner conductor is intermittently shorting to the outer conductor.  = If yours is damaged beyond repair radio shack carries some coax that will work.
    When the coax shorts = it signals the ecu the mixture is lean and it starts increasing the fuel. The = mixture gets so rich the van looses power. When you restart the engine the = ecu gets reset and will run ok for a short while. 
    Sorry you don't have = any vanagon neighbors.  I have met the Rideouts from Evansville at several = bbta (busses by the arch) events. They have a couple of vanagons.      
 
Darrell
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Schmidt
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM =
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 = 11:58 PM
Subject: common power loss = prob-need answer

List, I searched the archives and = found others in my shoes but didn'tfind a solution. Here goes:
'84 1.9 runs fantastic = usually.  Occasionally she spazzes while cruising and won't accel even when the = pedal is floored.  Stop and idle and it is rough, rough!  Also, there = is poor pedal response from a stop-again an accel problem. Does this for miles = and miles with mpg suffering.  However, if I shut her off for even an = instance, power is back and she purrs like a fat cat.  =
My problem seems similar to others = in the archives, except it doesn't stall out, it is not hot/cold/wet = dependent, it is not altitude dependent.
Surely someone on the list has put = their finger on this seemingly common set of symptoms. Toss me a bone = please.
Jay, I own that (1) vanagon in Indiana
 
For you thinkers wanting extra credit:
More info, cause info is = good: 
1984 wolfsburg westy, equals power = steering, A/C,autotrans
Stock
Last year she got a new exhaust = and o2 sensor, mo cat, plugs, rotor, cap, air filter, fuel filter , phos-phree = coolant, one new head, new belts, battery, cleaned injecters, yadda = yadda...
Speedo says 138K
This may grab you->  I = recently noticed the green wire to the o2 sens had fallen onto the exhaust and = burned the insulation in one spot,  I elec taped it to = reinsulate--heavily so it would serve as a grommet into the cooling tin above to prevent this = from reoccurring.   I think the prob existed before she burned , = and does exist aft the fix.
I did not spring for plug wires = yet, but feel this is not likely causing the sx.
Thanks for loaning me your knoggin!
Jay