I'm stuck in Pueblo, CO with my 85 Westy and my incredibly good = spirited and encouraging partner, Kerri. I would appreciate any ideas = before I visit the VW dealer in the morning.

Background: = I just bought the Westy in Tennessee, and am driving it back to = Seattle. It ran great from Tennessee to Pueblo, and upon arriving in Pueblo today, and = driving in stop and go traffic for about 15 minutes in 97 degree heat, the = symptoms started.

Symptom: The 85 Westy's (with manual trans) engine cuts out, hesitates, runs irregularly, and finally dies altogether when it gets hot. This progression takes about 30 seconds. While the = symptoms are happening, I can kind of "feather" the throttle, and keep it = running for a little longer - especially if I can get it up over 2000 RPM. = Immediately after it dies, it cranks fine, but won't re-start. After letting = it sit for about 15 minutes, it will start and run normally for about 5 = minutes, then the symptoms start over again. I've repeated this process 5 = times now, and it acts the same each time. The coolant temp gage reads = normal (about mid-scale) all through this, but I'd guess the temp in the = engine compartment was the highest it's been since I picked up the van.

Here's what I've done so far, and none of this has changed the = symptoms at all: When I looked at the engine after it died the first time, = the hose from the crankcase breather to the air intake boot (about 1 inch = diameter hose) was sucked flat in the middle. It had lost all it's = stiffness - heat? and was floppy. I replaced it with a nice stiff hose of = just the right size from Auto Zone. Free too - it was a scrap. = Thanks Auto Zone. It didn't do any good, though, still had the exact same symptoms. After that, I replaced the air filter, cap and rotor, = plugs, plug wires, all of the little fabric coated vacuum lines, and fuel filter. The rotor was really bad looking - the center contact = was broken off from the metal strip leading to the spinning rim piece. Must = have been sparking across the little gap. And two of the plugs were loose. Anyway, that's all interesting, but none of it = helped. I brought all those parts with me "just in case", and it's Sunday = afternoon, so might as well put 'em in, huh? I also tried to replace the O2 = sensor, but couldn't get the old one unscrewed. It is full of gas & = oil level's fine.

Here's what I haven't done: Any real troubleshooting to = isolate whether it is a fuel delivery problem or a spark problem. I = guess I'm going to leave that for the dealer in the morning, but any thoughts on = these symptoms would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.