Peter, I don't have a syncro, so this may not be pertinent, but on the GL that I have, re-setting the O2 light in the dash does nothing except set the counter in the little black box down under the front of the van just above the spare tire. This is something you can do yourself, and avoid charges at a garage. The speedometer cable from the left front wheel attaches to the bottom of the box and drives a speedo facimilie, It just counts revolutions. On the top side of the box, another cable attaches, and that is the speedometer cable that actually goes to you speedometer in the instrument cluster.

The little black box speedo has a sheilded button on the top, and when the O2 light comes on at 60,000 miles, that button must be depressed to reset the black box speedo for the next 60,000 miles. It is not connected in any way or has any effect on the O2 sensor. All it does is tell you the O2 sensor has been in service for 60,000 miles and needs to be replaced. Put in a new one, and reset the O2 sensor button on the little black box, and you are good to go until the next 60,000 miles is up.

So forget any expection from that O2 lite and having it reset.

Now since it is unrelated except as a warning, you can ignore it.

When you disconnect the Idle Stabilizor, if warm, the engine will start right up and should idle steadily. There is an adjustment screw on top of the throttle body. On my van I can watch the tach as I turn the adjustment screw with a long "Snap-on" screwdriver. If the engine is cold and the idle stailizor is disconnected, the engine simply will not idle. It will start, but it will die when you idle it.

Once you have the idle set, and as I recall 900 rpm was right on, shut it down and reconnect the Idle Stabilizor. When you start your engine it should run smooth, no hunting up and down on the tach.

Shutting it down that way, kills the signal to the computer  and it has to get a new signal to start and fuel the engine properly for a cold start and cold idle.

Hope this has been of some help.

John Rodgers
"88 GL Driver
 
 

Peter wrote:

Hi John,
   Thanks for your response!  How did you adjust the idle speed?  Is there a screw near the throttle that you turn?  Do you set it at 900 RPM??   My idle speed is currently OK when I disconnect the idle stabilizer, will that change when I replace the O2 sensor?  I had my O2 sensor RESET, at about 60K then the light came on, but maybe it really needed to be replaced??
 

- Peter
'87 Syncro 84K
Honda CBR 600  23K
Reply to:  printstud@bigfoot.com
 

----------
From: John Rodgers <inua@scott.net>
To: Peter <printstud@T-THREE.COM>
Subject: Re: go to this link for pic- throttle spring adjustment question
Date: Sun, Oct 31, 1999, 6:46 PM
 
 

Peter, I had this RPM hunting problem on my '88Gl with the 2.1L engine.

First I replaced the O2 sensor, then with the engine warm, I shut it down, disconnected the idle stabilized, started it up, adjusted the idle speed, shut it down, reconnected idle stabilizer, started up again.

No more problem.

John Rodgers
'88GL Driver
 

Peter wrote:

       While checking the throttle I noticed that the spring does not pull the throttle all the way back to the stop which it can go back to. It's kind of hanging somewhere in between , in limbo!

see attached pic at:

 http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/Beltprob.htm )
 

 and see the pink arrow.
        I wondered if any of you Syncronauts out there have this same set-up?? Should the spring pull the return to the throttle all the way to the stop?? I am also having some idle variation, sometimes it hovers around 900 RPM (about half the time it behaves) as its supposed to, but then it will randomly start wondering up to 1500, or even go to 2-3000, then back down? or stay up? For no rhyme or reason that I can figure..... Its been doing this for years ( not just since I broke the cable), So I usually have to disconnect the idle valve. I wondered if these two problems are related and if the spring needs to be shorter to provide more pull on the return??

Thanks for any experience you all may have
- Peter
'87 Syncro 84K
Honda CBR 600  23K
Reply to:  printstud@bigfoot.com

  Picture posted/ hosted  thanks to: david
David Beierl - dbeierl@ibm.net