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Sun Jul 24, 2005 5:56 am

just bought a 82 westy. sat for 3-4 years before i rescued it.
Runs fine cold but if you shut it down it wont start if fully warmed up.
It takes at least 30 min. of cranking to get it restarted. seems to want to start if I crack the throttle
Fuel pressure is 30 psi at idle, 25 @ wot which is too low.
bleeds down to 20 after 30 min.
Have ran 2 tanks of good gas and cleaner.
changed filter
fixed several vac leaks
new bosch regulator
new head temp sensor. When I pulled the old one out some threads came out with it. the new one was installed carefully to preserve what threads were left.
fuel tank was cleaned and sealed by the PO.
the po did not complain of this problem so im assuming it has to do with old fuel. when i bought it the tank was 1/2 full of gas that smelled like varnish. I cut open the old filter and it was pretty close to being clogged.

Have not checked the pump output yet. will do the beer can test today.
How should I check the tank breather system?
I'm about ready to switch to carbs.
Can anyone help? Only paid $500 for the bus so I have some $ left to repair this issue.

Sun Jul 24, 2005 7:33 am

A lot of times when these cars sit for a while, various components of the ignition sytem age not so gracefully. The coil-distributor-ignition wires-plugs can get pretty cranky. :P Make sure they are new or have been tested to meet the spec in your Bentely. No platinum plugs either. Make sure all of that stuff says "Bosch" on it (although the case can be made for NGK plugs).

If you have points and condensor, change them out and set them to the correct dwell angle. 47* +/-3* Cap and rotor also.

Distributors can also get sticky as they advance and retard with changes in engine speed and sometimes will stay advanced after you stop and do not want to retard to a point where you can start the engine. Might have to go in there and clean the distributor and re-lube the pivot plates so that it slides smoothly. Bosch distributor grease only for re-lube please.

Sometimes the injectors need to be cleaned out and calibrated with new seals and hoses. Dead gas in there mungs them up pretty bad. Not big money to do so. www.cruzinperformance.com or yo can order up and change the seals for about $5 or so.

Change out the fuel line hoses also. Dead gas mungs them up. When you buy the new fuel line, make sure it is for FI as it is stronger.

Just like dealing with carbs, the FI can have NO vacuum leaks. http://www.aa1car.com/library/vacleak.htm If you have a vacuum gauge put that on there and see what happens. http://www.aa1car.com/library/vacleak.htm

Clean electrical connection help also. I went to Radio Shack and bought some contact cleaner and cleaned all of the electrical connections everywhere. Do the grounds also. Do NOT spray anything inside the black cover of the AFM though. Somebody did find a spider in one recently, so you might have a peak in there.

Spend some time cleaning and tightening the connections at the starter. The terminals at the top power up the double relay which powers up the fuel pump to get it started. Here is how the double relay works http://www.ratwell.com/technical/DoubleRelay.html

Do not forget the clean and tighten the ground strap that goes from the transaxle to the frame. Woven wire about 8" long.

Do that fuel pressure test EXACTLY as the Bentley tells you to prevent you from buying somehting that doesn't help. Keeep in mind that you have to have 26 psi for the thing to start. Dead gas kills pumps which are $160 http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=0580463016 You may have "tank crud" also. If you make the pressure gauge from here, http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=105556 , make that hose about 3' long so that it it easy to unscrew the gauge and fill up the container as per the Bentley to test for adequate pump volume.

Sometimes the starter in these cars gets all cruddy. Free to clean them out. http://www.hallvw.clara.net/starter.htm

A hot start relay is sometimes required for hot start problems. $20 from Bus Depot. http://type2.com/bartnik/relay.htm

Hard saying excactly why this thing was put away for 4 years before you got it.

If you are trying to fix and test this from your Muir book, you had best wait for the Bentley to show up from where ever you ordered it.

Dual carbs for this thing are at least $500, so don't buy them just yet. Single carbs don't work right for this thing or any type 4 engine. If you end up going to a shop and they suggest going to carbs, you need to find a better shop.

Get back to us and see if any of that stuff helps narrow down the problem.

Tue Jul 26, 2005 8:17 pm

Went thru all the tests in the bentley manual and found a bad air box.
The potentiometer was worn thru. causing a bad reading at the idle and start position
What is the best bet for obtaining a new one?
I've seen prices from 400 for new bosch to 150 for rebuilt.
Are these rebuilt units reliable????

Tue Jul 26, 2005 8:47 pm

Like most ALL things re-built you must depend on the skill of the re-builder.
Best suggestion(s) either follow recommendations from this forum for a re-built unit or pay the buck$ for a new one. There's a LOT of experience to cull from here and I'm sure someone has suggestions for where you might find good re-built parts

Sun Jul 31, 2005 7:20 pm

installed the new air flow meter and now the bus wont idle.
plugs read lean.
any more ideas?
the hot start issue is gone.

Sun Jul 31, 2005 7:54 pm

:D After the new meter is installed, you have to have it adjusted. there is a little screw in the top that adjusts the CO.. Take it to a shop that has a smog tester and have them set it for you. Best if the shop has VW knowledge.. It's kind of like installing a new carb and not setting the idle screws... just won't idle right. I believe that the O2 sensor only comes into play off idle, so the CO adjustment is critical to a good idle. Make sure that all of your tune up parts are good(cap, rotor, etc) they will affect(effect?) the adjustment. would hate to have you get it set, then put new cap and rotor on and find that now it seems to run bad.... :twisted: :twisted:

Mon Aug 01, 2005 4:03 am

it is a air cooled vanagon, no o2 sensor.
all ignition stuff is new and timing set correctly.
i work at a european garage and have access to a co machine.
never dealt with a fi system. and am learning alot.
i do the vintage cars that come in. most have carbs.
so most afm's need adjusting? thought

Mon Aug 01, 2005 4:06 am

I see your vanagon is slammed. how did you accomplish the drop.
How does it ride/handle.