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Tue Aug 12, 2008 5:17 am

Hello, I'm new to the forums and Vanagons. I just picked up a 1987 Vanagon Wolfsburg weekender this past week. I'm sure this has been asked before and I did a search but I noticed and don't know if this is normal but cruising around town in 3rd gear around 30mph and 2100rpm I get a misfire/shake at partial throttle. If I give more gas it goes away. I also get a mild shake in 2nd gear at the same rpm and also 4th gear at the same rpm. I thought it maybe plug wires and such so I replaced them the plug wires with a Bosch wire set and Bosch WR7CC plugs. The plugs that were in it were the Bosch 3 electrode versions. Is what I put on correct? I also notice a shake in the engine at idle that is consistent. When I free rev it to like 2500rpm it gets a random shake every sec or 2. Any ideas? Thanks.

Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:28 am

Welcome to the obsession!

Our old Vans frequently have grounding issues. There is a large ground strap that goes from the left ( 3-4 ) cylinder head to the left frame rail. You might check the quality-integrity-existence of that strap. Next, there is a cluster of ground wires, all brown, sort of below the coil. check their cleanliness, and repair as necessary. They must be solidly grounded. Another similar connection is near the computer, under the back seat. Same requirements apply there.

Originally, there was an electrical shielding cap on top of the distributor cap. If that is missing, the computer can be seeing a lot of noise, and that can produce drivability issues.

Oh, and let me be the first to say- change your fuel lines, and inspect them frequently.

Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:59 am

The distributor does have the black cap. I was going replace the distributor cap and rotor but they looked good. It was however difficult to get the cap back on. I'll check the grounds also. As for the fuel lines, which ones are you referring to?

Also thanks for the welcome!

Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:39 am

All of the rubber fuel lines, from the tank to the tank, including the short rubber lines to the fuel injectors. Vans are bursting into flames on a very regular basis. This is not an exaggeration. The lines are the high-pressure fuel injection type, and most of the popular Vanagon parts vendors sell a replacement kit that has the correct type of hose, and new clamps with rounded edges that don't (shouldn't) cut into the hose.

Do a search on misfire, and you'll find that most folks point to the plug wires, cap and rotor, and Temp II sensor. The claim is that anything other than Bosch Ultra wires will fail in short order, and that Temp II sensors tend to be short lived. A bunch of good reading:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php?search_keywords=misfire&search_forum=20

Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:02 am

ONB is right, replace the fuel lines if you don't know their age. Do a search for fuel and lines and replace or replacing. Tons of recent posts on this subject. Ben did a nice write up I followed with great results. van-cafe.com has a fuel line replacement kit for $65.

http://www.benplace.com/fuel_line.htm