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ta373 Samba Member
Joined: June 08, 2015 Posts: 45 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 9:46 am Post subject: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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Hi all, had some odd behavior this weekend.
We stopped off at the market- about a 5 minute drive from the house, before heading off skiing.
The van started at home perfectly. Drove to the market perfectly.
When we came out after about 20 minutes in the market, the van started perfectly, but then the idle hunted around. Accelerator was unresponsive. Van almost stalled a few times. Pretty much felt like running out of gas.
Turning off the van, and restarting? POOF - van runs perfectly.
Is it the dreaded Vanagon syndrome? Van was in less than 5k miles ago for engine work (fuel lines and manifold/exhaust) as well as total cooling system replacement.
Would love any and all feedback - and thanks! |
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candyman Samba Trout Slayer
Joined: December 20, 2003 Posts: 2694 Location: Missoula MT
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 10:08 am Post subject: Re: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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Sounds like an o2 sensor issue. possible the shielding wore grounding out |
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Ahwahnee Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010 Posts: 9810 Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 11:42 am Post subject: Re: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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Definitely not the classic syndrome. Some experimenting with recreating the problem and noting when it occurs should provide some clues -- e.g. does it only appear after a few minutes running? Does it always occur under the same circumstances? Does the engine have to get warmed up or is it more time-related? Does switching the ignition off and back on clear it? |
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ta373 Samba Member
Joined: June 08, 2015 Posts: 45 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 2:50 pm Post subject: Re: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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Ahwahnee wrote: |
Definitely not the classic syndrome. Some experimenting with recreating the problem and noting when it occurs should provide some clues -- e.g. does it only appear after a few minutes running? Does it always occur under the same circumstances? Does the engine have to get warmed up or is it more time-related? Does switching the ignition off and back on clear it? |
-Happens only after a few minutes of running - not something that occurs if we're driving along at speed
-Seems to happen directly after starting only if the van is allowed to idle
-Shutting off ignition and restarting does clear it
-Throttle becomes completely useless - I can be floored in 1st gear, and only
barely be making any headway.
-If I rev the engine above 1500 RPM just after starting, it seems to prevent it from falling into the 'stumble zone'. |
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Wildthings Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50352
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 3:14 pm Post subject: Re: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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I am going to make a guess that a new set of spark plugs might fix this. My thinking is that on startup you are getting a miss and that miss is messing up the feedback from the O2 sensor. Shutting the engine off and restarting it again clears the miss and the O2 sensor is happy. |
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ta373 Samba Member
Joined: June 08, 2015 Posts: 45 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 3:21 pm Post subject: Re: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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Wildthings wrote: |
I am going to make a guess that a new set of spark plugs might fix this. My thinking is that on startup you are getting a miss and that miss is messing up the feedback from the O2 sensor. Shutting the engine off and restarting it again clears the miss and the O2 sensor is happy. |
Ahh - ok, Van Cafe tune up kit ordered!
Thanks for the heads up, I'll post back once I've swapped plugs and wires.
Happy holidays! |
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Merian Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2014 Posts: 5212 Location: Orygun
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 5:37 pm Post subject: Re: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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do the rotor too |
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ta373 Samba Member
Joined: June 08, 2015 Posts: 45 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 10:40 am Post subject: Re: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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Will be sure to do the rotor too! |
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Snort Samba Member
Joined: April 02, 2005 Posts: 1957 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 4:39 pm Post subject: Re: Stumbling idle on 91 2.1 |
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I had some erratic idle problems and a couple of stalls that seemed to be related to my throttle position switch failing with my 2.1. In my case it was a mechanical switch failure that couldn't be solved by adjustment. That seemed to be the right moment for me to replace the throttle body with one of the rebuilt units with sealed bearings and new switch. The idle has been steady and no stalls since replacing it last year. |
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