Bus will warm up, but after tbat doesn't idle?? Please help!

[ClimbingNV]

So my 79 FI bus does this thing where it starts and will idle on its own until the fuel injectors get hot then it will slowly die unless you give it some gas. What could cause it and how can I fix it? This is my first bus and I'm trying to make it run alone so I rally so private your help, thanks!

[busdaddy]

A vacuum leak will do that, what seals and hoses have you changed?
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[Wasted youth]

[Thrasher22]

Usually vaccum leaks as mentioned. It runs initially because your cold start valve is giving extra fuel to the cylinders until the engine warms up, once it cuts out the engine doesn't have enough fuel.

Check (or better yet replace) all the hoses in the ratwell diagram, and take a look at the S boot, throttle body, CSV, EGR, and injector seals until you find the problem.
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1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701

[SGKent]

I would start with a tune up and valve adjustment. This one thing will fix my bus attitude has to stop unless you have some very expensive equipment to tell you what that one weakest link is. Hoses go bad, ignitions need adjustment, valves need adjustment, injector seals go bad and leak, plugs and plug wires go bad, vacuum leaks occur, PCV and EGR valves go bad, fuel filters plug etc etc. Use the maintenance section in Bentley and your owner's manual first.
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[Wildthings]

If it still runs rough when you rev it up then check the resistance of the TSII sensor.

It could also be that if the engine once did have a substantial vacuum leak and the throttle body and AFM were adjusted to account for it, they now need to properly reset.

[SGKent]

so you have replaced all those things in your list below. Did the bus ever run right while you have owned it?

*You indicated you were trying to figure out how the Samba website works. The Samba works well - sometimes we argue amongst ourselves like a bunch of siblings but we all stick together and welcome newcomers. You won't find better people or friends than here - and, you also won't find any mechanics who are better with VW buses than the folks here.

[ClimbingNV]

So I think this is where I need to post the rest of my bus questions? Anyway I un plugged the spark plug wires and all the cylinders work. So why won't it idle yet? I don't understand. Is it an air ful mixture or something?

[SGKent]

[Tcash]

[1967250s]

Check the brake vacuum hoses, too.
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'72 Elm Green Deluxe

[ClimbingNV]

Well I've replaced all the vacuum hoses so I doubt that's a problem. And the bus didn't run when I got it and I've been working on it to make it run.

[Randy in Maine]

ALso have a look at the little 90º boot that is behind the aux air regualtor. YOU will need a magnet on a stick to see itbut those like to split.

Here is how you adjust that AAR....

http://www.itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=7834

[busdaddy]

All the hoses?, even the larger oddly shaped ones between things like the AAR and Decel valves?, how about the flexible lines between the under body tube and up front where the body tube connects to the brake booster? (for now you can cap the connection at the plenum to rule out that system but the brakes will require more effort to stop).
If that doesn't help find yourself a trigger sprayer and put some gasoline in it, then as the bus idles spray a shot into the rectangular hole in the aircleaner that's visible when the filter is removed, does the idle improve or get worse?

You'll also want to make sure the timing is set properly, here's my one size fits all description of how to do it correctly:

[MaritimeBay]

Hold up, has anything been done with the distributor since you got the bus? If not, your bus may be out of whack because of an ignition tuning problem rather than a vacuum leak. When was the timing checked last?
_________________
1977 2.0L FI Westfalia.

They call my home the land of snow.

[Wildthings]

How hot are your intake runners after it has run a while?

[ClimbingNV]

So I finally got the bus to idle on its own. It's been going strong for about 10 minutes on its own! There was a little nipple on the air intake manifold (I think, I posted a picture of it.) turns out I needed to plug that and that's all! The nipple shouldnt be there because the part is from an earlier FI bus. So thanks for your help I honestly could not have done it without you. Now I need to figure out why its smoking so much?

[timvw7476]

She's smoking because she's stressed-out & middle-aged.

[ClimbingNV]

So my battery keeps dying on me and I saw that there are no wires connecting my alternator and my battery. So I got some 10g wire and some ring terminals to connect them but where should I put the ring terminal on the alternator to make sure the power gets transfered? And what's this about a voltage regulator? Please help ASAP thanks!

[Wildthings]

You can buy the complete alternator harness with the correct terminals, plugs, and grommets. They don't cost much and will have every wire you need. Search the classified ads here on Samba. The regulator lives on the lower right side of the firewall to the front of the engine compartment.