Sputtering in Ucluelet, BC

[atomatom]

great plans scuppered. probably optimism over prudence.

i'm broken down in ucluelet. not sure what to do, about to sleep where I stopped and seek mechanic in the morning. thought I would recount my tale to those who would understand, maybe there is advice, but if nothing, my notes on what happened.

a few weeks ago, van would not start. thought it might be low on gas. it started after some cranking and a bit of pedal. thought nothing more of it.

did some work on the van, rust body stuff, took out ecu (85 ecu in air vent) and AFM, reinstall and test drive, seemed totally fine. probably did not drive it long enough to get up to temp though!

fully load van up, with two kids. and head off this morning. van would not start in ferry lineup. bump started, laugh, and get on the ferry. van loses power going up ramp. gun it, and ok. maybe it is nothing. still in the excitement mode rather than despondent.

make it to van Island, van not running well. keep gunning it to avoid stalling when in the city. get it on the highway and it seems ok, but seems to miss a bit. higher rpm seems fine, lower not so much. sputter like low on gas.

put some fuel injector cleaner in, hoping maybe that'll help. buy a fuel filter for good luck (installed it this evening, no better.)

drove across Vancouver Island with no issues on the highway. just when going slow and starting out.

when hot, starting is challenging. will just about start but rough and any gas and it dies. cool it a bit, then start and gun it and able to limp to a place to try to fix.

checked vacuum hoses, found one split and leaky, cut it and no difference.

disconnect temp 2 sensor, and it starts and idles well, but still can't drive it without stalling. so, ok, maybe ecu is freaking out for some reason.

haven't checked ground resistance yet, but will at first light.

wondering if it is the coil. maybe mechanics can check that. not sure how, I wouldn't mind testing resistance, but the spark test scares me.

feeling pretty broken down emotionally. 12 year old was in tears, 14 year old had stiff upper lip, but was sad too. same for me. hope to find some resolution tomorrow, but pessimistic given remote location. we were supposed to camp down a gravel road 30 mins from town, but chickened out.

I know the best advice will be go through the ecu diagnostic. maybe also pull some injectors and see if they are injecting as they should. fuel pressure. etc.

bah. not looking like a simple fix, so not sure what to do. rent car/trailer. limp home how I got here, or at least to places with more auto parts.
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84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[jordauto]

Not the worst place to be stuck for sure. Hope you don’t have the choking smoke from the forest fires we have up in the interior. Check the air intake boot between the AFM and the intake manifold. Maybe the clamp wasn’t tight enough and it’s slipped partially off alowing unmetered air to enter the engine which causes it to run lean which can cause your symptoms. Also check the intake boot really closely for cracks and splits. Check the entire boot, even the underside. If you find cracks you might be able to tape it up for now to get you through your trip. If the boot checks out ok, it could be a bad AFM. Any decent shop should able to scope test it for you.

[Vanagon Nut]

Sorry to hear of your travel woes AtomAtom.

Try to recreate repeatable episodes. i.e. determine at what temp, conditions etc. issue happens.

It's a drag that your youngest is not happy but as you know, it's not the distance, it's the journey; he/she will laugh about it later.

You rebuilt that engine, you can diagnose. Find some time by yourself to sit with the Digijet pro training manual and your engine.

Sounds like an odd "combination" of cold or hot start issue but if feathering or "pumping" the gas is what overcomes the issue, that may be a clue.

Inspect your ignition wires.

I'm trying to recall the name of the shop but Vancouver Island should be rife with options.

Neil.
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1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA

1988 West DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[atomatom]

thanks both.

I'll have another look over it in a moment. fresh eyes maybe help. pray to the van gods. won't sacrifice my young ones, but the gods have taken the start of our vacation, worse than that, made me think of ditching the van and trying to rent a car/give up. (I may yet, because I love my kids more than my van)


my current fear is I am parked at a garage that I don't know and I don't want them to make it worse. feels like I should be able to make it home or somewhere with perhaps more van knowledge. then again, maybe they'll be helpful.


considering asking the shop if they can test the coil. or maybe I read more up on it. also aware I may just think it is that and it Is just a vacuum leak or a loose or cracked flakey wire.


maybe I broke a wire or something while working in the ecu area. have all the parts at home to rebuild the wiring harness, just never got to it. 40 year old wires cracked casing fun times.

noticed a wire not connected on TPS switches(two of them) but I recall this never being connected. feels like there are a myriad of rabbit holes like that though.

the thing that sucks is van was running great up until this no start issue a few weeks back (and that was before I poked at it).

will wake up, check all the hoses and connections. wish it was that simple; often is. maybe the heat dome cooked some van part. if it runs fine again this morning, i'm suspicious of the coil. if it flakes out when hot, maybe I can limp back to a parts shop

and yeah, I know the tears don't mean the end. the van is a master at teaching you to roll with it. the kids are alright.
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84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[atomatom]

oh. one more point. one that I feel really stupid about.

I had a 1litre Jerry can of gas for my chainsaw. gas was old, chainsaw would not run with it. how do I dispose of that? yeah, tipped it in my van. that was several weeks ago though, but haven't driven it that much. a trip into town and short runs to the beach.

so yeah, a squirt of old gas and some 2 stroke oil.

feel ashamed of that part, but it has had at least 80 litres of gas in the tank since then.
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84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[dobryan]

Have you driven though rain lately? I had similar issues and it was water in the gas. At least dump two bottles of Heet or similar gas dry in the tank and see if it helps.

The issue is that the grommet on top of the expansion tank in the front wheel wells goes bad and lets water in through the top of the expansion tank and it drains directly into the gas tank.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[atomatom]

.

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84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[dobryan]

Yaaay!
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[mikemtnbike]

Hey atomatom I think you have a vacuum leak.

Congratulations on finding it, hope the rest of your trip goes awesome.
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1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual

[jimf909]

My Mom would say Hallelujah! Leonard Cohen might say that that too. Enjoy your vacation.


Link

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- Jim

[Jake de Villiers]

Ah, yes, the old self-inflicted wound...

Glad you tracked it down!!
_________________
'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[9.5isCanadian]

My 81 would do this too.
I lengthened the hose to put a little pressure on the fitting keeping it in place.
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9 1/2 - missing a few pieces.

1987 Getaway Hightop
1980 Sunroof Vanagon
2018 BMW R Nine T
2012 Golf tdi

[Vanagon Nut]

_________________
1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA

1988 West DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[Vanagon Nut]

[atomatom]

yes, self inflicted. I had a hunch but I guess I hadn't harmed myself recently and those brain cells departed.

so glad it wasn't coil, but I will start packing my spare as a good luck charm.

that it worked when cold or at full throttle only now makes sense given the throttle air was always wide open.

also note to self, walking up at 4am, stress, panic, fear, does not help one check hoses. always an adventure, just relax into it.

back down gravel road, camping by the sea, everyone chill today.

thanks for all the support.
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84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[9.5isCanadian]

[Abscate]

Here’s more tough love

You need to up your game so you can identify every piece in your engine, know what it does , and know how it fails.

That won’t happen overnight or by watching YouTube’s.

T3 mechanics are retiring in LA, the VW Mecca. In 5 years you will be the only option to maintain this beast.

Vacationing with kids means getting in front of stuff so that the breakdowns are sparse and fixable.

These cars, since new , were designed for checks at every fuel stop, Ignition parts refreshed every year, etc

Make the commitment for the kids.
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.ssS!

[DanHoug]

[atomatom]

agree w/ the tough love. and also being able to fix it. i learned that one quick - unlimited towing insurance just drags you to the first mechanic in the middle of nowhere, while your family wait in hot parking lot - or stranded at a campsite if you were lucky.

we've been down 100s of km of forestry roads (i love this about the van and living in bc), have broken down with wildfires on nearby mountains, but have always been fortunate to find a place to fix things and had the tools/parts to do so. my kids know this. this time, no mom though, so they had to take a walk around town by themselves. at 12 and 14 years old this is fine. we are all good.

i will say this though, a van not starting is a lot less serious than a van not stopping. i will get my original brake lines replaced - no leaks, but, 40 years and i know some are crusty. i know how to check the steering, and i've replaced tie rods/etc. there are inconveniences and then there are tragic accidents. i have replaced fuel lines and have alum rails. even new vehicles are dangerous. while i was fixing a busted lifter someone flipped their car a few blocks away. prep, luck, and check problems sooner.

i'm usually pretty careful, but even so, i was in a rush getting ready to leave and didn't take the time to check the engine hoses carefully - or that hose fell out (mark mentioned it has a groove, but i think mine is so stiff - i had black permatex holding it in before, but that gave out i guess - either by my hand or by vibration.

anyway, onwards. thanks all.
_________________
84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[Abscate]