85 vanagon cold idle 400-500 now no start

[jbhurley92]

Hey guys still having this same issue cold start idles very poorly 400-600 stalling often with rich smelling exhaust. This morning decided to take it to work since I have a festival in 2 weeks and it kind of shuttered then stalled now no start.

Left it on the side of the road, the last few months it has been idling like this and once warm it drives and acts normal. This morning was really bad idling and like I said stalled driving and now a no start. Does anyone have any ideas? gotta get this bad boy running in about 2 weeks.

[brickster]

Open up your Bentley (or download Digijet Pro Training manual). Disconnect the computer harness and test all of your sensors (in particular, the temperature sensors). Report back here.

If the temp sensors are OK, remove your auxiliary air regulator. Inspect and test. If cruddy, clean it out and re-test.

[jbhurley92]

[mikemtnbike]

If you were unplugging things, make sure your AFM is plugged in and check it's function.
_________________
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

[jbhurley92]

[brickster]

[jayinduluth]

When I put a "new" AFM from one of the vendors in my 85, it ran like yours - which is to say, it didn't run. I wound up sending it back, but looking back, I think the problem was with the timing, but I'm struggling to remember if I could even get it to run at all with the new AFM. I didn't have a timing light back then, so I might have just given up on that new AFM. I would say, if you can get it to run with your foot on the gas, get it warmed up, then try and time it and see what happens.
_________________
85 Westy with 91 2.1L

[jlrftype7]

[1] Two things I've experienced that are similar to your issue.
Check your engine grounds, esp on the Drivers Cyl. Head and out to the connection under the Ign. Coil.
I had a similar issue kick my butt for awhile when we first got our '84.
I cleaned the Bolted Eyelet Connection on the Drivers Cyl. Head by the A/C Compressor, and I cleaned the eyelets under the Ign Coil connection,
BUT, I had enough rust in the welded nut of the body for that bolted connection under the ign coil, so the resistance wasn't going low enough for the Fuel Injection System to be happy. Running a tap or rethreading tap didn't begin to clean up the threads enough since the contact ratio of tap to welded nut threads isn't that high of a percentage.
I had to sand some paint around where the eyelets bolt up on the body itself, get a fresh metal connection for them to be clamped against, then add protection to that bare metal and the eyelets once the bolt was installed.
Got rid of my very rich running condition after starting.

[2nd One] Twice I've had enough leakage from the Crankcase breather hose to affect the idle quality and cause dying out at stops.
1st time I had a fairly new hose split on the bottom of the hose, so it wasn't that easy to spot
2nd time was more my own fault , recently smoke tested the engine and found that since I didn't clamp the hose connection to the Breather Tower when I replaced the Above ^^^^ Hose in the past, it was now leaking around the Breather Tower.
_________________
'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto

[Vanagon Nut]

[Ahwahnee]

[DanHoug]

you actually have a gift of a no-start right now, much easier to diagnose than an intermittent. so. go back to basics:

- confirm spark at the spark plug by putting in ANY spare to the plug wire and lay it against the engine. even a lawn mower plug. keep the old one in.

- if spark, confirm fuel squirt out the injectors. remove the 10mm bolt holding the injector pair down and gently lift them up while a helper cranks the engine. you should see them mist/squirt.

this is the very basic place to start and come back here with results and for more help. otherwise, we're just monkeys at a typewriter.
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[jbhurley92]

[jbhurley92]

[DanHoug]

ok. time to take the spark plugs out.. all of them. are they wet? black? ground the ignition coil lead and crank it a bunch to air the cylinders.

then put a fresh new set of plugs in and try it. does it pop or fire at all? report back.
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[jbhurley92]

[jbhurley92]

[jbhurley92]

[Vanagon Nut]

[atomatom]

there are so many hoses. it is easy to have one pop out when you're working on things. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9690276#9690276 - the plastic connector in that pic is now pushed in correctly with the groove in the boot ridge.

another classic failure is the oil breather hose (left on the linked photo) - can often rot and be full of holes on the bottom side

the crappy aux air 90 elbow connector on mine used to always come off. has since been zip tied and rtv'd. (that is the other end of the popped off hose in photo)

unlikely to prevent starting, but also check all the small vacuum hoses, they are often cracked. replacing (or trimming the cracked ends) made my idle stable.
_________________
84 Vanagon Westy, 1.9L, California raised but defected to Canada.

[DanHoug]

_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com