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chachi
Samba Member
Joined: November 18, 2003
Posts: 870
Location: PNW
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 Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 11:39 am Post subject: van died, now won’t start (solved! fuel pump connection) |
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van has been running well, but this morning I went to leave and it cranked but didn’t catch. tried that a couple times and then let it sit for a second, and it started and ran fine. I stopped for my appt, it started back up fine, stopped by a gas station and it started fine, but then died at an intersection and now will crank but not start. I tried to start it a few times and it finally would catch and run but rough and every time I tried to give it gas it died and now intermittently won’t even crank. I checked the fuel line at that tiny screw and there is gas there. it’s behaving like it did when I lost the coil some months back but…pretty fresh coil. is it possible for a coil to go bad again so soon? any other suggestions? thanks for any ideas!
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'74 transporter panel
'91 vanagon carat NAHT
Last edited by chachi on Sun Oct 05, 2025 12:34 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Xevin 
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Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 8877
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 11:46 am Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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You need to drive the van more often and drink beer with me  
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chachi
Samba Member
Joined: November 18, 2003
Posts: 870
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 11:48 am Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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ha! I have been driving this sucker every day and it’s been great! come to the side of the road at 99th and division right now w a six pack you’re on!
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'74 transporter panel
'91 vanagon carat NAHT |
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Xevin
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Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 8877
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 11:50 am Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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You want me to grab a coil and bring it to you?
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Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| I respect Xevin and he's a turd |
| SGKent wrote: |
| My God! Xevin and I 100% agree |
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 8559
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 12:00 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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| chachi wrote: |
| it’s behaving like it did when I lost the coil some months back but…pretty fresh coil. is it possible for a coil to go bad again so soon? |
It may not be the source of your problem, but to answer ^that question, yes, unfortunately.
_________________
~Kamz 
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
 1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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MarkWard
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Joined: February 09, 2005
Posts: 18986
Location: Retired South Florida
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 12:10 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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| A timing light is the easiest way to check for spark. |
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chachi
Samba Member
Joined: November 18, 2003
Posts: 870
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 12:36 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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if ever you had any doubts about Xevin being the most insanely good person on the planet he is indeed dropping everything and bringing me a coil. I am so incredibly grateful for him and honestly the whole PDX vw community. putting it in writing Xev, I owe you big beers.
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'74 transporter panel
'91 vanagon carat NAHT |
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 4726
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 12:51 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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If it DOES turn out to be a coil, please post numbers of the fairly new one that died, and the one Xevin is lending you.
At this point, if it's the coil, we'd have to start a thread of WHY DOES THE DIGIFANT system eat coils...  
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'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 |
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Xevin
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Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 8877
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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| chachi wrote: |
| if ever you had any doubts about Xevin being the most insanely good person on the planet he is indeed dropping everything and bringing me a coil. I am so incredibly grateful for him and honestly the whole PDX vw community. putting it in writing Xev, I owe you big beers. |
Aww shucks! Helping out others is a classic VW virtue. Glad to assist.
Grabbed a coil from a VW parts house on the way.
Chachi stabbed it in and was on his way. It was less than an hour for me to grab a part and deliver it to Chachi and back home. So no big deal. Glad he made his other appointments.
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Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| I respect Xevin and he's a turd |
| SGKent wrote: |
| My God! Xevin and I 100% agree |
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Xevin
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 8877
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 3:57 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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For you chachi
Link
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Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| I respect Xevin and he's a turd |
| SGKent wrote: |
| My God! Xevin and I 100% agree |
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 5871
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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we need photos and part numbers of the coil that was removed!!!
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-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 |
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Xevin
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Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 8877
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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| DanHoug wrote: |
| we need photos and part numbers of the coil that was removed!!! |
Bringing some heat Dan with all those exclamation points It’s 4:30 pacific time currently. He’s still working. jlrftype7 asked the for the same info already after I took off to assist.
The coil that was on there before I arrived appeared to be the same JP Group crap that I brought to him. JP Group in the aircooled world doesn’t have a great reputation but sometimes it’s the easiest to get. Maybe different in the more modern watercooled type 2s
_________________
Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| I respect Xevin and he's a turd |
| SGKent wrote: |
| My God! Xevin and I 100% agree |
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 5871
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 6:01 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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| Xevin wrote: |
| Bringing some heat Dan with all those exclamation points It’s 4:30 pacific time currently. He’s still working. jlrftype7 asked the for the same info already after I took off to assist. |
ack. dint see jlrftype7's post!! apologies for the heat!!!!
in the aircooled BMW motorcycle world, they use the same type of control module for the ignition. different models were introduced to reduce coil failures, mostly from key-on time without the engine running. they incorporated a turn-off timer in the turquoise colored Telefunken one. not the same thing necessarily.
one thing i noticed with a cheap coil i was given that was supposedly correct for the Vanagon... it was oil-filled. oil filled coils have an air headspace to accommodate thermal expansion and need to be mounted vertically to ensure the windings are submerged in the oil. the true correct Bosch are specified as "bitumen filled" which to me says something like tar but that could be a language thing.
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-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
Last edited by DanHoug on Tue Sep 23, 2025 5:34 am; edited 1 time in total |
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 8559
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 6:38 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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| DanHoug wrote: |
| the true correct Bosch are specified as "bitumen filled" which to me says something like tar but that could be a language thing. |
Bitumen is a dark, sticky substance that can be a liquid or semi-solid, formed from petroleum, and is primarily used as a binder in asphalt for road construction and roofing. It is also found naturally as asphalt deposits in the earth. Key characteristics include its adhesive and waterproofing qualities, its ability to soften when heated, and its high recyclability.
My Cabriolet's original Bosch coil leaked. Definitely would describe the substance like ^that... or tar-like.
| Xevin wrote: |
| JP Group in the aircooled world doesn’t have a great reputation but sometimes it’s the easiest to get. Maybe different in the more modern watercooled type 2s |
JP Group/Dansk, and Meyle too, has the same reputation in the water-cooled world. 
_________________
~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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E1
Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013
Posts: 8506
Location: Westfalia, Earth
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 6:58 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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I hadn’t heard of a “bituminous” road until a few years back, on a Gazetteer legend maybe, in describing a gravel-tar roadbase — like on very secondary country roads in the Midwest, or like so many we’ve seen in the way-remote desert.
Clues are road signs like “Stay back 1,000 feet.”
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If ever twice as rich, we’re gettin’ a double-wide
’84 “Westfailure”/2.1 Digijet/5.43 Ring & Pinion/Peloquin/D-rated BFG KO2s
AI has spoken to further illiteracy, to steal, to cheat, and to replace humans |
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Xevin
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 8877
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 7:31 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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I haven’t dabbled into wbx coils much. Are VW OEM Vanagon coils oil filled or resin/epoxy filled? What are the JP group Vanagon coils? Just realized what Dan was describing as “ bitumen” would that be considered “epoxy or resin” filled as we do in the aircooled cars?
_________________
Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| I respect Xevin and he's a turd |
| SGKent wrote: |
| My God! Xevin and I 100% agree |
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 5871
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 8:10 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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when i shake this cheapo VW coil, i can hear the oil sloshing. so go shake your coils!
_________________
-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 |
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Xevin
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 8877
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2025 10:10 pm Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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| DanHoug wrote: |
| when i shake this cheapo VW coil, i can hear the oil sloshing. so go shake your coils! |
I can identify oil filled coils. Just not comfortable sharing my technique in public 
_________________
Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| I respect Xevin and he's a turd |
| SGKent wrote: |
| My God! Xevin and I 100% agree |
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| Back to top |
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 4726
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2025 5:47 am Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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" Quote" it was oil-filled. oil filled coils have an air headspace to accommodate thermal expansion and need to be mounted vertically to ensure the windings are submerged in the oil. Quote""
Well, if we could only go back in time to tell that to Land Rover.
They had a White , or was it Silver, Lucas ignition Coil they used on some models, these were firmly mounted horizontal in the engine compartment... 
There was actually a Service Bulletin about them shorting out during turns.You'd make a sharp turn, and your ignition would cut out.
They leaked too. Pretty sure it was oil and not the tar like substance of Bitumen... 
Fix was a different coil. I experienced it with a Customer's Defender first hand. Straight line driving, no issue, sharp turn, cough....
Funny enough, the older Series vehicles DID have the coil mounted vertically on the Firewall. But on Defenders and other models, there wasn't really space to do that.
_________________
'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 |
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chachi
Samba Member
Joined: November 18, 2003
Posts: 870
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2025 8:36 am Post subject: Re: van died, now won’t start |
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sorry for the delay y’all, here’s the only identifying marks I can find on this thing so hopefully it’s what you’re hoping for. it definitely sloshes when I shake it. installed this in february of this year!!
Xevin IS the Demon Cleaner, but I can’t get the embed to work so just sing it to yourself
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'74 transporter panel
'91 vanagon carat NAHT |
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