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vwrhodie
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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 Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 7:21 am Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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Thank you! I already have that tool, this guy from Foreign Auto Parts in Long Beach loaned it to me. I am waiting to run into my neighbor upstairs and ask him if this is in his skill/comfort level. My hardware store friend builds dusters so he knows a lot about problem solving like this. He metioned a timesert. Said if re-threading doesnt work then I can use a timesert. Thankfully this is not as bad as I thought! There ARE options.
I will NOT be messing with this part at all, thats for sure. I would love to watch someone else do it and listen to an explanation but I am not qualified to play with anymore aluminum 
If I cant get anyone to do it for me, I will drive it up the street on 3 cylinders to Westcoast VW when they open on Monday and ask them to do it for me... I run the risk of being lied to and told that it needs XYZ but I also run the risk of further damaging my engine if I dont get someone to take over from here! I will report back. Thanks for everything!
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vwrhodie
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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| Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 1:40 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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SUCCESS! Pipe fitter friend (he goes by Junior) tapped the spark plug hole like it was nothing. Got it in, fired her up, engine idles MUCH nicer *but* definitely a vacuum leak(s) somewhere else. Took her for a drive with my boy and didnt want to stop (because I missed her so much), aside from requiring some finessing into 1st from a complete stop and what seems like a minor leak/misfire somewhere, shes running much smoother. I cant remember which one of you linked me to a video of a DIY smoke machine but I remembered it and am working on making one/acquiring one/renting one. There are SO many vacuum hoses! Tons of T connections too... my braided hose looks quite old so this has to be it.
I am going to drive the spark plug chaser socket back up to the parts store tomorrow, say thanks, and try to convince them to use their smoke machine on my baby...I wonder what that would cost... buuuuuuuuut whats another umpteen dollars when youre almost $13k in! I cannot wait to get her purring, all cleaned up and snap some photos of her sexy self. Dont feel right bragging until she looks as good on the inside as she does on the outside!
Once this issue is all said and done, onto my next project. Building a garment rack inside so I can hang clothes in the side door opening when I sell at the LB flea market next month. Woo!
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'84 Rabbit Turbo Diesel 2021 |
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dobryan
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Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16505
Location: Brookeville, MD
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32632
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3582
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:49 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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Awesome
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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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vwrhodie
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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| Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:45 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| djkeev wrote: |
Glad you got it running, I was a bit concerned when you stripped the spark plug hole.
So many vacuum lines???? These are amazingly simple engines with very little add on piping.
You want complicated, go pop the hood of a mid - late 70's vehicle still set up as original! Especially Honda!
Dave |
No thanks. This 'simple' engine has taught me more in two months than my rabbit did in two years. My head hurts, my brain is swollen lol
There are a ton of hoses! Many of mine were cracked so who knows how many more there are. Oh... I finally saw the owner of the same van as mine, she lives across the street. Her van is identical, only with a lot more rust and random jimmy rigging of the interior (door lift panel, curtains, etc.) Anyway, I really wanted to take a look at her engine and it is also identical to mine. I immediately checked the parts that were worn out in mine and hers were cracked/gummy too oh and it looks like her engine bay was sprayed with black spray paint. She said "I am actually trying to sell it. I would be happy to get $500 for it."  Im going to post it on the samba for her so she can make some $ to go toward the expensive divorce she is in the middle of. I would love to own another van to mess with but... no space in our ONE parking spot and one bedroom apartment. Her van idles like a dream...
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jlrftype7
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Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3582
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 7:28 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| vwrhodie wrote: |
| djkeev wrote: |
Glad you got it running, I was a bit concerned when you stripped the spark plug hole.
So many vacuum lines???? These are amazingly simple engines with very little add on piping.
You want complicated, go pop the hood of a mid - late 70's vehicle still set up as original! Especially Honda!
Dave |
No thanks. This 'simple' engine has taught me more in two months than my rabbit did in two years. My head hurts, my brain is swollen lol
There are a ton of hoses! Many of mine were cracked so who knows how many more there are. Oh... I finally saw the owner of the same van as mine, she lives across the street. Her van is identical, only with a lot more rust and random jimmy rigging of the interior (door lift panel, curtains, etc.) Anyway, I really wanted to take a look at her engine and it is also identical to mine. I immediately checked the parts that were worn out in mine and hers were cracked/gummy too oh and it looks like her engine bay was sprayed with black spray paint. She said "I am actually trying to sell it. I would be happy to get $500 for it." Im going to post it on the samba for her so she can make some $ to go toward the expensive divorce she is in the middle of. I would love to own another van to mess with but... no space in our ONE parking spot and one bedroom apartment. Her van idles like a dream... |
Oh NO... so it begins.... She has one Vanagon but is angling for another....It’s the slippery slope....  
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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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HBB
Samba Member
Joined: April 04, 2014
Posts: 156
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| Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:09 am Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| Igeo wrote: |
Yeah-sorry about that. I was thinking you might make this shocking discovery. That was one of the reasons I was suggesting that you pre-loosen the wires. It just makes it easier, and the less time you spend gripping/yanking on a wire carrying 20,000 volts, the better. By the way, the word "electrocuted" does mean an incident that usually end in serious injury or death, and is unnessessarily harsh. I think the phrase "received a good healthy jolt" is far nicer, and besides, you can't really call yourself a mechanic unless you've been jolted a time or two.
So after all that, did you find out which cylinder is misfiring? |
You can also just pull them off with the engine stopped, and then start it up again to note any difference. I generally prefer to work on electrical systems when they aren't energized, that way there is no risk of getting electrocuted. |
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vwrhodie
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 8:53 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| HBB wrote: |
| Igeo wrote: |
Yeah-sorry about that. I was thinking you might make this shocking discovery. That was one of the reasons I was suggesting that you pre-loosen the wires. It just makes it easier, and the less time you spend gripping/yanking on a wire carrying 20,000 volts, the better. By the way, the word "electrocuted" does mean an incident that usually end in serious injury or death, and is unnessessarily harsh. I think the phrase "received a good healthy jolt" is far nicer, and besides, you can't really call yourself a mechanic unless you've been jolted a time or two.
So after all that, did you find out which cylinder is misfiring? |
You can also just pull them off with the engine stopped, and then start it up again to note any difference. I generally prefer to work on electrical systems when they aren't energized, that way there is no risk of getting electrocuted. |
thank you, I will do this going forward.
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vwrhodie
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Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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| Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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Does anybody know what this is? I removed my air intake hose to check for cracks (my van is still misfiring... sigh...) and I found this thing just dangling. The wire seems to be pretty long so its wrapped around something.
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Wildthings
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Joined: March 13, 2005
Posts: 50352
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| Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 9:14 am Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| vwrhodie wrote: |
Does anybody know what this is? I removed my air intake hose to check for cracks (my van is still misfiring... sigh...) and I found this thing just dangling. The wire seems to be pretty long so its wrapped around something.
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Can't see your pictures at this point in time, but am guessing that you are just looking at the factory diagnostic plug and wire. |
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vwrhodie
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:15 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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Welp, I am back after a few weeks with more news. For the sake of future readers of this post, here is what has happened:
-I purchased a 'smoke-tech' smoke machine off of ebay for $60 something. Borrowed a friends compressor and extension cord, blew mineral oil smoke through my air intake and discovered a leak at the base of the throttle body. I tightened the screw (and threw on a few new brackets on the air flow hose from the throttle body to the air flow sensor). PROBLEM(s) CONTINUED.
-I got a free tow up to a pretty honest and affordable mechanic here in Long Beach, 'Jim's Auto' off of Cherry. Thats sort of a shout out BUT--
(*Plot Twist* I had to back the van out of my apartment parking lot to make the tow lift much easier. When I did this, she reversed, and drove a short distance PERFECTLY. I backed her up and moved around a little bit and she sounded and felt fine... I still got the tow because #volkswagen...)
-Mechanic diagnosis: #3 spark plug was blowing black smoke, both #3 and #4 were bad. Interestingly, I just purchased these from GoWesty's tune up bundle and he was surprised when I told him that after he asked me where I bought them... whatever. He also noticed the #2 spark plug hole was chased (only half way due to the tap I was loaned by a friend). He thinks it was cross threaded. He also replaced my coolant temp sensor since it was running very rich. He told me she was running "good" but he also wanted to replace the AFM but after replacing the coolant temp sensor and replacing two spark plugs, he didnt push the new AFM on me. I picked her up and she drove home still pissed, but feeling better. I just drove her again tonight and she is driving strange. PROBLEM CONTINUES.
This is whats happening: Idles fine, then starts shaking after a few minutes, requires lots of finessing of gas pedal and clutch to get her out of first gear. SOMETIMES I can give her a lot more gas than I usually do and she moves fine. Other times, I give her gas and it seems like there is some sort of blockage, then suddenly RPM's rev up and she starts going.
My questions: all of these issues began after I replaced the fuel lines... so I keep thinking that I messed something up while pulling things out, such as the air filter, to get to fuel lines/rails. What are your thoughts on replacing only the electrical connection to the air filter? Mine seems worn out, it doesnt snap on or feel secure AT ALL. It 'plugs' in but not really. I had to unplug this thing 1,000 times in the last few months. Second question, do you think I should just have the #2 spark plug hole tapped? I know this is sucky but I think that if it is cross threaded, no matter what I replace, the issues will continue. I know my posts are really wordy, I just want to be thorough and specific. Thank you all in advance!
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Buggeee
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Joined: December 22, 2016
Posts: 4421
Location: Stuck in Ohio
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:55 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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One of my intermittent problems turned out to be the distributor. I noticed with a timing light that the timing was "scattering" or jumping around. I swapped in another one I had in the garage and it ran smooth. The intermittent missing and sometimes bucking is gone. Just adding something for you to check out your list here. Borrow a timing light and see if the timing mark stays in the same place (good) or jumps around a bit (bad).
Anyway, wishing you good luck. You will track this down whatever it is.
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| Every setback is an opportunity to learn stuff and to buy new tools. |
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Yellow Rabbit
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Joined: August 31, 2005
Posts: 1146
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 8:59 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| Have you checked the adjustment of the throttle position switch? |
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vwrhodie
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:00 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| Yellow Rabbit wrote: |
| Have you checked the adjustment of the throttle position switch? |
No but I would like to thoroughly investigate everything pertaining to the throttle body since I made it very loose while I was taking out the air filter over and over. I am going to look this up right now! Thank you!
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vwrhodie
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:03 pm Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| Buggeee wrote: |
One of my intermittent problems turned out to be the distributor. I noticed with a timing light that the timing was "scattering" or jumping around. I swapped in another one I had in the garage and it ran smooth. The intermittent missing and sometimes bucking is gone. Just adding something for you to check out your list here. Borrow a timing light and see if the timing mark stays in the same place (good) or jumps around a bit (bad).
Anyway, wishing you good luck. You will track this down whatever it is. |
Hm... I will check this out. I partially disassembled the distributor while diagnosing but then I got nervous about putting it all back together properly so I stopped. I wonder if I did something to it... I've got a new cap and rotor right now. I'll have to find a way to check this myself or maybe have that mechanic take a look. Thank you!
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mikemtnbike
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| Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2018 5:53 am Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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1) Did you replace your fuel pump when you did the fuel lines? A tired or partially clogged fuel pump can cause some running issues (says the voice of experience).
2) I'd timesert #2. Well, I'd pay somebody who says they can do it, no problem.
3) Your throttle body being "loose"- never going to run right like that. Get that tight and sealed and watch Kenwilfy/ vanagain's youtube video on adjusting the throttle position swtich.
4) But, the first thing I'd try is unplugging your o2 sensor and seeing if it runs better that way. The mechanic replacing the temp II sensor is good news for you as that is kind of ruled out so the next suspect, for me, in starts and idles fine but then seems to have fuel delivery issues after warming up a bit is the o2.
If that helps, look up threads on a "grounded out" o2 wire, that could be it. If that's not it, replace the o2.
Your dangling wire thing is an archaeological remnant from when dealers serviced vanagons. Don't worry about it.
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Igeo
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Joined: September 25, 2018
Posts: 888
Location: Oakland, CA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:12 am Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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Back to square 1.
Was the engine running well before you changed fuel lines? That's key.
If so, then all the talk about worn distributors and throttle bodies may not be relavant.
Routing new fuel lines through a dirty greasy engine could introduce gunk into places you don't want. When I changed mine, I taped over the ends of the lines while pushing and pulling them into position.
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vwrhodie
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Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 104
Location: Long Beach
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| Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:17 am Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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| mikemtnbike wrote: |
1) Did you replace your fuel pump when you did the fuel lines? A tired or partially clogged fuel pump can cause some running issues (says the voice of experience).
2) I'd timesert #2. Well, I'd pay somebody who says they can do it, no problem.
3) Your throttle body being "loose"- never going to run right like that. Get that tight and sealed and watch Kenwilfy/ vanagain's youtube video on adjusting the throttle position swtich.
4) But, the first thing I'd try is unplugging your o2 sensor and seeing if it runs better that way. The mechanic replacing the temp II sensor is good news for you as that is kind of ruled out so the next suspect, for me, in starts and idles fine but then seems to have fuel delivery issues after warming up a bit is the o2.
If that helps, look up threads on a "grounded out" o2 wire, that could be it. If that's not it, replace the o2.
Your dangling wire thing is an archaeological remnant from when dealers serviced vanagons. Don't worry about it. |
1. Yep, replaced the fuel filter with a brand new MANN. Installed correctly (I double checked just in case it was backwards and is causing these issues). I think the old filter was fine, It still poured all my gasoline out very smoothly but-- peace of mind.
2. Timesert would be the next option that I had forgotten about. I think I will call Jim's auto to get a quote.
3. I watched that video last night. I had seen it before, I will try this today. I love that guy's videos!
4. I already installed a brand new o2 sensor a few weeks ago. Since I am clearly a beginner and I learn as I go, I had my upstairs neighbor shadow me when splicing in the wiring and using the heat shrink. I checked the plug to the sensor last night just to make sure.
I seriously wonder if I just botched the fuel line job... I dont know how I would have done so, it was pretty easy. Cut the line, replace it, tighten brackets. Sigh... you know what I noticed once I returned home from the shop and inspected the engine bay? There is a large screw missing from top of my AFM. I noticed this immediately. I am going to call the shop and ask them where my screw is. Couldnt this cause a vacuum leak? Here is a photo of the screw missing. I wonder if I can just pick one up at FLAPS/Ace?
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Wildthings
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| Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:51 am Post subject: Re: Running poorly after fuel line replacement, Seafoam? |
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Use a meter to check that the coax for the O2 sensor isn't grounded out, changing out the sensor will not fix this. Also problems with the O2 sensor tend to mean the sensor is actually working correctly, but there are other problems in how the engine is running that cause the sensor to give a wild reading.
There should be a plug over you idle mixture screw on the AFM to make it harder to tamper with. Can't tell from your picture what is actually there.
If you haven't yet done the full electrical diagnostic in the Bentley, now would be the time. Quick and easy to do.
Last edited by Wildthings on Fri Dec 14, 2018 3:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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