Hello,

I am new to the list, a friend suggested getting on to get some help.

The local VW dealer seems unable to diagnose/fix my current problem.
The van irregularly has a rich fuel mixture - misfiring
spell. Something is causing the fuel-air mix to be too
rich, at least that is my take on the dark smoke out the
exhaust, the exhaust smell, and the big drop in gas
mileage. While this is happening and I am driving, the van
loses power and runs rough; pulled up to a stop or coasting
in neutral, it is apt to stall. If you turn off the
ignition and restart during one of these spells, the
problem temporarily is abated. The irregular aspect is that
when the van has just started up or when the weather is
cooler the symptoms may not show up for awhile. These
symptoms show up more quickly driving in town than on the
highway but they always show up eventually.

The first dealer effort to fix this was replacing vacuum lines
and sparkplugs. The second try was some type of wiring
harness. To the dealer's credit they took the harness off
and refunded my money when this did not make a difference
and it has been hard to diagnose when the symptoms are
irregular. Third trip to the dealer, left the van several
days so they could drive it enough to detect the problem.
They then replaced the air-flow meter ? (the two parts
listed on the bill were 025-906-301-C AIRCONT and
025-906-457-A CONTRVA).  The problem continues. Since I
live in a somewhat rural part of Virginia, it is hard to
find a good VW mechanic; obviously I am not one. The dealer
is 30 miles away and seemingly stumped. I know they can
continue to replace different parts but I want my kids to
be able to go to college. Any and all suggestions on what
to do would be appreciated. Does anyone know how to
diagnose this problem?

Thanks,
Bruce

71 van, rust never sleeps
87 vanagon, too young to die
--
Bruce Brunton
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
bruntobg@jmu.edu
(540) 568-3211