Hi Jay,
    The fuel injector cable o2 sensor wire going to the ecu from the o2 sensor connector is  a coax wire. When it fell on the exhaust it may have been damaged enough so the inner conductor is intermittently shorting to the outer conductor.  If yours is damaged beyond repair radio shack carries some coax that will work.
    When the coax shorts it signals the ecu the mixture is lean and it starts increasing the fuel. The mixture gets so rich the van looses power. When you restart the engine the ecu gets reset and will run ok for a short while. 
    Sorry you don't have any vanagon neighbors.  I have met the Rideouts from Evansville at several bbta (busses by the arch) events. They have a couple of vanagons.      

Darrell
 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Schmidt 
  To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
  Sent: Friday, November 17, 2000 11:58 PM
  Subject: common power loss prob-need answer

  List, I searched the archives and found others in my shoes but didn'tfind a solution. Here goes:
  '84 1.9 runs fantastic usually.  Occasionally she spazzes while cruising and won't accel even when the pedal is floored.  Stop and idle and it is rough, rough!  Also, there is poor pedal response from a stop-again an accel problem. Does this for miles and miles with mpg suffering.  However, if I shut her off for even an instance, power is back and she purrs like a fat cat.  
  My problem seems similar to others in the archives, except it doesn't stall out, it is not hot/cold/wet dependent, it is not altitude dependent. 
  Surely someone on the list has put their finger on this seemingly common set of symptoms. Toss me a bone please. 
  Jay, I own that (1) vanagon in Indiana

  For you thinkers wanting extra credit:
  More info, cause info is good:  
  1984 wolfsburg westy, equals power steering, A/C,autotrans
  Stock
  Last year she got a new exhaust and o2 sensor, mo cat, plugs, rotor, cap, air filter, fuel filter , phos-phree coolant, one new head, new belts, battery, cleaned injecters, yadda yadda...
  Speedo says 138K
  This may grab you->  I recently noticed the green wire to the o2 sens had fallen onto the exhaust and burned the insulation in one spot,  I elec taped it to reinsulate--heavily so it would serve as a grommet into the cooling tin above to prevent this from reoccurring.   I think the prob existed before she burned , and does exist aft the fix. 
  I did not spring for plug wires yet, but feel this is not likely causing the sx.
  Thanks for loaning me your knoggin!
  Jay

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