William,

The first thing I would suspect is vapor lock.  Try
dumping in some gas treatment and run it around for
a while.  I definitely would replace the rotor and
any other suspect parts.  As others have mentioned,
disconnect the O2 sensor to see if it make a
difference
(after warmup).  Other than that I'd double check all
electrical connections as well as the air cleaner
connection to the thottle housing.  Get that rotor
replaced, though.  You may have found the problem
yourself...

Good Luck,

Steven
> William Grace wrote:
>
> >  I'm stuck in Pueblo, CO with my 85 Westy and my
> incredibly good
> > spirited and encouraging partner, Kerri.  I would
> appreciate any ideas
> > before I visit the VW dealer in the morning.
> >
> > Background:  I just bought the Westy in Tennessee,
> and am driving it
> > back to Seattle.  It ran great from Tennessee to
> Pueblo, and upon
> > arriving in Pueblo today, and driving in stop and
> go traffic for about
> > 15 minutes in 97 degree heat, the symptoms
> started.
> >
> > Symptom:  The 85 Westy's (with manual trans)
> engine cuts out,
> > hesitates, runs irregularly, and finally dies
> altogether when it gets
> > hot.  This progression takes about 30 seconds.
> While the symptoms are
> > happening, I can kind of "feather" the throttle,
> and keep it running
> > for a little longer - especially if I can get it
> up over 2000 RPM.
> > Immediately after it dies, it cranks fine, but
> won't re-start.  After
> > letting it sit for about 15 minutes, it will start
> and run normally
> > for about 5 minutes, then the symptoms start over
> again.  I've
> > repeated this process 5 times now, and it acts the
> same each time.
> > The coolant temp gage reads normal (about
> mid-scale) all through this,
> > but I'd guess the temp in the engine compartment
> was the highest it's
> > been since I picked up the van.
> >
> >
> >
> > Here's what I've done so far, and none of this has
> changed the
> > symptoms at all:  When I looked at the engine
> after it died the first
> > time, the hose from the crankcase breather to the
> air intake boot
> > (about 1 inch diameter hose) was sucked flat in
> the middle.  It had
> > lost all it's stiffness - heat? and was floppy.  I
> replaced it with a
> > nice stiff hose of just the right size from Auto
> Zone.  Free too - it
> > was a scrap.  Thanks Auto Zone.  It didn't do any
> good, though, still
> > had the exact same symptoms.  After that, I
> replaced the air filter,
> > cap and rotor, plugs, plug wires, all of the
> little fabric coated
> > vacuum lines, and fuel filter.  The rotor was
> really bad looking - the
> > center contact was broken off from the metal strip
> leading to the
> > spinning rim piece.  Must have been sparking
> across the little gap.
> > And two of the plugs were loose.  Anyway, that's
> all interesting, but
> > none of it helped.  I brought all those parts with
> me "just in case",
> > and it's Sunday afternoon, so might as well put
> 'em in, huh?  I also
> > tried to replace the O2 sensor, but couldn't get
> the old one
> > unscrewed.  It is full of gas & oil level's fine.
> >
> > Here's what I haven't done:  Any real
> troubleshooting to isolate
> > whether it is a fuel delivery problem or a spark
> problem.  I guess I'm
> > going to leave that for the dealer in the morning,
> but any thoughts on
> > these symptoms would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks.
> >
> >
> >
>
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