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Subject:Re: new to list and '84 rich running solution (long)
From:Mike Miller
Date:Sat, 1 Feb 2003 14:14:05 -0800

There is a star ground on the driver side of the engine.  There is another
ground over there well hidden underneath and just forward of the star
ground.

There may be other and I don�t know if any of these are fuel injection
grounds.

Mike

On 2/1/03 1:41 PM, "will hansen" <k_kodiak1@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Mike, 
> 
> Just where are the fuel injection harness ground wire ring terminals? I am new
> to Vanagon parts. Thank you.
> 
> Will Hansen 87 2.1L Vanagon automatic
> 
>  Mike Miller <mwmiller@CWNET.COM> wrote:
>> So many problems seem to come back to bad grounds.
>> 
>> Dip the darn vans in solder.
>> 
>> Mike
>> 
>> On 12/25/02 7:13 PM, "Gregory Smith" wrote:
>> 
>>> > Hi everyone,
>>> >
>>> > I found lots of messages in the archives about rich
>>> > running and lots of different solutions, when there
>>> > was one. I finally solved my rich running problem, so
>>> > I thought it would help to post my solution.
>>> >
>>> > My '84 started running rich during a thanksgiving
>>> > trip. Mileage went from 20-25 mpg to 17, then 12,
>>> > then 7. I borrowed my friend's Bently manual and
>>> > checked every component you can. I changed the O2
>>> > sensor, fiddled with the AFM, tested fuel pressure,
>>> > tested even swapped the temp sensor. I even swapped
>>> > the ECU just in case. Nothing helped.
>>> >
>>> > I tried in vain for a month to fix the! problem, only
>>> > to find the solution was the F.I harness ground wire
>>> > ring terminals! They were old and corroded, so I
>>> > cleaned the terminals. Upon closer inspection I could
>>> > see they had been getting so hot as to blister the
>>> > insulation closest to the ring terminals. A VOM
>>> > tester showed 6-8 ohms resistance between the wire and
>>> > the ring terminal. I cut the rings off, soldered on
>>> > new ones and used a little heat shrink tubing to lend
>>> > support at the joint. Now showing 0-.002 ohms
>>> > resistance. Bolted up to the head and Presto! Very
>>> > annoying, diabolical problem gone.
>>> >
>>> > I think the ground resistance was tricking the ECU
>>> > into running the "cold start injecton map" as I call
>>> > it, since this Digijet doesn't have a cold-start
>>> > injector per se.
>>> >
>>> > An oil change (always good after dumping so much fuel)
>>> > and we're up and running again. Just thought some! one
>>> > might find this helpful after reading the scores of
>>> > "rich running" posts in the archives.
>>> >
>>> > Ciao,
>>> > Gregory Smith
>>> > '84 Vanagon
>>> >
>>> > __________________________________________________
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>>> >
> 
> 
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