Joel,

When you say ALL the grounds were cleaned up, did you include the one
on the driver's side head?  I had EXACTLY (and I mean **exactly**) the
same symptoms and it was just that damn ground wire that needed fixing
up.

- Laurence

----------------------------------------
Laurence Smith
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
90 Westy (fanumbos)
87 GL / 91 Subie 2.2
----------------------------------------

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List
> [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
> Of Joel Cort
> Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 8:13 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Help Needed: 88 Westy running rich and missing
>
>
> HELP List experts,
>
> I was trying to help out a fellow Westy owner here in
> Rochester and was not able.
>
> This is an 88 westy with 75K miles.  On the NY thruway
> heading for Roachester this poor guy had what I perceived
> as the Vanagon Syndrome.... but not.
> He started missing, spitting coughing and running very rich.
> He got off the thruway and limped home at 10 mph. I went
> over last night to try and bail him out with my wisdom and
> spare parts.
>
> He stopped at a shop and got new plugs, wires, distributor
> cap, rotor replaced thinking it was the problem.
>
> He also replaced the temp2 sensor and his O2 sensor is
> about 7 month old.
> He also has cleaned up and rewired all the ground connections.
>
> With all that in mind, I was convinced that the AFM was
> faulty.  We swapped out the AFM with a spare good spare one
> that I have.  The symptoms still remained or running very
> rich with thick black smoke and very poor reving spitting
> and coughing without a load on the engine.  With a load
> there is no power to move.
>
> Ok so then we tried swapping the ECU out with my spare ECU
> connected to "the DIGITOOL".  Once connected, it did not
> run any better and the digitool readings all looked OK
> except for the O2 sensor readings.  I was concerned that
> the AFM signals were not communicating.... but they were.
> I unplugged the O2 sensor green wire and it ran a little
> worse but not by much.
>
> SO at this point my VW Vanagon expertise is dried up.  I am
> perplexed and told him to take it to one of the local shops
> (which none really have Vanagon and Vanagon Syndrome type
> of experience).
>
> Any help from the list experts or insights on where to seek
> the problem would be great and I could regain dominance on
> these wasserbrainteasers.
>
> Thanks,
> Joel
> 89 Syncro Westy
> Rochester NY
>
>
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