I would try a different harness.  If you have a break
in the harness somewhere, it can check out fine, but
then the vibrations from the engine and the road can
cause a broken wire to gain/lose contact.  The ECU
simply takes a ground from the engine and passes it on
to the injectors.  If you are not getting a ground,
and the ECU checks out fine, you either have a bad
ground or a broken wire.

Z

--- Brian Keese <bkeese@DIRECWAY.COM> wrote:
> Hi List,
>
> Well, I've joined the list again after a two-year
> hiatus - last time I was on the list it was mostly
> for fun.  This time it is unfortunately by
> necessity.
> I wonder if anyone can offer any advice to my
> mechanic in fixing my 84 Vanagon, 'The Ark'.   He
> doesn't have e-mail.
>
> Here's my description of the behavior:
> I turn the key to start the van.
> The van cranks and cranks and eventually starts.
> Sometimes it needs to crank for up to a minute, then
> it starts and runs just fine.
> I don't know if it is related, but the van has
> always (in the 4 years I've owned it) run a little
> rough after warming up half way - sometimes
> stalling. When cold and fully warmed up it runs
> fine.
> I never worried much about this because it would
> always just start right back up and I could keep on
> trucking.  Now when it stalls, I can't get it to
> start back up and I'm afraid of causing an accident.
> That's why I brought it in to be checked out.
>
> I brought it to a mechanic who I trust and he went
> through all the normal testing procedures.
> Everything checked out OK, so he had me send the ECU
> in to be checked out.  I sent it to Darrell Boehler
> and he checked it out on the bench for a few hours.
> Everything checked out OK.  He sent me a road-tested
> ECU from an 85.  My mechanic put it in and the van
> still exhibits the same behavior.  He doesn't know
> what else to do.
>
> Here's what he said:
> When the van doesn't want to start, the injectors
> are getting no ground signal from the ecu.
> He checked and replaced all the grounds as
> necessary.
> He went through the testing procedures for each of
> the injection system sensors - all test OK, even the
> TEMP2 sensor. (He did comment that the problem
> doesn't seem to be temperature related.)  At first
> he thought the hal sensor was bad, but then further
> testing proved it to be OK.
> Of course, he also checked the fuel pressure and
> spark and they checked out OK.
>
> Any hints or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Brian Keese
>
> BTW: I read on the list about a weak starter causing
> somewhat similar behavior.  I know my starter needs
> a rebuild (sometimes I have to bang on it to get it
> to turn over).  Maybe it's just that the starter is
> bad and his testing methods are off a bit.  I doubt
> it, but I thought I'd just throw that out there.

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