A good temp fix is to remove the black plastic cap from the AFM.  Flat screw
driver works if you are careful.  Inside there is a 'wiper arm' that sweeps
across a variable resistor.  You will note that the variable resistor has
some deep gouges in it by now.  The thing to do is *carefully* give the thin
metal arm a 'tweak' so that it now slides across a new surface arc on the
variable resistor.  My van started acting up like this last summer so a
quick roadside fix has solved the problem for the last 8 months.  I know I
am living on borrowed time, but there is a nice TDI motor that will be going
in there when I get back from Germany.  Make sure that when you put the
black cover back on that you use some hockey tape or duct tape to make it as
water proof as possible.

Good luck!

David Marshall

Fast Forward Automotive Inc.
4356 Quesnel-Hixon Road
Quesnel BC Canada  V2J 6Z3

http://www.fastforward.ca    mailto:sales@fastforward.ca
Phone: (250) 992 7775        FAX: (250) 992 1160

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-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Andrew Fox
Sent: March 30, 2004 10:34 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: STRANDED: L.A. Vanagon Syndrome!!!

My buddy, Tommy Drum a fellow listee is stranded in Los Angeles, CA with
what sounds like a bad case of Vanagon Syndrome.  His van sharply cuts out
and dies often while driving, he pulls over turns it off and restarts it
and it runs fine for awhile then does it again.

He does not have the skills (wiring, multimeter) to diagnose/fix the
problem himself.  Can anyone recommend a repair shop in the LA area who
has dealt with vanagon syndrom before and can help my buddy?  Or are there
any kind souls in the LA area who have tackled this problem before and
would be willing to help him, im sure he could offer something nice in
return?  I warned him against bringing it to a repair shop which has not
dealt with vanagon syndrome before because I can see him getting charged
up the yin yang in labor for unfruitful diagnostics.

Please email me with any information and I will relay it to him via
telephone.

Thanks very much in advance!

Andrew Fox on behalf of Tommy Drum