---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2004 08:16:05 -0800
>From: Jim Heissenbuttel <jim@HEISSENBUTTEL.COM>
>Subject: Air Flow Meter advice needed
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>
>My Westy has been in the hands of a very capable mechanic for
the past
>few days having some overdue maintenance things done: flush/test
>cooling system, brake work, and a tune up. When I went to
pick up the
>van, she was still running very rough and they were having
trouble
>tuning her. Then they tell me the AFM is bad. It's original
and has
>been working (not flawlessly I might add) for 20 some years now.
>
>So, I am eliciting advice on what to do. Anyone have feelings
on the
>likelihood that I can get a good one on eBay? What about a
rebuild from
>Bus Depot? What are the options here? In addition, is this
something
>that a Vanagon novice can install himself? Is this simply
plug-and-pray
>or what?
>
>Also, (off-topic) the compression tests were all in the same
range and
>in the 120's. Is this a good sign on a remanufactured core
with 30K on
>it?
>
>Thanks.
>
>jh
>
>83.5 1.9L Vanagon Westfalia

The compression sounds reasonable if the values were all similar.
  The AFM is easy to replace yourself.  Try to be sure the
original is bad.  The best way to check one is to remove it
from the van and connect something like a 9 V battery across
the ends of the potentiometer.  Then measure the voltage on
the  terminal from the sliding contact as you slowly move the
air flow sensing vane thru its entire range.  The voltage
should change smoothly and continuously from 0 to the battery
voltage or vise-versa.  I don't have the pin info with me, but
it's in the Bentley.

Larry A.