You have a leak in the vacuum system that is used on the power brakes.
                                 Eric

Eric O'Dell wrote:

>Hello,
>
>Over the past several days, my 80 Vanagon has been producing a strange
>hissing noise that seems to be coming from the area around the steering
>column. This has been most noticeable when starting and stopping the
>engine. It has also been getting longer and louder.
>
>Yesterday, it was much more pronounced than before, and after a lot of
>driving yesterday, I had trouble starting after stopping for a few minutes
>at a bookstore. The engine lurched and knocked and wouldn't start. I
>checked the oil level -- which was normal -- and tried once more, and this
>time it started fine and sounded okay. On the way home, though, the oil
>pressure light flickered brightly at a stop, but this did not repeat.
>
>I took the city bus to work today, figuring that it had the potential to
>be a horrible, expensive problem that could only become more horrible and
>expensive if I kept driving it without knowing what was wrong.
>
>Any ideas?
>
>-e.
>
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>
>