I checked and all of the vacuum hoses are connected and hold
pressure/vacuum. I had some Honda top cylinder cleaner that was left over from  another
project on my CRV and introduced that per instructions through the  intake line for
the power brake booster per the instructions on the can. I  don't know if
that fixed the problem yet as the engine needs to cool completely  and maybe the
ambient temperature needs to drop a bit. It definitely smoothed  things out
with the valves though and made an improvement in the overall running  of the
vehicle. I recommend this to any vanagon driver as a can would cost  about
$2.75-$3.00. I have re-checked all connections and made sure that the  plugs are
not cross threaded and losing compression. I am wondering if some  small bit of
trash fell into a spark plug hole and caused some sort of issue. I  frequently
have found chipmunk/mice/squirrel bits of acorns and other food  supplies
where they sit on the engine and eat ( I live deep in the woods on a  mountain).
I will report back to the list on whether or not the problem is  resolved.

David Clarkson
1990 Westy (245k)

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