sounds a lot like when the ECU in my 82 AC Westy failed.� Eventually it got bad enough that the poor running events cleary correlated with bumps on the road.� Unfortunately, no way to test this other than swapping in a known good one.

�

________________________________
From: Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 8:38:27 PM
Subject: Engine stutters, tach nosedives. Then, just as suddenly, it's normal again.

Hi Volks,

A couple of times in the past two months I've had stutters at highway
speed that remind me of the time the coil went bad in my baywindow
camper. And when it happened last week I just happened to be looking at
the tach; and watched it spike briefly towards zero. Definitely an
ignition event rather than fuel delivery.

This morning it was raining on the way into work, and it happened twice.
And then again later in the morning on my way to a service call. The
first two times it happened the engine died for 2-3 seconds, and the
tach was flatlined even though the engine was still turning. The third
time was just a short blip, more like when I first saw the problem.

I suspect the coil or the hall sensor; though Mark Dearing at Salem
Import suggested it could also be the ECU.

At work this afternoon I took a close look at the engine compartment,
and when I checked the coil wire going into the distributor cap was
sitting about 1/2" high on the post. I pushed it down flush on the cap
and since then (35-40 miles) the problem hasn't recurred.

So what do you'all think? Was it just a loose plug wire, or are there
deeper issues lurking?

Happy Trails,

Greg Potts
1973/74/79 Westfakia "Bob the Tomato"
1987 Wolfsburg Weekender Hardtop
www.busesofthecorn.com
www.pottsfamily.ca