Hi Rob,

I'm not saying this is your issue, but my issue would kill the van right out
of the gate, maybe it will help someone.

Longs story short.....There is crud in my gas tank. Sometimes to the point
where it would clog up the pre pump filter at the tank. (my pump making
noise should have been a clue)
The solution was to blow a little air in there to move the debris out of the
way and to settle it elsewhere in the tank, replace the square filter (mine
is an 85 vanagon) and add a post pump canister (metal round) filter. If it
happens again it will be time to drop the tank and get a new one after I
blow a little more air in there to double check.....

I did so many things before I figure this out, and given the age of our
vehicles and the plethora of parts that act upon each other (air, fuel,
spark), my only advise is to be sensible and rule out all the easy (cheaper)
stuff first like the tune up, maintenance items.

HTH,
El t
--
82 Scirocco "Rodolfo"
85 Vanagon "El Guapo"
90 Fuji Ace