Mine used to do the same thing, especially on the first start of the day. Back in the spring I tore the engine down to the block, cleaned everything and reassembled with all new gaskets and all new vacuum hoses. ever since then it fires right up, I put it right into reverse and back up without any stalling. Jeff Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message -----
> This discussion has all been very good for me. Mine is one that won't
> continue to run after the initial firing on start up. It gets two or
> three fuel fired turnovers then quits. All this discussion has given
> me
> insights in troubleshooting my own difficulty.
> John
> John Rodgers
> Clayartist and Moldmaker
> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
> Chelsea, AL
> Http://www.moldhaus.com
> On 9/30/2011 11:57 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
> > sure ..
> > but I still like to see dry plugs..
> > they can also fail to fire across the electrodes..
> > and 'leak' off to the side in tiny sparks.
> >
> > I like to see the plug on the end of it's plug wire, and grounded
> > with a
> > jumper wire ..actually see it fire across the electrodes..
> > when it's getting hard to find out what it won't run.
> > be extra careful doing that..
> > as you don't want stray fuel and sparks getting anywhere near each
> > other.
> >
> > have you got it down to it's one of these...........
> > lack of spark at the spark plugs.
> > lack of injector control from the ecu,
> > clogged/restricted cat or muffler
> > lack of fuel pressure or fuel pump control,
> > and consider he fuel itself. ( that's often overlooked )
> >
> > I'd look into making sure things are in time, since it's getting so
> > difficult to diagnose.
> >
> > it is after all, just a blockage or leakage of fluids or electrons.
> >
> > puffs of smoke out the tail pipe..
> > makes me think of collapsed substrate inside the cat.
> > remove the O2 sensor and see if she'll fire off.
> > that's a quick cheater test for clogged cat.
> >
> > crank it with a NOID light on the an injector connector ..
> > making sure you get steady flashes there.
> > Check for power to each injector from the main relay, key on, engine
> > not
> > running.
> > check for everything ...lol !
> >
> > Scott
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "David Hardy" <david@PLANETMIND.NET>
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 8:29 PM
> > Subject: Re: Van won't run right - troubleshooting help, more
> >
> >
> > Seems like letting it sit overnight would natually un-flood it, no?
> >
> > I tested both the resistance of the Temp II sensor and it's wiring:
> > all
> > good.
> >
> > I tested the fuel pressure: 30 psi while cranking, so that's not the
> > issue.
> >
> > I guess I'll just start troubleshooting from square one tomorrow....
> >
> > David
> >
> > Quoting "Scott Daniel - Turbovans" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>:
> >
> >> in addition, to start a flooded engine that has an air flow meter..
> >> even with full throttle held open ..
> >> the mostly closed AFM flapper won't let enough air in .
> >> Sometimes pulling one of those air breather hoses out of the air
> >> intake
> >> book
> >> will let enough air into to get a start from very flooded. ( or
> >> remove
> >> AFM )
> >> Just crank steadily with throttle wide open ( and also having some
> >> way
> >> for air get in past the AFM ) ..
> >> and be ready to let off the gas if when she finally roars to life.
> >>
> >> thinking about Temp Sensor II and wiring for it is a natural thing
> >> to
> >> consider in a case like this.
> >>
> >> Scott
> >> www.turbovans.com
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Dennis Haynes" <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
> >> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> >> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 7:20 PM
> >> Subject: Re: Van won't run right - troubleshooting help, more
> >>
> >>
> >>> Too much fuel could be flooding it. Un plug all the injectors and
> >>> then
> >>> crank
> >>> the engine with the throttle open. If it suddenly starts to spit
> >>> and
> >>> may
> >>> start you know it was flooded out. Common cause for this is a bad
> >>> connection
> >>> or ground connection for the temp 2 sensor.
> >>>
> >>> Dennis
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> >>> Behalf
> >>> Of
> >>> David Hardy
> >>> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 1:19 PM
> >>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >>> Subject: Re: Van won't run right - troubleshooting help, more
> >>>
> >>> OK, so now it won't start at all, not even fire. All I get is
> >>> these
> >>> strange,
> >>> random puffs out the exhaust, like one every 1-2 secs of cranking.
> >>>
> >>> I've swapped in my spare fuel pump; no change. Put in new fuel
> >>> filter, no
> >>> change. I pulled the injectors on one side and cranked - they ARE
> >>> spraying.
> >>> There is pressure in fuel lines. Pulled 2 plugs and cranked:
> >>> good sparks. gaps are fine.
> >>>
> >>> I went thru all the tests on the ECU plug on the Bentley.
> >>> Everything
> >>> checked
> >>> out. As I said, I swapped in a space ECU; no effect. (also swapped
> >>> out
> >>> AFM,
> >>> distributor and coil).
> >>>
> >>> I pulled a valve cover and the valves are moving. The plug wires
> >>> are in
> >>> the
> >>> right order and place. Never touched the timing. I checked
> >>> compression
> >>> in
> >>> #4, and it's normal.
> >>>
> >>> So it's getting spark, fuel, air and as compression. I can't
> >>> believe it
> >>> won't even fire. I thought I knew this engine pretty well, but I'm
> >>> out of
> >>> ideas.
> >>>
> >>> David
> >>>
> >>> Quoting "Ken Wilford" <kenwilfy@comcast.net>:
> >>>
> >>>> David, the first thing you need to look at is what is happening
> >>>> when
> >>>> it won't start. If it has spark but won't fire then you want to
> >>>> check
> >>>> to see if your injectors are spraying. If they are working then
> >>>> put
> >>>> your hand in front of the tail pipe to be sure that the exhaust
> >>>> is
> >>>> getting out (no clogged cat) when you crank the van over. If all
> >>>> of
> >>>> these things are working and it still won't start then it is
> >>>> possible
> >>>> that there is a sender in the FI system that is causing the van
> >>>> to
> >>>> flood out. Most of the time if this is the case with your van, it
> >>>> is
> >>>> the Temp II sensor on the thermostat housing. You can test for
> >>>> this
> >>>> by unplugging it and then using a paper clip to jumper the two
> >>>> prongs
> >>>> in the plug to each other. Now try to start the van. If it starts
> >>>> right up then you know that it is the temp II sensor that has
> >>>> gone
> >>>> bad. If it still won't start, try unplugging the oxygen sensor.
> >>>> The
> >>>> van will run fine without it plugged in and sometimes they can
> >>>> fail
> >>>> and cause the van to run super rich (flooded).
> >>>>
> >>>> If none of these work, I would check your spark plugs for fouling
> >>>> and
> >>>> proper gap and also your cap and rotor. If you go one thing at a
> >>>> time, step by step, you will find the problem.
> >>>>
> >>>> If you need any other help please let me know.
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Thanks,
> >>>> Ken Wilford
> >>>> John 3:16
> >>>> www.vanagain.com
> >>>> Phone: 856-327-4936
> >>>> Fax: 856-327-2242
> >>>>
> >>>> On 9/29/2011 3:56 PM, david hardy wrote:
> >>>>> So I have this issue with my '86 Westy that's got me
> >>>>> stumped...yesterday it started missing a
> >>>>> tad, then just it quit on me in the middle of traffic (luckily a
> >>>>> block from my house) after
> >>>>> running great all day. It would turn over but just not fire.
> >>>>> After
> >>>>> tons of cranking I got it
> >>>>> started again, but it was running really rough, no power, very
> >>>>> unbalanced, coughs and sputters
> >>>>> when trying to rev it. It seemed to go between running perfectly
> >>>>> then terribly every few
> >>>>> seconds. I got it home and it's getting spark, fuel pump is
> >>>>> working
> >>>>> (pump runs and there's
> >>>>> pressure in lines). Have also have a 1990 Westy, so I swapped
> >>>>> out
> >>>>> the AFM (no change), coil (no
> >>>>> change), ECU (no change) and the distributor (no change). Funny
> >>>>> thing is, this morning, it
> >>>>> started perfectly, but then immediately started running really
> >>>>> rough like before. And now it
> >>>>> won't start (no ignition at all) again.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I've had this issue a few times before, but it's always cleared
> >>>>> itself up within a minute or
> >>>>> two. Now I guess whatever was failing has done so for good.
> >>>>> Anyone
> >>>>> have any ideas?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Thanks in advance.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> David
> >>>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>> David Hardy
> >>> Planetmind Internetworks
> >>> Nedernet, Inc.
> >>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > David Hardy
> > Planetmind Internetworks
> > Nedernet, Inc.
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> >