It's true and it exists.
My 86 GL with auto trans ..
when I got it running finally,( after buying it barely running with a burnt
valve on one cylinder  ) ..
it would start, idle, and drive around my big yard nicely.
and yet...........5 times in a row when I drove 400 feet out to the main
road near my shop ..
it wouldn't go ....total loss of power.
and 5 times in a row I faked it back to my shop ....
THEN I popped on a Repair Harness ..
you know the rest...
it ran fine, and did for a couple of weeks after that auto trans gave out.
( was questionable anyway )
Now she only goes in reverse..
but without  vanagon syndrome !

Scott
turbovans
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike B" <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2011 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: vanagon syndrome strikes...advice?

> VW wouldnt have developed a wiring repair harness and installed them at
> their expense for a mythical problem.  Yes, I have experienced it, and
> corrected it permanently with this harness.  No myths there.
>
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone
>
> Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET> wrote:
>
>>Dennis, my van exhibited exactly the symptoms that are typically described
>>as "Vanagon syndrome."  New AFM fixed it, period.  Now, that is more
>>expensive than an oxygen sensor, but replacing an oxygen sensor that was
>>not bad would not have fixed the problem.  Why do you say it is a "myth"?
>>Folks vehicles do behave that way given certain conditions.  If it is the
>>oxygen sensor causing it, then so be it, but it was not in my case.  The
>>oxygen sensor was good.
>>
>>mcneely
>>
>>---- Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>> In my opinion "Vanagon Syndrome" is a myth. It always comes down to an
>>> O2 sensor or circuit problem. Capacitors and active harness gizmos may
>>> slightly max or hide it but the problem is not fixed until that O2
>>> sensor issue is corrected.
>>>
>>> One thing that never gets mentioned is the O2 sensor heater. You need to
>>> make sure it is working. You need to make sure that it is not open and
>>> that near 12 volts is there with it connected. I have seen wiring issues
>>> where the plug has 12 volts with the sensor disconnected but due to a
>>> bad wire in the harness it drops off once the sensor is plugged in.
>>>
>>> The sensor is almost like a battery. It works via a chemical reaction. I
>>> have witnessed the sensor working fine most of the time and then during
>>> a long trip it begins to fail to produce voltage. Run away rich here we
>>> come (the Syndrome). Stop for a while and then it works OK and after
>>> some time "it's happening again".
>>>
>>> The sensor placement is really in a bad location. It is not in a
>>> consistently hot part of the exhaust. It is exposed to a lot of cooling
>>> air. It's sprayed-contaminated with rain, salt, road dirt and everything
>>> else coming right off that left rear tire. What were they thinking? Then
>>> we add some poor wiring that corrodes and combine some grounds and it a
>>> wonder things work at all.
>>>
>>> The only Vanagon uniqueness here is how often it plagues us.
>>>
>>> Dennis
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>>> Of David Hardy
>>> Sent: Friday, November 25, 2011 11:07 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: vanagon syndrome strikes...advice?
>>>
>>> So a quick update...I unplugged the O2 sensor (thanks Angus) and the
>>> problem went away - so I changed out the sensor and she ran perfect all
>>> day. Maybe I had vanagon syndrome *and* bad O2 sensor...who knows...but
>>> we are back in happy camper-land.
>>> Love this list...
>>> David
>>>
>>> Sent from my Android
>>>
>>> John Meeks <vanagon@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> >David,
>>> >
>>> >Sounds like you've done all the right stuff to eliminate Vanagon
>>> >syndrome as the cause of your problems..
>>> >The first thing I thought after reading your diagnostic process was a
>>> >failing catalytic converter. Could cause those symptoms when the cat
>>> >gets hot.
>>> >
>>> >You might also check your voltages at the ECU per Bentley manual.
>>> >
>>> >John Meeks
>>> >'91 Vanagon MV
>>> >Northern Michigan
>>> >
>>> >Vanagon Rescue Squad
>>> >www.vanagonauts.com
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >On Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 10:14 AM, David Hardy <david@planetmind.net>
>>> >wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> Long story short...left Colorado for New Mexico in my new-to-me 1990
>>> >> westy Sunday, when 2 hrs into the trip on I-25 I felt the dreaded
>>> >> single engine "buck" - one simple stumble, then another 20 minutes
>>> >> later, then another in
>>> >> 10 minutes...then every few minutes or so. By the time we got to
>>> >> Trinidad, she was stumbling pretty badly , but not bad enough to
>>> >> stall out. stumbling was *not* accompanied by tach needle drop, and
>>> >> seemed to do it when pressing accellerator after letting off. if I
>>> >> pushed the clutch in during an "episode", idle would be erratic,
>>> >> surging and sometimes dropping slowly to stall. hard to say whether
>>> >> turning ignition off/on made it go away, as condition was very
>>> >> intermittent.
>>> >>
>>> >> Next morning replaced fuel filter and put in some injector cleaner.
>>> >> One hour later down the highway, same deal.
>>> >>
>>> >> Got to Taos, read up and went to Radio Shack for a 22mf capacitor and
>>> >> a soldering iron. Also got a new cap and rotor and a set of spark
>>> >> plugs just in case. Installed the capacitor (electrolytic, didn't
>>> >> have a tantalum), and put in new cap and rotor. thought all was
>>> >> well...until about 2 hrs down the road from Taos to Albuquerque,
>>> >> syndrome returned but a little different...this time it was not
>>> >> stumbling, but hesitation - like a flat spot. pressing accelerator to
>>> >> floor seemed to make it "catch" and clear the condition, but it would
>>> >> return 2-5 min later.
>>> >>
>>> >> So I got back in and cleaned the resistive pad in the AFM w/alcohol,
>>> >> and loosened the screws that hold it's mounting plate and shifted it
>>> >> about 1/2mm to get the wiper on a new track. Ran perfect for about 30
>>> >> minutes on highway, but then it struck again and this time it was
>>> >> pretty severe hesitation - gas pedal wouldn't rev engine, no power,
>>> >> it would just cough.
>>> >> if I let it go to idle it would stall. turning off ignition and on
>>> >> again cleared it totally - for about 3 minutes.
>>> >>
>>> >> So I opened things up again and moved the plate back. installed new
>>> >> plug wires for the heck of it. Also got a new O2 sensor, but couldn't
>>> >> get the old one off. haven't had a chance to test it yet...kind of a
>>> >> pain to have to drive an hour to see if something fixed it.
>>> >>
>>> >> So, anyone have any recommendations? Also, does anyone know where I
>>> >> can get a replacement AFM in Albuquerque?
>>> >>
>>> >> David
>>> >>
>>> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>> >> David Hardy
>>> >> Planetmind Internetworks
>>> >> Nedernet, Inc.
>>> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>> >>
>>
>>--
>>David McNeely
>