I visited a friend today and learned, sadly, that he and his family are
considering parting with their 1986 Vanagon (automatic trans.).  They have
spent a lot of money in its upkeep at our (very reputable but expensive) local
VW Dealer, and want to cut their losses.  The straw breaking the camel's back?
Yes, it's another manifestation of the stumbling Vanagon Phantom.

The symptoms:  -A loss of power especially on hills, after the vehicle has
warmed up;
-turning ignition off then on again seems to (very) temporarily relieve
problem;
-rich-mixture smell to exhaust when problem presents itself (i.e. not on
start-up);

The signs:  -oil leak from where distributor connects to block
-main pulley a little wobbly when running (did not check for play when stopped)

Positive things:  -ignition wires are good, coil o.k., dist.cap seems o.k.,
idle steady;
-engine cold-starts, warm-starts, and shuts off instantly (i.e. no run-on);

My friend seems intent on getting rid of the vehicle, but would naturally like
to know what kind of a burden he's passing on to some idealistic buyer.  I
wouldn't buy it because it's an automatic Digifant while my Van's a manual
Digijet; my interest lies in helping a friend in need.  Any insights,
technically complex or simple, are greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,

Marcus Elia
'84 Westy (Dela)

p.s.:  It's very good to have the digest back.  Thanks to Ron and Chris for
their ongoing efforts to keep this excellent resource available!