-----Original Message-----
From: Urs Rothacher <Urs.Rothacher@RSS.ROCKWELL.COM>
To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM <Vanagon@VANAGON.COM>
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 1998 3:51 PM
Subject: 82 engine weak, what's wrong?

>Hi,
>We are looking for a 81-87 Westie.
>Yesterday I was testdriving a 82 4spd man gas and it accelerated very
>slowly (I have driven Vanagons before but this one was *very* slow).
>The owner mentioned that the cylinder pressure is low and this is the
>reason for the weakness and that the engine would maybe have to be
>rebuilt again. The bus hat 190000miles and 25000? after last (top?)
>rebuilt.
>I am a car dummie and couldn't find a good explanation for this in any
>FAQ.
>Q: Can anyone guess what's wrong with the engine?
>
Yes, anyone can guess.  hehe.
My experience with motors that run smooth but lack power are usaully lacking
timing advance.  The base timing could be off, or the vacuum advance could
be malfunctioning.  Of course, a million other things could be wrong too,
but start there.

>I also testdrove a 81 3spd automatic gas (130000 miles).
>Q: Is there a drawback in having a 3spd automatic transmission?

refer to the archives for spirited transmission debates.

>Q: There is a 10in crack in the windshield (from an impact). Is this a
>problem? Will it grow?
>
hit a few hard bumps and it will, or twist the body jacking it.  Actually,
these vans are pretty stiff, but you otta see the early watercooled VW's
bend over a floor jack.

>