STOP DRIVING THIS VAN IMMEDIATELY!  YOU'RE KILLING IT!
The reason it is knocking is that it is overheating, not that the
distributer is too advanced!

Count yourself lucky if you don't need a rebuild after all it has been
thru.

The low compression in one cylender is not the problem either.

TBill

---Linda Bartnik <bartnik@WORLDNET.ATT.NET> wrote:
>
> Hey all,
> OK, here's that separate post I promised about the troubles with my
'81
> Vanagon (air-cooled 2.0L).
>
> First, the symptom:  it's running really really hot.  The oil temp has
> no trouble reaching 250 on a warm day (and even on not-so-warm days)
on
> the highway (60 mph).  You can tell it's running hot, you can smell
it.
>
> I also learned, while driving on the highway with both windows open
that
> my engine is pinging quite a bit!  I'm not sure if this is a result or
> cause of the compression/heating problem, but it was pinging even
under
> a medium load.  I had already retarded the base timing to 4 degrees
BTDC
> from the stock spec of 7.5 BTDC but the pinging was still going.  So I
> checked the total advance on my distributor and found it's advancing
to
> at least 38 degrees BTDC.  Does anyone know what the max. advance spec
> is for the distributor on this particular Type 4 engine?  What can I
do
> about it?  I have a spare distributor that I plan to install to see if
> that helps.  Is there anything about a distributor that would cause an
> over-advancing condition?
>
> I will probably need head(s) -- so if that is the case I guess AVP is
> the way to go.  Ron, what's yer price?
>
> Any ideas or suggestions will be appreciated
>
> Thanks!
>
> Sean Bartnik
> Johnson City, Tennessee
> '81 Vanagon L Westfalia
>

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