"Jumping" ? do you mean idle?

            Eric                   86-VW4x4
            vw4x4@fyi.net          72-240z
            Pittsburgh, PA USA     1936-Chrysler

On Tue, 26 Jan 1999, Karl Batzler wrote:

> I would personally suggest replacing the O2 sensor first.  If this doesn't
> do the trick, try the AFM capacitor fix.  If you need directions, I'll
> p-mail them to you.
> Karl Batzler
> 84 Vanagon
> 87 Audi 5000 S
> La Quinta, CA
> -----Original Message-----
> From: S Sittservl <Ssittservl@AOL.COM>
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Date: Tuesday, January 26, 1999 4:15 PM
> Subject: Advice needed: engine speed jumping abruptly
>
>
> >I'm looking for advice on a problem I'm having with my '88 Westfalia.
> >I've seen messages from others with similar problems, but I'm not
> >sure if quite the same thing.
> >
> >When I've run the van at highway speeds (70 MPH) for a few hours,
> >the engine begins to drop around 300 RPM every once in a while,
> >causing the van to slow abruptly.  After about 1 to 5 seconds,
> >the engine returns to its normal speed (and the van jumps ahead).
> >Occurances are anywhere from a couple of seconds to a few minutes
> >apart.
> >
> >If I pull off and let then engine go down to idle speed, it will die.
> >It has a little trouble restarting, but not too bad - I've always
> >been able to restart it.  If I let the van "rest" a while - somewhere
> >between an hour and overnight, I think - the problem goes away.
> >(It will return after a few more hours of driving, though.)
> >
> >So far I've only experienced this in cold weather, but I don't know if
> >that's affecting it, or if the problem just happened to get started
> >in late fall.  Also, I don't know that "highway speed" is necessary -
> >I haven't had the opportunity to drive the van for hours at a time
> >at slower speeds.
> >
> >It's time to replace my oxygen sensor - could it affect this?
> >
> >Thanks for any advice.
> >
> >                                       -Steven Sittser
>