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Glad to hear you are safe. Now you can relax and work on the car comfortably. Joseph Mendoza Lyford, Tx 1972 Squareback AT 1641 > --- Original Message --- >Sent: 08/07/04 11:57:30 >From: kguarnotta@usa.net >To: type3@vwtype3.org >Subject: [T3] trip report...not quite to hershey :( > >Hi guys, > >As greg posted, I had some problems on my trip...I thought I had everything >covered... > >I was driving down the road, about 150 miles into a 400 mile trip to invade. >I had just gassed up about 15 minutes earlier....great mileage-35 mpg. > >The squareback started behaving a little weird, not quite responding to the >gas pedal as it was earlier. It was kind of like I was climbing a steep >incline, but I wasn't. > >I tried to drive through it...thinking I was being too sensitive. But it >definitely continued. So I pulled over, off the highway into a Dunkin Donuts >parking lot. (New Haven, CT). > >I got a muffin/bathroom rest. Let the engine cool a little bit. > >I checked the engine-nothing looked immediately out of the ordinary-I was >thinking maybe a wire came loose. > >I then read Muir, he suggested checking the grounds. So I did that, >tightened what I could see, took the number 11 ground off, cleaned around >it(it was a little greasy) the reconnected. > >I went to restart-and it didn't want to idle, I had to keep pumping the gas. > >I re-read Muir, checked my Bentley-couldn't figure it out. This guy in the >parking lot sends me down the road to a mechanic. "Tell him Linda's nephew >sent you", I went down he checked a couple things- he was busy. He suggested >replacing the distributor cap-the contacts inside looked dirty. Changed the >rotor too....he thought it was a problem with compression or maybe valve >adjustment. No time to look at it-sent me down the road. I went down the >road to another mechanic. > >I thought I was in a set for the "Sopranos"-with the way these guys were >talking. Then I saw an autographed photo on the wall of one of the guys from >the show. > >"Do you work on VW's?" >"Hey we're mechanics we work on all cars. We'll take care of you?" > >I waited here about 20 minutes...listening to a lot of shouting between >employees, owner and his wife over the phone, a thrown cell phone...I >figured this is not where I want to be. > >I drove down the road to another mechanic. This guy's shop had burned down >and he was in the process of rebuilding/cleaning. Power surge on the >computer, caused a fire. > >Anyway he was willing to help me out. He listened to it...we >checked/replaced spark plugs, rotor, & points. Now it was running, but it >would race at idle-up and down. I test drove it, and it seemed fine...only >problem at idle. This is when I called Greg. We talked for a couple minutes. >So we decided to try it-if it is going ok-just make it to Hershey. > >I went down the road, about 10-15 miles, when I heard a boom kind of noise, >and the engine just stopped. It would not start again. I coasted to an off >ramp and got off the highway. I didn't feel safe working on it here, so I >needed to get it towed somewhere. > >I called Greg again-he hooked me up with some phone numbers from AIRS. I >made some calls, and found a mechanic recommended in Winsted. I got towed up >to Winsted(wrong direction with Hershey as my ultimate destination). > >This whole process took a long time. > >I got up to Mechanics Advantage in Winsted. The owner-Fred, was having a Bus >Night-working on restoring some buses for himself, son and a friend. He >worked with me trying to diagnose the problem for a few hours...until around >12:30. Amazingly nice guy. This guy has all those crazy electronic tools >that you see in the Bentley! > >So I had already changed the spark plugs, rotor, dist cap, & points. He >found the problem for not starting-if I remember correctly the temp sensor >had become disconnected, and the #3 fuel injector had come off. Simple >things to see-but at the time I was tired, in the hot sun, and didn't feel >comfortable looking at my engine at all on the side of this busy road. I'm >thinking the injector may have been knocked loose when replacing the spark >plugs, then came off when driving, somehow caused an explosion in the engine >compartment, and knocked the sensor loose. This explained the smoky smell. > >We got it running again-but it didn't idle properly still surging, and 3&4 >were not firing very well(when we disconnected the spark plug wire-there >wasn't any difference in the engine sound). > >We checked the throttle valve switch, checked timing, dwell, valve >clearance-3&4 were a little bit tight, but not enough to cause this problem, >this seemed to get them to fire better. We checked for vacuum leaks by >spraying some carb cleaner on all the connections in the engine >compartment.WE checked fuel pressure-steady at ~32psi. We tried adjusting >the idles speed adjustment-the thought being that the idle speed setting was >fighting the ECU. We checked and saw that the fuel injectors were firing. >It was idling around 1500, we couldn't get it go any lower consistently. > >Side question-when this screw is screwed in as tight as it goes-shouldn't >the engine have trouble idling? Or not idle at all? We tightened this all >the way, and the engine kept running no problem. > >According to Bentley-trouble shooting this Ch. 4, sec 10.3, pg 21, > >Engine surges at idle- hose between aux air regulator & intake air dist >detached. This is not the case. > >Uneven idling injector pairs or their connections interchanged-this was not >the case, the grey boots were on 2 & 4, and the black on 1 & 3. > >To try to end this email...We got it running-but it still surges, we >finished around 12:30/1am. Unfortunatly I didn't think I could make it to >invade. I started heading home. I drive about 45 minutes, it drove fine. I >was tired I pulled onto a side dirt road, and tried to catch a little sleep. >This is in backwoods Connecticut. About 30-45 minutes later two cop cars >with blue lights flashing came to get me out of there...with questions like, >"Have you been drinking?" >"Yes I had a ginger ale." >"You sure you haven't been drinking anything else, you look kind of out of >it?" >"No-I'm kind of out of it because you just woke me up, and I've been going >since 6 this morning" > >I finished getting home around 4am. I didn't make it to Hershey, but I did >meet a great guy who love VW's. I will be back down to visit him. Now I have >two years toget ready for the next one. > >Sorry to go on so long...anyone have any ideas on solving the surging or >know the answer to my 'side question'. > >Thanks for listening... > > >-kevin > >'65 kombi >'71 FI man sqbk >somerville, ma > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >~ Shameless link for search engines: http://listarchive.type3.org ~ >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >