Date:         Tue, 21 Sep 2004 21:51:08 -0700
Reply-To:     Amanda Shank <amanda@LAKEEFFECTDOGS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Amanda Shank <amanda@LAKEEFFECTDOGS.COM>
Subject:      Re: '85 Vanagon power loss
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"

Okay, you are all simply amazing & we've gotten some spectacular feedback as
far as what to do from here.  We went out to the bus today & a great deal of
it even looks like stuff that makes sense to us!  woo-hoo!!!  We're going
shopping for tools & books tomorrow & have a couple of stupid questions for
y'all before we actually begin tearing stuff apart.

The Bentley Book:  Are these guides specific to year/make/model?  or is it
an overview of VW altogether?
What's the best product to use to clean corrosion?  There appears to be
plenty of it on plenty of connectors.
Someone suggested the use of electrical grease after cleaning (&
re-cleaning) the ground wires.  Any specific kind or process better than
others?
And, speaking of electrical wiring...before cleaning or messing around with
any of this type of stuff, shouldn't I disconnect the battery first, or is
that not necessary?  (I warned you, they were stupid questions...)
I was also told that all brown wires are the grounding wires.  Except that
they ALL look brown thanks to years of grease & dirt.  Is there an easy way
to clean these without disconnecting everything & possibly creating a bigger
nightmare for myself?

Thanks again.  You guys are absolutely phenomenal!  I'm positively geeked!
~Amanda Shank
amanda@lakeeffectdogs.com

*Announcing your plans is a great way to hear God laugh*
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amanda Shank" <amanda@LAKEEFFECTDOGS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 2:23 PM
Subject: '85 Vanagon power loss


...or something like that. It happened slowly. At first it was once in a
great while in higher gears that it acted almost like it'd slipped out of
gear...kind of that jerking back-high revving feeling. Slowly it started
doing it more frequently & began to lose power while it acted up. Took her
in & had a vacuum hose loose. We were groovy after that. For a minute. Out
of nowhere the above symptoms were constant and it was almost impossible to
turn around & limp the half-mile back home.

She's been resting ever since in the garage at home; couple of months now. I
just can't afford to get it back to the shop for heaven only knows what sort
of repairs, not to mention the towing fee to get it there.  Tried to start
it the other day, only after a jump did it start.  Kept stalling, though &
couldn't get it out of the driveway.

My questions are these. First, any vague thoughts in general as to the
possible nature of the issue at hand? Secondly, can a simpleton such as
myself get in there and figure some of this out? What resources are out
there to help me do that? "Busses for Dummies"? I just need to be able to do
some of this myself, not only for financial reasons, but because I LOVE this
bus and I want to be more hands-on and more knowledgeable.

Any help anyone has to offer would be great. I'm on all of the instant
messenger programs if that's easier for anyone...user names are:  AOL=
AmandaJShank70, MSN=AmandaShank, Yahoo=AmandaShank2000 /or/ Kitty4Dinner.
I'm lost and alone without my beautiful bus.  Please help reunite us!

Thanks all!
~Amanda Shank
amanda@lakeeffectdogs.com

*Announcing your plans is a great way to hear God laugh*