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My main question today: Does anyone else have trouble starting their
van when it is already hot? I often have to try precisely 2 times when
it is good and warmed up; the first time it will sorta cough and
valiantly rumble to half-life, then stop-- then fire up instantly on
the second try. What gives?

My Ev has the same problem. It is especially bad in the summer (when it is
hot and muggy in NC). It is, however, no problem right now when it is in the
40's and 50's. I have tried fuel injector cleaners (the ones you add to the
gas) and I got it tuned, but----the problem will not go away. I also changed
the temp sensor in the cooling system after my mechanic swore it would fix
the problem. I now have come to the conclusion (though I have not tested my
theory, yet) that it might be a leaking injector, or more precisely the cold
start valve not functioning properly. I ordered one 2 months ago and
finally received it yesterday ($99.33!!) The problem I am facing is that it
starts up immediately right now and I will not know until next spring or
summer if the $100 was a good investment.
My other car, the one I drive most of the time, is a Jetta Diesel (210
000 miles and going). When I start it I step on the gas pedal a little. When
I first bought the van I did the same thing and I always had problems
starting it. My wife, who does not have this bad habit, had no problems
starting it (unless it is hot and humid and the engine is warm). Make sure
you don't touch the accelerator pedal when you start the van.
Hope this helps, if you ever find the answer let me know!
Eckhard

Distinguished EuroVaneers:



Many thanks for the (much-debated) advice about extended warranties. I
think I will invest about CAN$1200 in some GICs and mutual funds, and
that way if I have a problem after the warranty is up, I'll still have
the cash (in theory anyway). No adjuster to haggle with either.



My main question today: Does anyone else have trouble starting their
van when it is already hot? I often have to try precisely 2 times when
it is good and warmed up; the first time it will sorta cough and
valiantly rumble to half-life, then stop-- then fire up instantly on
the second try. What gives? I foolishly included my Charles Probst
Fuel Injection manual when I sold my Vanagon. dumb, dumb, dumb.



Thanks for any input. I sincerely appreciate the collective
meanderings this medium provides; I don't think I could have afforded
to keep my old '84 Westfalia if it weren't for the Vanagon 'list'. Now
that I have gone to the dark side (front-engine VWs), that list will
have nothing to do with me, although I was, in the end, nothing but a
lurker. Apologies to any double-listees. :)



Marcus Elia

'95 EV GLS

Peterborough, ON

dela@...

Ric,
I hope you are able to get your EV functional soon and all the effort put
into communicating to VW and other owners will lead to an engineered
correction to the fuel line problem. The other aspect of your story that
concerns me is the lack of readily available replacement parts. Given the
popularity of this vehicle in Europe, I can't understand why they can't ship
the parts you need from Germany. Could it be that there are some unique US
spec parts (eg wiring harness) that VW is not stocking? High prices can be
tolerated but no parts is not acceptable for a 7 year old vehicle. Please
continue to keep us posted on your repair. Thanks.
Ron

Guys -

I'm new to EV's and have been watching the engine fire posts since I
have an 81K mile 1993.

It is certainly a problem if there are only appox 10,000 of these 1993
(and those sold in 94) EV's and there are the number of fires reported.
It just seems like the ratio of fires/vehicles produced alone should be
a flag here...

Maybe those of you in vcontact with VW should email a link to the recent
copart.com EV burner pics..... as surely that was another one that went
up in flames because of the fuel lines.

Finally getting mine registered today :-) it passed emissions last night
- one of the workers was drooling all over it! Nice to see there are
fans besides us.

Bill
93 Weekender

rgolen@... wrote:

I recently saw a 20/20 series about SEARS selling used batteries


Hey Volks,

Just a thought. Batteries are probable the number one car part that is
recycled. The plates inside are the most valuable part. The plastic case is
the cheapest. I work for a ship supply company once, and I pickup a special
battery (new) only special because of it's size. Stupid me put it in the tail
of a 52,000lbs GVW box truck (inside of course) and drove away. Brooklyn, NY
is full of pot holes and I hit one and that battery jumped and came down and
cracked open in one of the cells. I thought to myself this is gonna cost the
boss lots this was a special Radio Room battery. I went back to the battery
place and they took it back no charge. He told me that the plastic box on
most batteries is the only thing new besides the terminals.

So always make sure your battery has those plastic caps on the terminals.


Just my two cents!!

Richie

Its been a while since I posted an update on the EV fire. Things have
been rather slow on that front. One of the major problems has been
trying find a new main engine compartment wiring harness for the engine
compartment. There are none in the US and none in Germany! Six weeks
ago VW put the wiring harness on a "priority list", and as of
today....nada!

The woman from VW with whom I have been working has not been able to
get the search for the harness off center.

A couple of weeks ago, both a representative from VW and a forensic
investigator visited my EV. As a result of the forensic investigator's
report, my insurance company has said it will subrogate the claim
against VW. As for VW, I was told that VW is now considering the merits
of a recall on the EVs.

Wednesday, I went to the dealer (where the EV is staying) to develop a
more comprehensive damage list. The insurance adjuster came up with
about $2,300 in damages. I came up with a parts list that filled all
but two lines on a legal sized sheet of paper!

The damage on my EV is in an area from the edge of the manifold on the
driver's side to the battery box area. Every component in that area has
either been melted or at least exposed to high temperatures/smoke
damage. That includes brake lines, master cylinder, wiper motor and
assembly, all hoses (heater and A/C), rear heater control, clutch slave
cylinder, gear shift assembly...on and on ad nauseum.

Prior to the fire, I had no problem with hopping in the EV and driving
off on a 2,000 mile road trip. All I would have to do is check the
fluids, air pressure in the tires, fill it with gas, and we were good
to go.

I now have the feeling that unless every component in that engine
compartment is replaced (except the engine, tranny, and radiator) that
the reliability of the EV will always be in question. Perhaps it would
be better if the EV were to be totaled and I pick up another EV.

Ric

John,


Any info would be helpful.

Thanks.


Ric


jdogde-@... wrote:
original article:

Ric, I am an original owner of a 93 EVGL with 117,000 miles. I have

been

checking my fuel lines lately because of these posts and the fact my

wife has

mentioned fuel smells. I have not seen sign of leaks and think the

fuel smell

was because of an improperly secured fuel cap from the previous fill

up.

I have found a burned 93 GL in a Greeley, CO junk yard. Serious fire

as only

the tail lights are much good. From the burn, I am sure it was an

engine

fire as the intake manifolds are completely melted!

If it would be helpful to you, I can try to read the VIN number.

John P. Donahue
93 EVGL
Greeley, CO

Anderson's east of Greeley. It is in the foreign section, walk straight back
from the entrance and when you see the foreign cars, look in about the middle
of the section.

I will be there today. They close at noon.

John

Todd,
My EV MV went to Clode's salvage yard in Denver.
John Coleman

In a message dated 11/5/99 10:44:33 PM, JDOgden@... writes:

<<I have found a burned 93 GL in a Greeley, CO junk yard. Serious fire as
only
the tail lights are much good. From the burn, I am sure it was an engine
fire as the intake manifolds are completely melted!>>

John,

Which junkyard is it at? Ironically, I have a broken left tail light and
have been looking for a used one.

Todd Vess
Windsor

Thank for the first hand experience on this job. I may be interesed in
trying it myself. Do you have a part number for the tools you bought and a
phone number for Zelenda? Thanks in advance.
Ron

Boy is this timely!

Two weeks ago I bought a battery at Wa#M%rt for my EV. (The previous one
was a 50 month battery that was 5 years old and would not hold a charge.)
From the first time I cranked with it, it felt weak. Three days later the
car wouldn't start. I charged it over night. Lasted one week. Today,
once again, the car would not start. I jump started and checked the
alternator. 14.7 volts. Pulled the battery and installed Reinhardt's
battery (he's off the road now anyway), and returned the "new" battery for
a refund. I hadn't checked for marks or such, but I wished I had used
Wally's battery checker before purchasing the new one.

BTW, Reinhardt's battery was the exact same make and model battery,
purchased just 6 months ago from ... you guessed it ... Wa#M%rt!

Maynard
'82 Westy Diesel "Reinhardt"
'93 EV GL "Klinger"
'00 Golf GLS TDI "WooHoo"


On Friday, November 05, 1999 12:05 PM, Chris Noeske
[SMTP:CHRISN@...] wrote:

I recently saw a 20/20 series about SEARS selling used batteries, as

new. I

always bought my batteries there, and recently went to replace the

battery

in our 91 Alfa Spider. I thought that what 20/20 was reporting was an
isolated incident, WRONG. I bought the battery, as a carry out, and when

I

was installing it I noticed marks on the battery posts. The kind that
battery cables would leave. I went back into the store and looked at

the

place where they keep the rest of there "new" batteries. There were

traces

of white acid, on several other batteries. Along with a spec of blue
blistered paint on one. The white acid is what you see on your old

battery

cables, not new batteries. I confronted the manager about this and told
him that I wanted my money back. I got my money back, but few words were
spoken. He would not give me a customer service number to call, or his

full

name. He was kind enough to give me a business card that had a name on

it

which did not match the name on the uniform he was wearing. So if your

Die

Hard dies shortly after the warranty expires it might be cause it was

used.

Chris Noeske [mailto: chrisn@...]
Project Engineer
Electroimpact, Inc.
4606 107th St SW, Mukilteo, WA 98275-4706


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I'm forever getting ready to do this as well. Can you tell us how long
it took to do this (did you do anything else besides replace the timing
belt and water pump?). Did you take any pictures? I'm hoping to talk
the wife into taking a few so I can document it all, thought it might
prove useful for others later.

Since you were game for this project, have you by chance flushed your
coolant or brake fluid... or changed the AT filter and fluid? If, so
I'd be interested in hearing how they went.


Jerry

gbnvi-@... wrote:
original article:

I just replaced my timing belt on my 93ev myself-not a fun job
(although faster once you've done it once) at 88kmiles. The serpentine
belt showed very significant cracking; the timing belt showed no
appreciable wear. I foolishly cranked the engine by hand while the cam
was at top dead center-a sure prescription for disaster if there was

an

interference problem. Nothing bad happened. However, the EV uses
hydraulic valve lifters, and since there was no oil pressure, the
valves probably provided little "resistance", and thus were not
damaged. While under acceleration with high pressure on the adjuster,
interference probably can happen and cause damage.

btw, I bought the 2 VW tools from Zelenda: the vibration damper holder
and the serpentine tensioner pulley tool. The ~$140 investment was

very

well worth it, as I used both tools many times during the job. I can't
imagine trying to do it with out them.

I replaced the water pump at the same time, as it was going bad (faint
grinding noise while running). That is the worst part of the job, as

it

requires removal or bending up of the back timing belt cover. I bent
the cover, and in bending it back, it now rubbed the camshaft pulley.

I

had to wire it with aircraft safety wire to prevent the rubbing. I was
unable to remove the camshaft pulley (the correct way to do the job)

to

get the plate out, even with a top of the line snap-on puller.

Given the complexity of the job, I would either recommend either DIY

if

you're mechanically competent, or take it to a VW dealer with real EV
experience. Even with the right tools, it is a long job, and I'm sure
the labor, expecially for the water pump, is expensive.

ltves-@... wrote:
original article:

In a message dated 9/8/99 3:35:41 PM, pjansen@...

writes:

<<Even though everyone says NO, I can assure you it CAN cause

damage.

Such as

5 exhaust valves and one intake valve in my case. $2200, thank you

very

much. Definitely worth replacing it at the specified interval, as I

now

have learned.>>

What is the specified interval? There is no mention of it in the

owner's

manual except to "check the condition of the belt" at something like

60,000

miles. I asked the FLVWD about replacing the timing belt at 70,000

miles and

they said to not worry about it. They said it will go for more than

100,000

miles, and if it does break, nothing will be damaged. I've had

timing belts

in other VWs break and nothing happen, but they were not EVs which

are a

different bird altogether. . .

Todd

Ric, I am an original owner of a 93 EVGL with 117,000 miles. I have been
checking my fuel lines lately because of these posts and the fact my wife has
mentioned fuel smells. I have not seen sign of leaks and think the fuel smell
was because of an improperly secured fuel cap from the previous fill up.

I have found a burned 93 GL in a Greeley, CO junk yard. Serious fire as only
the tail lights are much good. From the burn, I am sure it was an engine
fire as the intake manifolds are completely melted!

If it would be helpful to you, I can try to read the VIN number.

John P. Donahue
93 EVGL
Greeley, CO

It may be a bit over 300 from North Chicago but out of the way. This
summer we went to Watersmeet Mi. and saw the ghost light,worth seeing.
I 94W to I39 N to 17 North for you. If there is a group there sharing
stories you can get real worked up. I stayed up til 3am. You can look
this up on the net also.

We camped out that night right on the back road. People say it follows
the last one out and thought we were nuts to stay!

The next day we drove way back into the Ottawa National Forest to
Robin's pond. This is an old ghost town from the lumber era. There are
cleared camping spots on the pond. Great wild life. No facilities at
all. Bring your own water. Think there was a hand well but it is prob.
closed up now. Just some animal skulls and a pile of old bricks from
the mill. There is a small dam and a story board about the area. One
story is the Maid of the Mist or Ghost of Robin's pond walks across the
pond at night. Indian maiden in white deer skin dress so I am told.
Did not see that durning the day though. If you get the itch or need
a good breakfast the casino is right in Watersmeet. This is as about
as out of the way that I have found. There is also other State and
federal forest you can go in to for no costs.

Have fun. Tread lightly.
Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but foot prints.



"severin d. chayka" <chaykas-@...> wrote:
original article:

Does anybody who is online right now have any idea about wild place
(primitive campground, or something else just way out of the crowd)

in the

300 miles radius from North Chicago? Unexpectedly I got free weekend

coming

and trying to find the place to get away for the weekend. All places

I know

too far away and I do not want to spend all weekend driving.

Thanks in advance.

Severin.
Severin Daniel Chayka
@ PCI Energy Services.

I personally plan to buy an extended warranty before
the standard warranty expires. I would not buy the
extended warranty if I owned a Toyota or a Honda, but
with the EVC, I think the odds are in my favor.

=====

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Bid and sell for free at

Many men many minds. This is all it is.

At 09:23 AM 11/5/99 -0800, you wrote:

hi Marcus,
I've seen the trailers on this & thought I'd respond directly to your
original question:
1) I had an 85 vanagon for 10 years, bought the extended warranty & did
about $100 better than break even.
2) I have a 95 evc, bought new, and wish I had spent the US$900 or so
on the extended warranty. would be close to breaking even already.

So, as others pointed out, buy it if you can afford the premium better
than the possible costs of something major. just read the fine print...
Bill Segesser
95evc

-----Original Message-----
From: dela@... [mailto:dela@...]
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 3:02 PM
To: ev_update@...
Subject: [ev_update] New owner; extended warranty question


Eurovaneers:

I recently bought a '95 EV GLS with 100 000 kilometres on it. Fine
vehicle, but I have a couple of questions:

1. All this talk about auto. transmissions makes me think that I should
jump on the extended warranty while I still can. Is it worth the
$1150CAN if I plan to keep the van at least 5 years?

2. Is it common to have to try the starter twice after a 15 minute hot
soak? This only happened every now and then in my '84 Vanagon, but I
feel like it happens all the time with the Eurovan.

3. I know that everyone else has been driving their EVs for a long time
and are now de-sensitized, but should the front end be as noisy as it
is at highway speeds? Sounds almost like an unbalanced wheel or a shot
bearing, compared to my quiet (but slow) Vanagon.

Thanks in advance. I hope this gets through, as I had no success
sending things from my e-mail server.

Marcus Elia

Peterborough, ON


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--

Severin Daniel Chayka
@ PCI Energy Services.

Does anybody who is online right now have any idea about wild place
(primitive campground, or something else just way out of the crowd) in the
300 miles radius from North Chicago? Unexpectedly I got free weekend coming
and trying to find the place to get away for the weekend. All places I know
too far away and I do not want to spend all weekend driving.

Thanks in advance.

Severin.
Severin Daniel Chayka
@ PCI Energy Services.

hi Marcus,
I've seen the trailers on this & thought I'd respond directly to your
original question:
1) I had an 85 vanagon for 10 years, bought the extended warranty & did
about $100 better than break even.
2) I have a 95 evc, bought new, and wish I had spent the US$900 or so
on the extended warranty. would be close to breaking even already.

So, as others pointed out, buy it if you can afford the premium better
than the possible costs of something major. just read the fine print...
Bill Segesser
95evc

Agreed, but VW has relatively good product and in most cases if you do
service in time (better yet yourself, I have good reasons not to believe
those dealers and other shops) you are not looking much trouble, but sure
you have some chance.


At 08:48 AM 11/5/99 -0800, you wrote:

At 06:19 AM 11/05/1999 -0600, Daniel wrote:

Any extended warranty is just a rip off. You should
understand that if it would not be the way to make additional money for

them

they would never offer it to you.

This is a bit unfair. *Any* insurance policy could be characterized the

same way. However, the real question is what the risk-reward ratio is for
*you*. If you can afford $1150, but a $5,000 bill would be a serious
problem, then maybe you should buy the warranty. If you did this 1000 times,
would you "lose" money? Probably. Obviously the *insurance* company is not
going to set rates so low that *they* lose. However, the spread is not huge
- insurance companies make their profit by investing the premiums until they
have to pay off. Direct profit from premium vs. payout is trivial.

So the deal is that *if* you could set aside the $1150, and invest is as

well as a professional investor with much more money could, then you could
cash your investment in when the tranny fails and have a little left over
(vast oversimplification).

If you're a real tiger, you might know more about your van, and whether

your particular transmission (or any other component) is likely to fail. The
insurance company is probably looking at *all* VW Vans as a group. If you're
at high risk, go for it.

-- Chuck (still doing research on *which* ext warr to get) '99 EVC

========
Chuck Bragg, Santa Monica Bay Audubon

cgbragg@...
fax: 209-671-6396
========

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Severin Daniel Chayka
@ PCI Energy Services.