Volkswagen: 78 westy intermitent bucky, stalling, flooding, mostly accel...., cylinder temperature, faulty sensor

Question
Do you have any idea what causes this?  I have spent a fortune trying to get it fixed.  No one seems to know whats wrong.  Please help.....
The bus is a 78 westy type ll  I have had all the vacuum sealed, valve job, comuter box installed, air meter, fuel filters.  Seems to run well for a while than begins to buck, and consume gobs of fuel.  It will stall,  but start right up.  It seems to do it at low revs, that is..when  the revs are low in high gear, or when accelerating.  The bus runs a little rough in high gear when driving at a steady pace and I assume that is part of the situation.  When it is running good it has a lot of power, and pulls hard in 3rd gear and 4th. I am most likely forgetting something, but take your best shot.

                     Thanks for your help
                         John
8-20-06  

Answer
Hi John,

I'm going to take my best shot here.

This sounds like a common and inexpensive fix.  My guess is that it's your #3 cylinder temperature sensor.

It is available at:

www.busdepot.com

It costs about 20 bucks, and it screws into the cylinder head on the left rear of the engine (as you are looking inside).

They last about 2-3 years.   A sure sign of a faulty sensor is bucking,  high-fuel consumption, and sometimes will cause surging as it cruises.

I'll bet that's it.

Let me know, I think my gut is right!


Good Luck, and don't worry about it.... We'll figure it out.


Ron