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so i just bought this 1985 vanagon gl rwd automatic van. for a few weeks it drove great. the day b4 yesterday it started to lose push while driving. all of a sudden my gas pedal gives very little reistance as i push it to the floor but the van is slowing. its happened a few times since, so far only when warm out; at night. it doesnt completely stall, but its like it wants to. while im rolling it usually gains push again. it isnt coinciding w/ any loud noises or smells or smokes. please help as im a novice but cant afford the repair shop. thank u all for your help.
well, an update. my friend scott scared me at first by saying it might be a slipping transmission.$$$$$$$$$$$
then when i told him i had filled it up twice since buying it and last time used a fuel tank additive he said i probably had a bunch of gunk in the bottom of my tank since now i was driving near empty. he suggested i put some gas in the tank and when it happens again to try to "flutter" the gas pedal and if my problem is just a fuel issue then the pressure will push the gunk away from my fuel filter enough for gas to get through. he said that if i then had push it is not a transmission problem it is a dirty fuel line. so on my way to work tonight i did what he said and by fluttering the gas peddle i was indeed able to achieve push. so does anyone agree/disagree w/ my friend? he said a fuel issue would be about 100$ as opposed to about 600$ for a transmission issue. before i go to the VW place i would really like to know what i need done as opposed to what they want to do to my van, since either way it doesnt sound like a DIY kind of job.  

so i changed the fuel filter: lotsa red gritty gunk. i *** rust, so i got a coupla extra to catch future possible fuel tank rust.
i changed the transmission filter(an advanced job for me) and added new fluid. so far she seems to at least be idling alot better, although ive only been able to drive it here around the job site so far. tomorrow i will test her in the hilly city traffic.
other suggestions are still accepted tho. tu  

she's running like a wet dream now. im a happy merlin! the guy who sold it to me told me the reason the temp warning light never went out was because of afaulty sensor. he was wrong. as soon as i did the transmission stuff the light went out. by the way, there isnt alot of sites w/ info on vanagons out there but i found one called van-cafe dot com  

thanks for the info and the site.  Im glad everything worked out well.