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Date:         Thu, 14 Jun 2001 12:51:42 -0500
Reply-To:     Max Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Max Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Subject:      Re: Re-occuring problem
Comments: To: Charles McGehee <chasm@ELLTEL.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I concur with Charles. The breakdown on CV joint re-greasing was worth the cost of the book. I especially like Muir's advice about what to do in your van while your on the side of the road waiting for your overheated engine to cool off. Today I think we call it Posturepedic pushups, but he was a little more"60-ish" in his description. His book got my through my first 40hp rebuild around 1970 and the draings and anecdotal writings are classics. Maybe I'm preaching to the choir here.

DM&FS ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles McGehee" <chasm@ELLTEL.NET> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2001 10:18 AM Subject: Re: Re-occuring problem

> Jim, > > Sorry. I was referring to John Muir's "How to Keep Your Volkswagen > Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat > Idiot." While it is intended for air-cooled VW's through 1978, it has > lots which is relevant to newer ones, the starter problem fix being such > (on page 446 of the 16th edition). I got mine from John Muir Publications, > P. O. Box 613, Santa Fe, NM 87504 some years ago. It's also available from > Amazon.com now (cheaper, too). According to Amazon, a new edition is about > to appear. I found that even though I couldn't use a lot that was in it, > his whole approach to understanding and fixing VW's gave me a lot of > confidence to strike out on my own. > > Charles > > > > At 10:05 AM 6/14/01 -0400, JBowen7@aol.com wrote: > >Charles, > > > >Excuse my ignorance...what or who is Muir's? > > > >Jim > > > >In a message dated Thu, 14 Jun 2001 12:27:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time, > >Charles McGehee <chasm@elltel.net> writes: > > > ><< Good grief. But I'm not surprised. I heard once that a VW dealer wanted > >$150 to put one in. It was numbers like that, plus Muir's instructions, > >that convinced me to try it myself. It wasn't really hard. Good luck. > > > >Charles > >At 05:37 PM 6/13/01 -0400, you wrote: > > >Charles, > > > > > >I had a mechanic here quote me $60 for the Ford soleniod and $75 for misc > > >parts and labor! Bunch of rip off artists.... > > > > > >Jim > > > > > > > > > > > >In a message dated Tue, 12 Jun 2001 8:55:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > > >Charles McGehee <chasm@elltel.net> writes: > > > > > ><< JIm, > > > > > >Sounds like it does the same thing as the Ford solenoid -- and a lot > > >cheaper!. I looked it up on BusDepot.com and they get $7.95 for it plus > > >shipping. I paid, a few years ago, about $17 for the Ford solenoid (it's > > >not actually a Ford but a Borg-Warner) plus tax. > > > > > >Well, live and learn. Andrew, are you listening? > > > > > >Charles > > >'85 Westy > > > > > >At 06:40 PM 6/12/01 -0400, JBowen7@aol.com wrote: > > > >Charles, > > > > > > > >It does automatically what I've been doing manually for months with a > > > >piece of coated wire...LOL: It routes power directly from the battery to > > > >the solenoid via the relay. > > > > > > > >There are four wires (one each; blue, red, black, yellow) that connect to > > > >the relay. The wire that connects the ignition switch to the number 50 > > > >terminal on the starter solenoid (the voltage drop culprit), is removed > > > >from the number 50 terminal and plugged into the the blue wire from the > > > >relay. The red wire runs from the relay to the battery cable connection > > > >on the starter solenoid. The black wire runs from the relay to the number > > > >50 terminal on the solenoid. The yellow is a ground. Clear as mud, > > right? > > > > > > > >It' great. All I need to hot start my van now is enough energy to power > > > >the relay. It's hot in Austin now and she's been starting fine since I > > > >installed this relay. > > > > > > > >Hope this helps. > > > > > > > >Jim Bowen > > > >'88 Wolfsburg > > > >'74 Super Beetle Sun Bug > > > >In a message dated Tue, 12 Jun 2001 2:54:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > > > >Charles McGehee <chasm@elltel.net> writes: > > > > > > > ><< Interesting, Jim. How does it work? > > > > > > > >Charles > > > >'85 Westy > > > > > > > >At 01:21 PM 6/12/01 -0400, James Bowen wrote: > > > > >I'm surprised no one on the list has suggested the Bosch WR1 Low Voltage > > > > >Relay kit as a fix for your problem. I've been suffering with the same > > > > >problem on my '88 Wolfsburg (Lola). This past weekend I fitted this > > Bosch > > > > >relay to my Lola. Voila! She's fixed. No more hot start > > problems. Bus > > > > >Depot and Bus Boy both sell this kit. Good Luck. > > > > > > > > > >Jim Bowen > > > > >'88 Wolfsburg > > > > >'74 Super Beetle Sun Bug > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >At 04:20 PM 6/11/01 -0500, Andrew Payton wrote: > > > > > >Well I don't know who read my the story about my trip to Florida & > > > all the > > > > > >problems I incurred with my Vanagon but it seems to have resurfaced. > > > > > >Originally I assumed it was the alternator but now I'm not really sure > > > > b/c I > > > > > >installed a new one only a few weeks ago, went ahead & put in a new > > > > starter > > > > > >too. > > > > > > > > > > > >Basically after driving for about 3.5hrs, Evansville to Frankfort, I > > > > pulled > > > > >up > > > > > >into my driveway & turned off the van b/c I had to run inside for > > > > something. > > > > > >When I came back outside, no more than 5min later, I turned the key to > > > > start > > > > > >my van & there was clearly power but the starter did absolutely > > > nothing - > > > > >the>key just kinda sat there. So now I'm stumped & don't really know > > > > what to > > > > >look > > > > > >for next. Please help me out if ya can. Thanks. > > > > > > > > > > > > Andrew Payton > > > > > > Frankfort, KY > > > > > > 82 Vanagon L (Water-Cooled > > > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> > > > > >>


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