Date:         Thu, 7 Nov 2002 21:42:00 -0600
Reply-To:     Chuck Mathis <cmathis@HOUSTON.RR.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Chuck Mathis <cmathis@HOUSTON.RR.COM>
Subject:      85 Starter Woes
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Roland has been very good to me for a very long time until Tuesday.  My wife
was driving to her office when she heard what she describes as a horrible
screeching noise and smelled burnt wiring.  When she pulled into a parking
lot the engine would not shut off -- she turned the key to the off position
and removed it and the engine was still running!!!!  By the time I arrived
about 10 minutes later the engine had quit.  I could still smell the burnt
wiring smell but nothing in the engine bay was abnormally hot.   The
electrical system was dead except for the starter LED on the Digitool.
Being dressed for the office I didn't do much of an inspection and opted to
have the van towed to Autohaus of Switzerland so Jurgen and Allen could work
their magic.

I should note here that the starter is original to the van which spent the
first 15 years of its life in southeast Ohio where the winters are damp and
the salt plentiful.  The solenoid had rusted to the point that it shorted
out and engaged the starter at 35 mph -- hence the screeching noise.  The
starter was destroyed during its valiant attempt to keep up with the engine
-- hence the burnt smell.  With the wiring shorted the engine kept running
until the starter seized.

I've never seen or heard of anything quite like this.  It could be worth
your while to take a good look at the starter and solenoid occasionally.

Chuck
'85 Wolfsburg Westy - 'Roland the Road Buffalo'