Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 00:34:34 -0400
Reply-To: Mike Collum <collum@MFX.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Collum <collum@MFX.NET>
Subject: Re: relay starter solenoid fix=brake warning light!?!
In that you have a Westy, I'm sending you the following which was sent
to me by Mark Drillock:
<snip>
If your Westy has a 3 way fridge or came factory wired
for an aux battery there can be a conflict. The VW relay for either of
these is under the driver's seat (except for some 80/81 3 way fridge
models). VW did not ground these relays directly but instead hooked
their ground to the wire that runs from the ignition switch to the
starter. This wire grounds through such a low resistance coil in the
starter that the Westy relay works fine this way. Also this helps
prevent the Westy relay from being activated while you are running the
starter. Unfortunately this is the same wire that gets unhooked from the
starter and used instead to trigger the new starting relay. The
resistance of the new starting relay is much higher and so it does not
act enough like a ground. This makes the starter RUN whenever the Westy
relay is triggered and the Westy relay is always triggered whenever the
engine is running fast enough for the alternator to charge. This will
cause the starter to grind into the flywheel teeth while the engine is
running. A VERY BAD THING!
(For the more electronics savvy, the 2 relay coils are left wired in
series after the engine has started. This creates a voltage divider. The
small relays are similar enough that about half of the +12 will appear
across each relay coil and BOTH relays will activate whenever the
alternator is charging as that is what triggers the Westy relay.
Originally the divider ratio was such that most of the voltage was
across the Westy coil and the starter coil just dissipated the rest)
Here is the fix if you have a Westy relay under the front seat:
1. Remove the Red/Black wire from the ground leg of the Westy relay and
cover it with tape so it can't short out to anything.
2. Cut a 4" piece of wire, put a female spade on one end and a ring
terminal on the other.
3. Plug the female end on to the relay where you pulled the red/black
wire from.
4. Screw the ring end down to chassis ground using the screw that holds
the relay in place.
That is it, you are done. The old red/black wire is no longer connected
to anything.
<snip>
This may not be the info you were looking for .... but it seems like
something you should check.
Mike
> Sorry to leave out the vitals-I have an 87 Westy. The relay fix was
done according to the tech
> article on vanagon.com. In a nutshell, the ignition switch hot lead is
connected to the relay
> which switches constant power (taken off the starter) to the solenoid
which engages the
> starter. All work was performed as expained by the article mentioned
(and other misc. tips in
> the archives) and 10 gauge cables were used for both hot leads and the
ground. A 30 amp
> automotive fuse was used. Hope this makes sense! Again, I appreciate
all the help!
>
