Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 11:25:42 -0400
Reply-To: Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Subject: Re: This week advice.....
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2005102510223225@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Good advice, Ben... that was the first problem I ever fixed on my van... I
drove it home from the PO's place (3 hours, ran fine, just had to learn to
get a running start at hills), parked it in my driveway... and then it
wouldn't start again. Cranked well, but just wouldn't kick over. Talk about
buyer's remorse!
In my case, the culprit was a previous 'repair'... there was a too-small,
too-corroded splice in the 8ga wire between the starter and the harness,
when I touched it, it came apart. I examined the end of the crimp-on
splice, and saw a solid mass of green corrosion, and two protruding wire
strands... those two strands of wire were enough to get it started and get
it home, but the vibration from the trip must have done them in.
On my '85, that wire doesn't go directly from the starter to the
alternator, it goes to a black plastic wire box on the left forward wall of
the engine compartment (open it up, you'll see a big stud there... this
feeds all the engine bay electrics), then another wire runs there to the
alternator. I ran a new 8ga. bypass wire from the starter terminal up to
the stud in that box, and solved my problem (for life, I hope).
After looking at the voltage at the alternator terminal (12V with the key
off, something like 4V with the key on, but not cranking), learning lots of
stuff about the fuel-pump, relay, and engine bay wiring (I ordered a
Bentley before I picked up the van) I finally tried connecting a jumper
cable from the battery + terminal to the alternator output terminal... The
van started right up with the jumper in place, so I knew I was bypassing a
broken connection somewhere. It was real easy to find after that (too bad I
spent a week getting to that test).
The moral of the story is to *always* take a good look at the *connections*
between components (wires, vacuum lines, connectors, grounds, etc.) before
you start spending money and time swapping out parts! In a new car, a
failure is most likely to be in some moving part (relay, motor, vacuum
valve, etc), but these babies ain't new anymore... Always check the passive
''infrastructure', that stuff is more prone to failure (or botched repairs)
on an older vehicle, and is usually *much* cheaper to fix.
At 10:13 AM 10/25/2005 -0400, Benny boy wrote:
>If you are having problem at startup, no fuel pump priming, no start but the
>left relay is clicking.... don't blame the pump or the pump relay yet....
>check the Alternator to starter connection, the red wire (on Starter)....
>
>You should always have 12v at the alternator, even with the ignition key OFF
>and OUT.
>
>without the ignition key ON, check with a voltmeter if you have 12V at the
>alternator big + red wire (with a voltmeter, touch the alternator body with
>- and the main alternator red wire + with the voltmeter +).... if no 12V,
>the relay wont't click.... if so, you have a faulty Starter to Alternator
>12V continuity and the pump won't prime.
>
>Lately, i have seen a lot of that.... on Starter, the main connection, where
>all the red wire goes... the one that goes to the alternator is broken....
>cutting the 12V source to the back of the van giving all kind of strange
>problems(Digijet will fire on when warm or with some help.... but not the
>Digifan) on the alternator, there is 2 12V red wire, one goes to the
>starter... and the other one to the FI system... so the starter WILL turn
>but won't give you any start.... just listen if the pump is priming before
>start.... that noisy Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... sound....
>
>Cheers, Ben
>http://www.benplace.com/vanagon_engine7.htm
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