Sounds like it might be the classic weak solenoid circuit problem. Try wacking the starter or solenoid by crawling under the van with a small hammer or something while someone else holds the key in the start position. If you don't want to crawl under, you might be able to do it with a broomstick thru the wheel well above the tire. If the humming happens when you first turn on the key and then stops after a couple of seconds, that's the fuel pump and it's acting normally. Try push starting. Get enough people to get the van moving at a walking speed. Jump in and put it in 2nd or 3rd and pop the clutch. Plan ahead and park on a hill. :-) Did that a lot when my '80 with MT had solenoid circuit problems. With my '84 and AT I had to use the hammer. Larry A.
On Fri, Dec 26, 2008 at 9:22 PM, john schaper <tahljohn@sbcglobal.net>wrote: > Something's wrong and its not the battery. Drove up here Thur, with severe > snow, etc. No problems. Went to start the 84 vanagon today--nothing. > Charged the battery and the symptom persists. Manual transmission. I don't > hear a clicking sound, but there is a humming noise. My guess is that when > I drove here, things got wet--but don't know what things. Can anyone > suggest troubleshooting. THe engine won't even grind, so its not fuel and > its not the battery. > |
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