Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:50:23 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Help--Stuck in Mammoth Lakes
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well...........manual trans means you can push start !!!
great to hear there's severe snow.
here's a trick.............you need to be under the van to do it........
and I imagine conditions are nasty, and if you jack up the right rear
corner, be real careful getting under there !!!
I use ski boots for wheel cocks in an emergency.
Have someone turn the key to the start position, and whack the starter on
the side of its body with a hammer.......
a sharp whack. This will often make the starter work one more time.
It's also a diagnostic procedure............if this happens, the starter is
definitely tired or weak or bad.
Then I'd skidaddle towards home, and push start at gas stations after
fueling up.
and...........really Everyone really SHOULD carry a Remote Starter Switch !
( heck, buy one at the nearest FLAPS in the morning ......a very standard
too that you really should have, even for mantenance and repair use. )
I don't drive ANYWHERE without mine on board.
In addition to that, you rig a wire in your engine compartment from the
starter 'trigger terminal' on the solenoid.
I usually make it long enough so I can touch it to the hot post on the
alternator.....
this gives you a 'whole other and shorter circuit' to trigger the starter
with.
I sometimes add a dedicated generic starter button on the dash right above
the light switch too, with nice fat wires directly from the battery to the
starter.
The stock electrical part of the ignition switch is really a Mickey mouse
underbuilt little thing,
and you should always carry a spare one of those two.
this part could be your problem too. Not even an expensive part.
And if you have to.............you just unplug the wire connector under the
ignition switch, and pop on your spare electric part of the Ign
Switch.......and operate it with a screw driver until you get to a good
place to replace it properly.
I wouldn't dream of driving a 24 year old vanagon to the snowy Sierras
without a whole slew of spare parts and some tools.
And given how small the electrical part of the ignition switch is, how
easily they can be weak, and how inexpensive they are, and how easy it is to
plug a new one temporarily .........that for sure is one spare part you
should have in your parts stash under the back seat !
hope you get going soon !
I've had my vangon issues on ski trips at Mammoth too.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "john schaper" <tahljohn@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, December 26, 2008 6:22 PM
Subject: Help--Stuck in Mammoth Lakes
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.
