Date:         Fri, 3 Dec 2010 14:32:49 -0500
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: 91 Vanagon Manual - slow cranking....
Comments: To: brett rueff <rueffy@HOTMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <COL109-W4395132D75E880BA27E6C4D4280@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 12:51 PM 12/3/2010, brett rueff wrote:
>Thanks Jake and all who replied.  I've got enough here to
>investigate for a few days when I get the time.
>I had found and cleaned the first two grounds - battery and
>transmission - where in the engine compartment is the engine ground?

There's a section of tinned braid that goes from the left head to the
compartment wall under the coil, to link those two sets of grounds
together.  AFAIK it's there mostly to give the ECU a consistent
ground reference.  It will only be included in the current path of
the starter if there's something wrong with the heavy strap at the
transmission forward mount; and it wouldn't totally surprise me if
the starter current would heat it up considerably.

If you're making that piece of braid yourself (I happen to have a
roll of the stuff) when you go to drill the holes in the tabs you've
soldered on the ends, make absolutely sure that when the drill
snatches as it exits it can't suck the tab out of the drill vise.  Or
at least that you're more than a foot away when it does.

Yours,
David