Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:49:00 -0700
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: Starter Woes - '88GL
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=response
hi john,
it does sound like your starter has a lot of miles..
and possibly 23 years on it.
Sound like 'due' to me.
yes, ....look anywhere automotive tools are sold ..Remote Starter Switch.
NAPA is all right ...
it's just the most useful handy self-rescuing thing to have around.
I absolutely could not fix cars without one. Many, many uses.
About the only lubing there is to do to the starter .....
there barely is any really.
I might put a tiny dab of black moly-graph on the starter bushing in the
bell housing..
though I don't think that's the spec.
Same for the rear bushing in the starter itself ..
they're not normally lubed.
the term 'lubed the starter' doesn't really apply in the normal auto world.
I don't consider the common 'rebuilt in Canada for VW of American' gold tag
engine to be necessarily fabulous rebuilt engines. I've seen many work just
fine ..
but I don't consider them 'gold standard' or anything like that. 'they work
usually.' is what I'd say about them.
you could bypass that starter relay as a test.
which is where a Remote Starter switch comes in mighty handily.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Rodgers" <inua@charter.net>
To: "Scott Daniel - Turbovans" <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
Cc: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2011 2:44 PM
Subject: Re: Starter Woes - '88GL
> >>Remote Starter Switch<<
> Don't have one. Is that something to get through my FLAPS? Advance Auto,
> NAPA are the closest two to me.
>
> >>transmission-to-frame ground strap<<
> This was done last year when the tranny was out. Could need doing again, I
> suppose.
>
> >>you don't say which trans you have>>
> Manual tranny: Starter was out, cleaned up and appropriate parts lubed
> (according to the mechanic in the shop doing the work. I asked, but didn't
> actually get to see it.
>
> Thanks for the heads up on the bushing issue.
>
> >>does starter look 20 years old<<
> Didn't see it before tranny work, but it has to be old. I've had the van
> for 14 years and it's the same starter as when I bought it. Pretty sure
> it's the original starter, given the history of the van. the Van is an "88
> GL. I bought it at 86,000 miles. At 90,000 the engine blew - burn a hole
> in a piston, crapped up everything with metal throughout. Replaced engine
> with complee rebuild. On the dead engine was a yellow tag - Remanufactured
> by Volkswagen of Canada. That meant that somewhere between brand new on
> the showroom floor, and my 90,000 mile mark, TWO engines had died. At
> roughly 45,000 miles per engine, somebody either had extraordinary bad
> luck, or neglected the HE-doubletoothpicks out of it and simply ran the
> van to death! And I did have to go through the tranny before the engine
> failed on me.
>
> Yep, the starter's time prol'ly is up.
>
> About the starter - I do have a Jay Brown starter relay installed.
>
> >>running temp, and oil light<<
> I have not had the issue repeat itself. Unless it does, I'm going to leave
> it alone. at this point it is an anomaly, but if it expresses itself
> again, I will get on it. We continue to have abysmally hot weather, and
> no evidence of the anomoly has reappeared.
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>
>
>
| 
