Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:27:48 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Electrical Fire in the Engine Bay
In-Reply-To: <4E52BA33.4040704@charter.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
You just have some bad luck. The ignition, ECU, including the injectors and
the fuel pump are all non-fused circuits. Start at the fuel pump and work
your way back. Another possibility is some short near the starter. If you
have one of those hard start relay kits it could have closed energizing the
starter. Anyway, look carefully for the first short. It will be apparent
what initially went wrong.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
John Rodgers
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2011 4:21 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Electrical Fire in the Engine Bay
Well, if it's not one thing, it's another.
I was tooling down the road, enjoying my newly opertional air conditioning,
and my smooth running engine, when of a sudden - the engine just quit. I
immediately put it in neutral, turned off the AC, recycled the ignition
switch, but nothing happened. None of the panel lights came on. It was like
the battery had been disconnected or something. I left it out of gear and
pulled to a stop off the road. Then I realized that with the ignition off,
the engine was still running, rough, but still running. I jumped out, popped
the hatch, and smoke was everywhere. Engine was kicking over, but barely,
and roughly. I pulled the coil wire out of the distributor cap and the
engine stopped. At that point I saw a wiring harness that had really gotten
hot and melted the insulation.
The wires in question came from the high voltage electronics box on the left
side of the engine bay that has the two relays in it. The insulation was
melted and fused on the wires on the relay marked 53
PN#141 951 2538 and PN# 321919505A. From there, the wiring cover - the long
flexible plastic cover through which all those wires go, was melted along
the bottom, all the way from the ignition box across the front (towards the
front of the van) over to the the point it disappears down and behind air
filter box and AFM. I moved the wire harness where it passes over the top of
the box with vacuum line layout, and got a click over where the starter is.
Sounded like the solenoid clicking. I immediately went and disconnected the
battery. Got AAA to come and get the van and take it home. That is as far as
I have gotten. I'll spend a bit more time later today when it cools off. I
have no idea what may have cause this, but to be sure - it will take some
time to trouble shoot and fix.
I haven't yet started tearing it apart to troubleshoot and fix this.
Haven't even looked at Bentley yet.
But has anyone any ideas??
Thanks.
John
--
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
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