Date: Sun, 18 May 2014 11:56:16 -0700
Reply-To: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Intermittent no start problem solved
In-Reply-To: <974D1263-F020-4A22-963D-5C09D3ADCB02@shaw.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Yep. A long time ago my '68 wouldn't start while cranking, but would catch
as soon as I let the key go back to "on". That was my first experience with
a failed ignition switch, and now I check that first whenever I have
intermittent problems like yours.
Stuart
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Alistair Bell
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2014 11:40 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Intermittent no start problem solved
Relating this tale in part to illustrate how blind to the obvious one can be
sometimes.
Over the winter I noticed the van took more turns with the starter to run.
Back then I did do the electrical tests outlined in Bentley to see if some
sensor or something was awry. But everything was in spec.
B me over the last few weeks the van would sometimes take quite a few tries
with the starter to fire up. I couldn't make out any real pattern, sometimes
it would fire right up, sometimes I would have to crank and crank.
If I was forced, I would say it happened more often with the engine warm.
Once started the van ran normally, good power etc. I wasn't happy with the
idle though, seemed rougher than normal.
So the last few days were spent tracking the problem down. I checked fuel
pressure and all tests passed. I checked spark plugs and replaced 2 year old
plugs with new. Checked distributor rotor and hall sensor. Checked the D15
connection at fuse panel ( I had fixed that a while back). Lucky I did pull
the fuse panel as I found a very iffy connection at my low beam relay.
Then I went at the connection box in the engine compartment, left hand side.
My van had the bbw46 heater installed. I had pulled the nonfunctional heater
unit and plumbing but the wiring was still in place. The heater system has
two fuses and a big relay in that box which made the box even more of a rats
nest than normal. I checked the connections, black wires, that feed the
coil, idle system heater, and ecu relay. The wiring to the connections was
hard and the connections didn't look good. I cut back and replaced the
spades.
All of the above did not fix the problem. Of course at that point I was
cursing myself for not making one of Mark's test wire set ups. If I had I
think I would have saved myself a lot of trouble.
I had my wife crank the engine and I measured voltage to the coil. I
wondered if there was a voltage drop problem during starting. Well it was
more than a voltage drop, it was a voltage absence during starter cranking.
I was stumped, I didn't see the obvious. While I was thinking, I cleaned out
the idle valve with brake cleaner.
We have this hard to capture rooster that has taken to roosting at night
under our bedroom window. So I was up at five this morning. And them it
occurred to me, the ignition switch.
I got out a spare, and plugged it in to the steering column plug and turned
it with a screwdriver. Engine started up immediately. Tried it again and
again, engine started. Man, did I have egg on my face. I have replaced a few
vanagon ignition switches over the years but overlooked it this time.
Alistair
