Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2015 12:57:34 -0600
Reply-To: Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Fwd: * 10/4/2015 Needed NOW! Vanagon (1981) ONLY starts when
cold /How To FIX this advice. PLEASE . . .
In-Reply-To: <B59DC275-042B-4103-9BD7-C86D47582375@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
We really need to know your location.
On Mon, Oct 5, 2015 at 12:31 PM, Jim Arnott <jr.arnott@gmail.com> wrote:
> This showed up in my inbox. Probably ought to be in the Vanagon List’s
> inbox as well.
>
> I don’t know that Ms. Linda is on list, so please remember to reply all.
>
> Jim
>
> > Begin forwarded message:
> >
> > From: "LEM" <lemberkeley@yahoo.com>
> > Subject: * 10/4/2015 Needed NOW! Vanagon (1981) ONLY starts when cold
> /How To FIX this advice. PLEASE . . .
> > Date: October 4, 2015 at 9:05:19 PM PDT
> > To: "LindaMerrill" <lemberkeley@yahoo.com>
> > Reply-To: lemberkeley@yahoo.com
> >
> > 10/4/2015 Needed NOW! Vanagon (1981) ONLY starts when cold /How To FIX
> this advice. PLEASE . . .
> >
> > HELP! [Okay to forward to "right" wise ones]
> >
> > Do You know how to solve this?
> > To get the Vanagon starting reliably warm
> > and cold?
> >
> >
> > Or, do you know someone who will/might
> > know how to solve this?
> > To get the Vanagon starting reliably warm
> > and cold?
> >
> > Do you know "the right person" who I can
> > talk to ASAP about how to fix this, and who
> > should do it that I can actually afford?
> >
> >
> > HERE is what I Know/think:
> >
> > (A)
> > In the last few months, my 1981 Vanagon
> > stopped starting when it is warm.
> >
> > It starts easily when cold.
> >
> > Once the Vanagon is driven far enough to
> > warm it up (maybe a mile + ), the van will
> > not start again until it is cold again.
> >
> > Given an hour-plus to cool down, the van
> > will again start again, just fine.
> >
> > (B)
> > Several people have worked on this -- and
> > charged me for that -- and the car still only
> > starts when cold.
> >
> > (C)
> > The Bosch starter has less than 200 miles
> > on it. A new/rebuilt started caused the same
> > only-cold starting a few days ago.
> >
> > The second, long bolt to hold the starter on is
> > missing. I got a M10 D-Head 123 mm bolt
> > from The Bus Lab, and a mechanic was not
> > able to install that bolt -- saying it does not
> > fit / "wrong bolt" -- today.
> >
> > (D)
> > This is an ASI camper conversion, and has
> > an old auxiliary battery under the driver's
> > seat -- which does not hold a charge.
> >
> > Months ago, someone disconnected this
> > old auxiliary battery -- to keep the battery
> > isolater from trying to charge IT instead of
> > the main, passenger-side battery.
> >
> > With only the one battery hooked up, the
> > battery isolater still seems to be working,
> > the alternator seems to be working, and this
> > very new battery seems to have adequate
> > power.
> >
> > The temperature gauge does not seem to
> > work properly, and sometimes jumps and
> > stutters, going right from barely warm to
> > hot and back in two seconds.
> >
> > (E)
> > Yesterday, a very accomplished Volvo
> > MechanicB was confident he could diagnose
> > a solve this no-warm-starting.
> >
> > I easily started the cold car, drove it several
> > miles to the two mechanics, and shut it off.
> > And it would not turn the engine over, warm.
> >
> > We waited for it to cool down, and MechanicA
> > prepared to swap the "newish" Bosch
> > starter back in so I could return the brand-new
> > starter.
> > Starters out, MechanicA saw that the "fat"
> > wire that goes to the starter had a broken
> > specialized connection. So, he used a nut to
> > hold that wire firmly in place on the threaded
> > on-starter connection; then he attached the
> > two thinner wires to the same threaded
> > on-starter connection, below the fat wire.
> >
> > Then I started the now-cold VW with its
> > Bosch starter, and took it for a test drive.
> > I got it warm, stalled it, and it would not
> > start.
> > We pushed it to pop the clutch, I drove it
> > back to their place, and they began testing.
> >
> > MechanicB (the expert) tried various things.
> > MechanicA watched a few warm non-starts
> > and saw that the Bendix was not being
> > thrown far enough to engage -- when the
> > van was warm.
> >
> > MechanicB looked at the positive battery
> > wire by the post and said it was too flimsy.
> > (Someone had spliced this too-thin wire
> > onto the wire coming from the rear years
> > before I bought the VW.)
> > Well, he reasoned, if this cable gives a
> > marginal connection when cold, maybe it
> > carries too little power when hot.
> > (A grounding issue somewhere?)
> >
> > So, both mechanics connected a good battery
> > to the starter (using jumper cables, I think),
> > from a few feet away, at the rear of the VW
> > ar of the VW.
> > Then, they used the same wire to "jump"?
> > the starter without using the ignition key
> > -- I'm getting fuzzy here --
> > and the still-warm car started right up.
> >
> > So, MechanicB felt that his diagnosis ** had
> > been confirmed:
> > the non-original positive battery
> > wire . . . was too flimsy.
> > (Someone had spliced this too-thin wire
> > onto the wire coming from the rear years
> > before I bought the VW.)
> > Well, he reasoned, if this cable gives a
> > marginal connection when cold, maybe it
> > carries too little power when hot.
> > (A grounding problem?)
> >
> >
> > AND. MechanicB reasoned that IF
> > *** he got a correct-gauge battery cable,
> > with connectors at each end and ran it under
> > the car from the starter to (the positive
> > ground ??? ) on the battery, all would be well.
> >
> > OKAY: MechanicB did his *** good-cable
> > purchase and battery-to-starter swap-in ...
> > He then started the cold car with the
> > ignition key, drove the car in circles around
> > a building to warm it up, and then shut it off.
> >
> > AND, now warm, again it would not start
> > with the key (one guesses that an observor
> > would again see the Bendix only going
> > part way toward engaging . . . ), just as before.
> >
> > MechanicB is very upset, and thinks that a
> > push-button starter, on the steering column,
> > will solve this . . . And he has no other ideas.
> >
> > MechanicsB and A have NOT
> > found a starter relay on this van
> > and believe that the ignition switch must
> > be fine.
> >
> >
> > MechanicA was not involved today and
> > I filled him in by phone. MechanicA does not
> > see how a push-button starter will fix this
> > situation, if the low-power doesn't get the
> > Bendix to thrust all the way and engage.
> >
> >
> > ......
> >
> > I need to get this car starting reliably!
> > And, I paid for the AUG 2016 registration,
> > which needs a smog certificate to complete
> > it. I want it to start when warm before I take
> > it to a Test-Only smog shop, and I park this
> > VW on the public street.
> > It needs to be smogged so it can stay safely
> > parked on the street.
> >
> > Money, time, and car functioning are major
> > issues for me here. Into small savings to
> > pay for this already ...
> >
> > I need: the repair actual solution, a truly
> > affordable person to "get it done right the
> > first time," and to pass my smog.
> >
> > ...........
> >
> > Thank you So much!
> > Nowe that you know all non-mechanic I
> > can think might apply, here are my original
> > questions again:
> >
> >
> >
> > Do You know how to solve this?
> > To get the Vanagon starting reliably warm
> > and cold?
> >
> > Or, do you know someone who will/might
> > know how to solve this?
> > To get the Vanagon starting reliably warm
> > and cold?
> >
> > Could this knowledgeable "right car person"
> > please talk with me about how I can get
> > this car fixed ASAP an starting when warm?
> >
> > ((( Really low on funds, I have a new ignition
> > Switch for this 1981 Vanagon that I could
> > take back for the $27 refund. Are there any
> > relays (what kind?) or wires you suggest
> > I buy tonight?.
> >
> > Do you have any helpful diagrams or
> > instructions you could forward to me?
> >
> > I so wish I knew how to do this, so I could
> > do it myself. Or be helpful to a mechanical.)))
> >
> >
> >
> > Thank you!
> >
> >
> > Still hopeful . . . and distessed,
> >
> > L
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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