Date:         Thu, 30 May 1996 08:44:00 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@gi.com>
Subject:      RE: Fuel Injection emergency question


>I'm really sorry to all because this is about my Type III but I really
>need it to run until I get the '66 Westy on the road.  My problem is that
>it has started to run like total crap.  It sounds like it's going to
>explode so I'm scared to drive it.  It is a '73 with the stock FI.  I have
>recently changed the oil, spark plugs, cap, adjusted points and timing and
>valves are all fine.  What I discovered tonight though is that the
>headlights and dash lights dimmed noticeably at one point and the car ran
>worse.  The leads me to believe that there may be a short circuit
>somewhere causing everything to go wonky.  Does anyone agree with this?
>Any other ideas.  I don't really know how to diagnose the FI so I could
>use some help.  Could it be a vacuum leak?  If it is a short, what is the
>best way to locate it?  Ack, please help, I can only bum rides for so
>long.

Yup, could be a short, tho if it's draining that much current I'd think
you would have smelled or seen smoke from somewhere, possibly under the
back seat where I think your voltage regulator is.

Another possibility is that your generator and regulator are having
an argument, which neither will win. If your battery is old and weak
it will accentuate this condition.

What kind of sound is it making? I've heard generators make continuous
squeaking sounds before failing, and one made a grinding sound in an
old Mustang II before literally breaking in half.

Got a voltmeter? One of the little cheapies from Radio Shack is fine.
Pull out your back seat, attach the meter to the B+ terminal of the
voltage regulator and to the metal of the seat support frame, and drive
a little that way. Next time the lights dim or whatever, shoot a glance
at it. If it says zero, you have a broken wire, a short, or a dead
regulator, which might have taken the generator with it. If it says
some low voltage like less than ten but greater than three, then you
probably have a bad regulator/generator-- they tend to live and die
together.

Where are you located? Some FLAPSs will do a rudimentary check of your
electrical system for free, such as Checker/Kragen. They can often
detect a bad generator or regulator, although if you have an intermittent
fault (broken wire that contacts most of the time but occasionally
bounces away), those can be a real b*tch to track down.

Hope this helps.

    _______
   /\ o o o\         Steve Maher   smaher@gi.com   75461,1717
  /o \ o o o\_______   San Diego, California
 <    >------>   o /|
  \ o/  o   /_____/o|      '80 VW V6anagon
   \/______/     |oo|        '66 Mustang Coupevertible
         |   o   |o/       '89 Son Sherwin
         |_______|/
                       http://www.wp.com/IrishMafia
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 The economy's not failing-- there are plenty of jobs available!
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