Date:         22 May 1997 18:08:30 -0600
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Carl Hansen" <Carl_Hansen@ATK.COM>
Subject:      re starting woes - whir whi

 BatSubject:     re starting woes - whir whir           5/22/97    6:33 PM

> >Gcarlen@aol.com wrote:
>  >> Howdy Volks,
>   It just goes
>  >> 'whir,whir' as if it had a dead battery (not the case) or was suffering
> from
>  >> vapor lock.  Anyone have any ideas?
 etc. etc.
****************************
I've had experience with two battery failure type problems that everyone seems
to miss.  They get all wrapped up in trying to find some exotic failure mode. 
So here's two easy to miss failure modes to check.

1.  Check the battery connections.  Physically pull on them, then take them
off and clean them.  It doesn't take much corrosion between the posts and the
terminal (and it doesn't always show) or it doesn't take much of a loose
connection at 400 amps to build a bit of heat, and thru the IR drop, drop the
voltage to where the starter won't work.  The same holds true for connections
to the starter, and connections to ground.  (Solenoid may still work at the
lower voltage)

2.  How old is the battery.  they do die, sometimes they die with only one
cell going bad.  When that happens, you think you have 12 volts, open circuit,
but the thing won't have enough kick to spin the starter motor.  The minute
you try to pull lots of current, the voltage drops to 10 or so, (12 minus one
cell) and only the solenoid kicks in.

3. Ok, so I lied.  Here's a 3rd item to consider.  It's been my experience
that anytime something doesn't work, I look at the last thing I changed or
did.  So, did you just change the starter, did you recently put in a new
battery, etc. etc.

4.  sorry, thought of #4.  My wifes 86 Scirroco would not always start.  The
connection to the solenoid was tight.  What was loose was the connection of
the solenoid bolt to inside the solenoid!  Tightened up the inside connection
by carefully turning the nut on the solenoid connection bolt without turning
the bolt itself and all was well.  (Now if only VW hadn't hidden the darn
starter behind the engine above the axel.)

'89 Syncro
Ch