Date: Tue, 19 Aug 97 09:17:14 -0700
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: bachmanb@smtpgw1.plk.af.mil
Subject: Re: Your Trek
Ivan-
Yi! Another chapter to add to my love-hate relationship with Sears.
I love their tools, their deals, and the ease of whipping out the
charge card. But I watch them "like a hawk" when it comes to car
stuff. Been back three times questioning them about the Michelin
tires they put on the vanagon for the P.O. Broke a socket trying to
remove a lug bolt they torqued on to "within an inch of its life" on
my old '66. And the list, I'm sure, will grow.
When you said that the key template wasn't the same, I had visions of
that part in every "slasher" movie where the soon-to-be victims
decide, "you go look there, I'll check behind that, etc." (Did you
get the same feeling?)
Anyway, you're back. Every VW starter I've seen is self contained;
they don't have a separate "solenoid" like you used to find on some
cars (Ford comes to mind). Before you start, you may want to creep
under the car and do a visual on all the wiring to the starter. If
nothing looks visibly overheated, try the "screwdriver" test on the
starter: make sure it's in neutral with the parking brake set;
momentarily bridge the large bolt-on terminal to the starter solenoid
terminal (make sure you got the right one - check the "book"). If it
works consistently, the starter is probably okay.
If so, turn your attention to the ignition switch; you may have
charred the contacts or the heat generated might have caused the
starter contact to receed into the nylon body such that it will not
reliably make a circuit. There's no easy way to visually check this,
but if you're electronically inclined, you may turn up some anomalies
with a volt-ohm meter. If you need to replace the switch, be advised
that (if it's like all other VWs since 1968), there is the mechanical
portion (the key lock), and an electrical part. The electrical
section is removable from inside the lock after you take out a
setscrew. Again, I believe the Bentley manual has a good step-by-step
to guide you through this. At a minimum, you usually have to remove
the plastic shrouding covering the steering column, and remove the
lock-switch assembly from the column in order to get to the screw.
-Blaine
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