Hi Chris,
I had a similar problem with my 90 Syncro = Westy. The ECU and fuel injection get their power directly from = the alternator. There are two red wires connecting directly to = the alternator. The big one (gauge 6 or so) goes to the starter = and the battery. The small one (gauge 12 or 10) connect to the = ECU and fuel injection via the relays. There are no fuses or = circuit breakers (!!!) between the relays and the alternator. My = problem was caused by the small wire not being crimped properly at the = alternator. After ten year it had wiggled itself loose and caused = intermittent power loss of the ECU. Check this connection and = make sure it's ok. Then follow the cable and make sure there is = no power loss along the way. This cable consists of two parts = that are connected in the wire distributor box on the front driver side = of the engine compartment (on the right side of the ECU relay = box). Make sure this connection is ok as well.
Good luck,
Peter
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Stinson [mailto:chstinson@earthlink.net=
A>]
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2000 11:20 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Today's PUZZLER... SLWR-VAN won't =
start
OK folks, I'm stumped (again).
I have one of Darrell's digitools hooked up to the =
ECU in a 1986
Vanagon GL "SLWR-VAN" that drove home fine =
one evening and wouldn't
start the next morning.
The digitool says there isn't power from the ECU to =
either the coil
or the fuel injection system when I turn the key in =
the ignition.
Everything else is getting power. When I try =
to start ol' Solwer,
the starter clicks but doesn't do anything =
else. If I unbolt the
starter and try to start ol' Slower, the starter =
whirrs.
The starter was sold to me as a new starter. Do =
the above symptoms
sound like the starter isn't working? (But, if =
the starter is
broken, how can a nonworking starter cause the ECU =
to not send power
to the coil and the fuel injection system?)
I have...
- reinstalled the starter twice and checked the wire =
connections to
the terminals on the solenoid
- checked the ignition switch (by hooking a new =
switch up to the
wires going to the current ignition switch)
- checked the coil (by hooking up the coil wires to =
a new coil)
- checked the ECU (by hooking up a new ECU under the =
back seat)
- put in 2 new relays in the fuel injection black =
box (on left side
of engine) and, actually, I even tried a second pair =
here because
this was recently the problem in my other van =
"SLOW-VAN"
- checked the park/neutral starting switch
- put a new terminal on the pair of red wires that =
attach to the
alternator (and go towards the front of the van from =
there) to
eliminate a section of those wires that was =
fraying
- checked all of the fuses
- checked the sparkplug/coil wires for appropriate =
resistance
- cleaned and retightened the grounds underneath the =
battery, at the
fuel pump, at the front end of the transmission, and =
on the left side
of the engine.
- cleaned and filed to shiny the distributor cap =
contacts and the rotor
- the battery is holding its charge (and hooking up =
the battery
cables to another 12V battery doesn't change =
anything).
I haven't done all pairwise combinations of the above =
list. So, one
possibility is that two of the above are =
simultaneously busted.
Thanks for any new suggestions!
Chris
1986 Vanagon GL, VA license =
"SLOW-VAN"
1986 Vanagon GL, VA license =
"SLWR-VAN"
1986 Vanagon GL, no license... a humble parts van =
"Part-y Boy"