[T3] It's Not Just The Horn...

[J. Jonik]

71 FI Std is still parked, legally, and still won't start...after losing all acceleration, backfiring slightly, and stalling dead yesterday.       Situation: it was hesitating when accelerating, OK when idling, horn out of commission, turn signals worked then not working then working again today (engine off)....all of this six days after the muffler shop guy revved the car as hard as possible for about a good five seconds.  (I've never been to a muffler shop. I thought the rev had something to do with the job.)

Trying to start it today, it gave two short, feeble tries to turn over.    Outside of that, nothing...except hearing the fuel relays doing their normal noise click thing. Battery checks out attop of "good" range, and cables and terminals clean as whistles...even where ground is attached to body.  Gen and Oil lights didn't dim when trying to start.
Then there was the radio static...as if something electronic was amiss.  Is that a clue?

Turned mounting screws on voltage regulator back and forth to assure good ground....but there's so much rust in that area I don't know if it's getting a good ground.  I could run a ground wire to some solid metal to get good ground (I assume).   But, is Volt Reg a suspect here?   Could that violent revving damage a Volt Reg?
Also...taking a break from all that, I looked for why right r. wheel was squawking.  Brake pads were ok, no broken or weird metal etc....BUT the wheel...even with brake pads adjusted to no contact, the wheel wouldn't turn with out some effort.  It was not Free Wheeling.  I thought some brake use would set things in place or something.  But no.   After the car stalled, it wouldn't even roll down the parking lot down-grade without my pushing (to get to a legal parking spot), and getting help from two guys passing by.   So....does that mean that the wheel bearings are shot or just need grease?   Or, is it the trans?  Or something to do with the swing axle?  (I have spares.)    Or the engine?
   I didn't yet check to see if engine turns over easily with a big screwdriver on fan pulley...but I wonder if the "hesitation" while driving could have been caused by a tight, reluctant, wheel or whatever.  Could that extra work on the engine have caused the stall-out?
Is all of this possibly connected...or just unhappy coincidences?
Tomorrow, I'll get back to the car, cross the starter and solenoid terminals (to find out...something), run a ground wire from Volt Reg to good metal, double check fuses, and whatever else anyone here may suggest.    Then, depending on outcome, have the thing flat-bedded to the only old-VW guy I know near the city.
PS    If crossing starter-solenoid terminals does nothing, does that mean replace starter?  I have some spares.  Not a hard job.   And, any chance the insane revving messed up the starter (too)?
PPS:  While stuck there, a guy walking to his car in the parking lot asked (as many do), "Is that old thing still running?"   This was the first time I had to answer, "Well, actually, no".
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