[T3] Car Won't Start (no subject)

[J. Jonik]

Sorry for the "no subject".
Car has started...mysteriously...just after a battery load and whatever other test the auto shop did.  It passed easily.   Test took 40 minutes...so maybe it got charged too?  Forgot to ask.     But my tester, before their test(s), showed all cells at the top of the "good" range.
The generator light, it turns out, stayed on when running because a ground wire at Voltage Regulator was kind of hidden, and unattached.  A loose end, so to speak.  

Now, everything's even better than it was before the hesitations happened, with the eventual stall out.    Trouble is....I don't know what caused the stall out.
Different and clean trigger contacts didn't get it started.Neither did change of VR.nor...different  distributor cap and rotor,,nor...cleaning, securing all wiring contacts,nor...cleaning of generator armature where brushes touch,nor...change of brushes to ones that are hardly worn, 
nor...different, clean, points,nor...different starter-solenoid.
But, bingo, a starter test did the trick.    Mystery.

From: "J. Jonik" <j_jonik at yahoo.com>
To: Type 3 <type3-vwtype3.org at lists.vwtype3.org>
Subject: [T3] (no subject)
Message-ID:
    <859720448.517306.1414367829880.JavaMail.yahoo at jws10073.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
    
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Thing is....though I got car started, I don't know why.?? And I don't know why it cut out and stalled in the first place...with some previous hesitations while driving, and that suspicious radio static.Slightly undercharged battery wouldn't cause the car to stall out like that, I don't think.

And now I don't know the check list to go through to find why Gen. Light stays on.? I'll see what the "idiot" book has to say when I get back to the car.
And horn still doesn't work.? I keep thinking I did something wrong under steering wheel when trying to get horn working right.?? (It was honking when I hit certain bumps on the road.)? Something shorted?? Something draining battery a bit when parked overnight?



Message: 3
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 08:23:54 -0500
From: "Jim Adney" <jadney at vwtype3.org>
To: type3 at vwtype3.org
Subject: Re: [T3] Re/ Car Wont Start
Message-ID: <544CF5EA.5296.26D690 at jadney.vwtype3.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

On 25 Oct 2014 at 20:39, J. Jonik wrote:

> I lost a little screw...one that attaches a generator brush.?? But
> another spare screw for that replaced the lost one.? Nothing missing in
> generator.??? Trouble is...that little lost screw MAY still be in the
> generator, and won't shake out. I understand there IS a magnet or two
> inside there.? Is that right?? If that screw is stuck on it (or one of
> them), would that explain the Gen Light staying on??? (There's no
> binding turning the generator by hand.)

There's no actual magnet inside the generator, but the housing and 
pole pieces are slightly magnetic, so it's POSSIBLE that the screw is 
in there, but I doubt it.

> Will I have to take apart the generator to be sure that lost screw
> isn't inside?

I don't recommend it. There are tricks to taking it apart and putting 
it back together to get everything working correctly and not shorting 
out.

> Re/ Voltage Regulator.?? I did happen to put a spare one in during the
> "discovery" process, but it had no effect getting car started. ? Maybe
> it wasn't a good one? ? Could the odd symptom of having DIM,
> headlights and tail lights have been caused by bad voltage
> regulator??? If not, what else?? 

The VR and generator are completely out of the picture when you're 
trying to start your engine. They don't do anything until the engine 
is running. If ALL your lights were dim with the engine running that 
could be a bad VR. If ALL your lights are dim with the engine off, 
that would just be a somewhat discharged battery.

If only SOME of your lights are dim, engine running or not, that 
means there's a bad connection somewhere in the circuit that supplies 
only THOSE lights.

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