[T3] Mystery Miss

[Jim Adney]

On 8 May 2016 at 20:34, Daniel Nohejl wrote:

> Jim.....Isn´t there a chance, though, that while power is getting to the
> solenoid it might not be enough power and that´s why the starter isn´t
> turning?

It's certainly possible that what's getting to the starter is not 
always quite enough to trigger the solenoid completely. It's worth 
checking both ends of both battery cables and both ends of the ground 
strap that connect the nose of the tranny to the body. Don't just 
check them for tightness; loosen, wiggle and retighten each one. 

To be really thorough, remove the battery ground strap from the 
battery before you start, then remove each of the other ends, clean 
off any rust, apply some grease to keep water out and prevent 
corrosion, and retighten. Careful on the connection to the solenoid, 
because that stud is just held in plastic and you can break it if you 
overtighten.

It COULD be the starter or the solenoid, but I thought everything in 
there looked pretty nice. It's always possible for there to be a 
problem somewhere that I didn't see, and there are certainly places 
that are hard to get to. For example, I did not try to look inside 
the solenoid, but I've never had any intermittent problems with them.

> I´m interested in fashioning the test light from the coil up to the
> dash, but of the several ways that were suggested, which would be
> best?  

Checking for power at the hot side of the coil is a long shot at 
best, and probably not worth your time. That part of the ign sw never 
fails anyway. It's the starter contact that takes all the abuse and 
wears out. William is sending me the part I need to finish the tester 
I'm making, and it will test the whole ignition chain.

> At this point I don´t recall who brought it up, but the only new
> wiring we have is the FI harness. The grounds at the case center line
> are all tight. I have yet to thoroughly investigate the other
> connectors, but a superficial look/feel suggests that nothing is
> loose. 

Look for push-on connectors that don't fit snugly, or wires that are 
frayed where they enter the crimp. Other than that, there are no real 
problem areas. Copper does not get old, and the insulation will be 
fine unless something has been rubbing against it.

I've had cars that have had an occasional miss. I feel your pain, 
because we never know whether this is just a random thing or a 
preview of things to come. One little hiccup will put us on edge, but 
if it stops the car, that's our chance to find the fault.

-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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