[T3] Hard Starting

[Jim Adney]

On 28 Feb 2017 at 19:16, J. Jonik wrote:

> T-3, 1971, FI, Std.    ---Battery is certifiably ok, as are connections, but it still takes some cranking, maybe two or three attempts, to start the car, even in mild weather.  Sometimes it starts right up, no problem.
> 
> Twice it happened, after cranking, that when it started, there was a backfire...once a cloud of exhaust with the backfire.    And there is a slight whiff of gas, though no drips apparent anywhere.
> Where to start looking for the problem?  What are prime suspects?

The most common problem is air in the fuel lines and the solution for 
this problem is one of my primer switches. A switch allows you to run 
the pump for a few seconds to clear any air out of the line, before 
you run the starter and start to draw heavy current from the battery.

I have 2 switch kits. The $10 one just has a cheap pushbutton switch, 
with wiring, mounting bracket, and instructions. The $30 one has a 
heavy duty 3-way switch that give you 3 options: Prime/Normal/Off.

Both mount out of sight under the dash. Both prices include shipping.

There's no way of telling whether this is your problem, but it's a 
very common problem, and I have them on all my FI Type 3s, because 
they save a lot of wear and tear on the starter and battery: Just 
prime the system for a few seconds and then start the engine. If it 
doesn't solve your problem, then that eliminates one possible 
problem.  

It's not clear to me how long you have to crank before the engine 
starts. Is this 5 seconds or 40 sconds?

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