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Wed Mar 19, 2003 7:22 am

***Please help me keep my bus***
Hello I own a 69 sundial camper. I live at home with my parents and we just have to many cars infront of my house. I am forced to either get my bus running or sale it. The bus starts when the engine is cool but after driving it for a while it will not start up when I try it. I can always put the bus in 2nd gear and get the bus rolling so that I will always pop start without fail. I also left the radio on which ran battery down to empty. Now when I jump start the bus I can drive it around, if the engine was cool, but the battery just does not seem to charge or recharge very much. It usually does not have the power to try and start the bus again.

Wed Mar 19, 2003 7:46 am

First things first, get a new battery- bigger is better especially in a camper where we tend to use our battery more with the engine off.

Secondly, double check *ALL* of the wiring going to the starter, battery, etc. and make sure it is in good shape and tight. Sounds like you have the hot bus starting syndrome. If your starter is still good (and it sounds like it is), you can add a relay in-line with the ignition switch to help eliminate this (Bus Depot sells a kit, part number 113998911, for $35.95 for 6volt systems) or make your own. If the starter is going bad, usually it is just the solinoid or more specifically the brushes in it- these are less expensive options than buying a brand new starter.

Failing that, you could always sell me the bus ;) Just kidding!

Good luck

Wed Mar 19, 2003 7:49 am

Whoops, I misread your post and somehow thought it said 1965. The Bus Depot part number for the 12v system is WR1 and it is only $7.95.

Sorry about that.

Wed Mar 19, 2003 8:12 am

SO YOU SUGGEST FOR ME TO BUY A NEW BATTERY RATHER THAN GET THE OLDER ONE RECHARGED?

Wed Mar 19, 2003 8:13 am

aLSO HOW BIG OF A BATTERY DO YOU SUGGEST i AM VERY NEW TO vw SO ANY INFO YOU CAN GIVE WILL BE GREAT.

Wed Mar 19, 2003 10:16 am

Hey Fish,

If you check the battery is there a label on it indicating how old it is? Even if you drained a battery running your radio, a good battery should still be able to be take a decent charge.

Wed Mar 19, 2003 10:32 am

Sounds like you'll need a new one to me. If the battery is not recharging while you are driving that's a good sign that it is time for a new one. Also, you mention it being cold. If your battery was run down already and then sat through some pretty cold nights, that would have finished it off.

Try to charge it, but I'd guess you'll need a new one.

Hans

Wed Mar 19, 2003 10:32 am

You said in your original post that the battery was not holding a charge ("...the battery just does not seem to charge or recharge very much."). I would have the battery tested (Autozone will do this for free if you take it to them), but if it won't hold a charge, it's going to have to be replaced. You might also need to have your altenator checked to make sure it is charging properly. As far as recommending a battery, I'm partial to the Optimas, but they are expensive (>$120).

Buses will hold a bigger battery than what is listed in the self help computers at places like Sam's Club, WalMart, etc. We bus owners, especially campers, tend to use our batteries harder. The more Cold Cranking Amps the better and look at the reserve too- bigger is better. On the flip side, remember that you have to finese a bus battery into place so you don't want something too heavy for you. Putting a plastic liner under the battery is a good idea too.

Make sure all of your wiring is in good shape. The ground straps on many buses are long past their usable life. You can buy new ground straps at anyplace that sells batteries; again, bigger is better as it will have less resistance (get a short fat cable). On one of my buses, someone had replaced the ground strap with a red positive one- Autozone and Walmart have short black ones (I know this sounds anal, but if you have to jump it and someone else hooks up the cables, I can almost ga-run-tee that they will hook positive to negative because they will only glance at the cable color!).

You can add a second battery easily with a Hella isolator kit.

Wed Mar 19, 2003 10:43 am

i HAVE HEARD EVERYTHING FROM CHECK COIL TO ROTAR CLIP TO VOLTAGE REGULATOR TO THE STARTER, BUT THE BATTERY SEEMS TO BE BAD SO iT LOOKS LIKE I SHOULD FIRST START WITH THAT
tHANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP ANY OTHER HELP WOULD ALSO BE GREAT. i AM ALSO STARTING TO LOOK AND BUILD UP MY EXTRA PARTS INVENTORY, SO I YOU KNOW ANY GOOD USED PLACES IN CALIFORNIA PLEASE LET ME KNOW

Wed Mar 19, 2003 10:44 am

a SECOND BATTERY SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD THING TO ADD ONCE i GET THE BUS RUNNING CORRECTLY

Wed Mar 19, 2003 10:46 am

SORRY ONE LAST THING, ABOUT THE ONLY THING i KNOW FOR SURE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS REPLACING THE FRON SEAL (BEHIND THE FLYWHEEL). wHAT ARE EVERYONES SUGGESTION ON THE BEST AND EASIEST WAY TO INSTALL THIS

Wed Mar 19, 2003 11:27 am

Follow the suggestions in previous posts. Clean up the battery posts, clean all your cable connections to the battery and to the starter. Clean up your ground strap and clean the connection to ground. If any of the cables show the least sign of corrosion, have them replaced without question, you can get new generic cables and ground straps cheap at the local auto parts store. Next, have your battery tested at the local auto parts place (test should be free). Will cost you around $70 or so to get a good battery. Once you get all that squared away, save your $ for a hard start relay(see archives in this site and at type2.com for more info). I had one installed for $70. The hard start relay will be the long term solution to your hot starting problem that is common to the 30 year old busses.

Wed Mar 19, 2003 1:41 pm

tHANKS i WILL DO ALL OF THAT IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO. i WILL KEEP YOU ALL POSTED AND i AM SURE THAT I WILL HAVE SO MANY MORE QUESTIONS TO COME.

Thu Mar 20, 2003 2:24 pm

Hey, cfisher13, how about not "yelling" and turn off the caps lock on your keyboard? Right now the world could use more calming tones.

Thanks.

Thu Mar 20, 2003 9:23 pm

Cfish- your '69 should have a generator,not altenator, check its output, should be 12-14 volts, can be checked w/ basic volt meter,
the brushes on a genertor are e-z to replace, this may be your problem too.A big battery always helps, just brace/block it in well, so it does'nt mess w/ your taillight conections.
Find some guys in your area that have some 68-71 buses, there the people you want to learn from, some one w/ later or earlier bus will not be as helpful to you & your '69, ask questions, buy tools, floor jack , bently manuals, get right the Fluck into it, thats the only way to learn, thats the way I did it 23 years ago in Colorado w/my 2 type 2 trucks........ Tom in Vt.

Thu Mar 20, 2003 11:11 pm

Cfisher,

If you have a VOM or voltmeter - this article may be useful to you for checking the basic electrics.

http://www.geocities.com/aussiebug1970/generator.html

Batteries have two basic ratings - the reserve capacity (how long it can deliver a steady current) and the Cold Cranking Amps - CCA (how many amps it can deliver to the starter in short bursts).

The CCA rating can be anything over 220 - that's the minimum recommended for the 1300/1500/1600 engine. More than that is good too (300-350), but you DON'T need a 500CCA battey - that's overkill and just costs you more.

The physical size of the battery determines the Reserve Capacity (how much lead and acid if contains), so get the largest that will bolt in the battery bay.

Rob
Rob and Dave's aircooled VW pages
Repairs and maintenance for the home mechanic
http://www.geocities.com/aussiebug1970/

Fri Mar 21, 2003 4:29 pm

THANKS FOR YOU HELP THE LINK HELPED ME OUT A LOT I WILL PROBABLY TRY TO TEST EVERYTHING ON SATURDAY.
THANKS
CHARLIE

69 SUNDIAL CAMPER

Fri Mar 21, 2003 4:31 pm

ALSO WHAT IS A GOOD BOOK TO BUY ON FIXING A 69 BUS

Sat Mar 22, 2003 3:16 pm

Did not get a chance to work on the bus today...so i wanted to know what else I should check before i start to drive. I also need a new exhaust system and whanted to know of a cheap way top replace my current one

Sat Mar 22, 2003 4:51 pm

For the battery buy the one with the most AMPS you can afford that will fit. 99% of the time you won't need that extra power but for the 1% of the time you'll be glad you have it. I always buy Sears Diehard batteries for my Bus. Get the Muir book or the Bentley guide. Amazon.com sells both. Search for VW Bus. Expect to pay from $15-$30 for each.