TheSamba.com :: View topic - HELP! Fuel pump and starter motor for 1982 Vanagon

Fri Mar 03, 2006 11:06 am

We are running but having intermittent problems that seem related. We are in Baja and hoping to make it back to Maine!! Fuel pump is getting louder and louder and seems to run continuously. Starter seems to get hot? or somthing after a longer drive and then simply will not start, does not make a sound! Get under there and mess with the wires, try to jump the solenoid - nothing works and then miraculously starts again. glad for it but suspecting it is simply going to give out one of these days. Fuel pump is new as off about 500 miles. Last one was really loud so we thought if we replaced it problem would be gone - hmmm... Starter is working again but now having a bit more trouble turning the engine. About to take it on a 200 mile drive - wondering what will happen when we turn her off. Any suggestions? Could these be related? Is there something that could be heating up or causing both things to occur? We would love HELP! Not bad getting stuck in Baja but need to make it home. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. We are new members so not sure how all this works.

Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:46 pm

1)Change your fuel filter immediately, use needle-nosed vise grips with fuel line on the blades pinching the line from the tank shut to keep gas from getting all over everything. Cut open your old fuel filter and hope it's not filled with rust.

2)Put a bottle of HEET or some other brand of fuel system dryer into your gas tank. You may just have some water in there.

3)Read through this thread:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=137296&highlight=howling

4)Vanagon Starter occasionally just don't work. Read through THIS thread:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=144559&highlight=thou

Learn about and use the Search function here, at the least it's a faster response than you might otherwise get. And good luck!

Fri Mar 03, 2006 12:49 pm

This could also be an ignition switch issue.

Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:12 pm

Try unhooking the battery and cleaning the terminals really well. Do the same at the starter and also do the ground woven wire strap (where ever that is on a vanagon) it might be on the drivers side about 2' in front of the rear wheel.

If after changing the fuel filter out and you find the old one is full of rust when you cut it open, consider trying to draw fuel from a gas can just before the fuel filter with some spare fuel line (keeping in mind that 90% of what pumps goes back to the tank for fuel pump cooling purposes). If the tank is all rusty, buy a new one when your get to SanDiego.

If you have a fuel pressure gauge, test the fuel pressure with the vacuum hose on the regulator (26 psi) and off the regualtor (35 psi) as per your Bentley manual.

Maybe somebody here and point you to a good shop in there someplace.

BTW, it is still winter here in Maine.

Sat Mar 04, 2006 10:11 am

We put a "new" starter in that we know is good. got it all connected and sure enough it did NOT start. But this morning, tried again and it started right up. we know it is not the ignition, it is not the starter obviously as it starts at times. It is not the battery or the terminals, we checked and cleaned all the wire connections we can find. And it is not the heat since when we put the new motor in it was cool and would not start. Then this morning without doing anything it did start. We are trying to figure out the ground everyone keeps talking about. Anyone know where to look or could give us some more specifics on what we are looking for or trying to do to "fix" the ground? Oh, someone told us to try and ask Lind? He is on the split screen forum usually? How do we do that. We are new to this whole thing....

Sat Mar 04, 2006 11:33 am

I'm having the same starter problem. If I take my van over 60mph on a long trip, it won't start. Sometimes I can cross the solenoid, sometimes she won't have it and I end up push starting. Sometimes I can pop the clutch and it's good from there on in. If I know I have to stop, before I park I'll take her down to 2nd gear, push in the clutch and turn the engine off (while still rolling) and turn the key to see if the starter engages. If so, I know I'm good. If not, I'm rolling in 2nd gear and can still pop the clutch, and then park on a hill with some clearance 8) Saves me the guesswork.

Sat Mar 04, 2006 11:43 am

I'm assuming that what you mean by "not start" is that you turn the key to the start position, and you get nothing. Is this the case, or is the engine cranking, but not firing?
The ground you need to find if you're experiencing a "no crank" situation is under the vanagon and is a wide, flat, usually webbed wire that runs from the engine / trans to the body, usually near the front of the trans.. The other ground you need to check is the one that runs from the battery to the body. They need to be clean and tight.
If all that checks out, I'd say that the ignition switch is your suspect- when you turn the key, you might not be getting power back to the starter solenoid via the smaller push- on connector. You can test this with a test light. There may be two smaller push- on wires- one for power from the switch in the "start" position, and one to feed power to the FI system.
If, when you turn the key to "start" that wire doesn't light the test lamp, you have no power. If it DOES light the test lamp, you have either a bad ground or a defective starter. And yes, they can, and sometimes are, found to be defective right out of the box, especially if they are rebuilt.
So, you're dealing with three basic issues: 1) making sure you're getting power to the starter from the ignition switch when you should; 2) making sure that the grounds at the engine and body are good so that the circuit is properly completed; and 3) determining if there is a fault in the starter motor itself.
That's about it, because that's all there is to make it crank or not.

Sat Mar 04, 2006 11:51 am

I know precious little about vanagons, but on my baywindow bus, the groud strap is at the front of the transaxle and goes from a bolt on the front of the transaxle to the frame of the bus. Driver's side about 2' in front of the rear wheel. Take your off and clean it down to bare metal and reattach it firmly. I was thinking that maybe the electical system is trying to ground itself through the starter.

When it doesn't start, does it just go "click" or does it do nothing? This is not an automatic is it? Also check to make sure the wires leaving the alternator and the voltage regulator and clean and well connected.

The ground strap looks like this:

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=C16%2D111%2D237A

Here is how to trouble shoot the double relay that runs the fuel pump and make sure it is well grounded even if you have to run a new ground wire to it from a known good ground:

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/DoubleRelay.html

And how to clean the starter and connections:

http://www.hallvw.clara.net/starter.htm