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Tweed2863
Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2024
Posts: 42
Location: Pittsburgh Pa
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 Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2025 12:34 pm Post subject: Re: Intermittent No Crank-1972 bus |
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| Xevin wrote: |
| SGKent wrote: |
| leave the hard start relay off the bus until you solve the issue or you are just adding one more variable to cause you issues. Fix the problem first. |
SGKent and I 100% agree again  |
I will follow both of your advices!! 
Thank you again |
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Xevin 
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 9032
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| Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2025 1:41 pm Post subject: Re: Intermittent No Crank-1972 bus |
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| airschooled wrote: |
1972 buses have a nonstandard (terrible) battery ground strap location in the engine compartment. That’s the first place I would clean and tighten the fasteners.
Robbie |
And This
_________________
Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
| GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! |
| Clatter wrote: |
| Damn that Xevin... |
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
I respect Xevin and he's a turd  |
| SGKent wrote: |
My God! Xevin and I 100% agree  |
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 42948
Location: at the beach in Northern Wokistan
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| Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2025 3:35 pm Post subject: Re: Intermittent No Crank-1972 bus |
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| Xevin wrote: |
| airschooled wrote: |
1972 buses have a nonstandard (terrible) battery ground strap location in the engine compartment. That’s the first place I would clean and tighten the fasteners.
Robbie |
And This |
OMG Xevin and I agree again. The world is shifting on its axis
_________________
 Canned Water - the new California approved parts cleaner (except in a drought in which case rub it with sand).
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."
Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice" |
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dodger tom
Samba Member
Joined: March 25, 2013
Posts: 2064
Location: Central Coast, CA, but we're all still Ukrainian and Californian
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| Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2025 4:18 pm Post subject: Re: Intermittent No Crank-1972 bus |
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| Xevin wrote: |
SGKent and I 100% agree again |
| SGKent wrote: |
OMG Xevin and I agree again. The world is shifting on its axis |
i agree with you both a lot.
does that make me wishy washy?
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled. |
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 42948
Location: at the beach in Northern Wokistan
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| Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:50 pm Post subject: Re: Intermittent No Crank-1972 bus |
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| dodger tom wrote: |
| Xevin wrote: |
SGKent and I 100% agree again |
| SGKent wrote: |
OMG Xevin and I agree again. The world is shifting on its axis |
i agree with you both a lot.
does that make me wishy washy? |
no, washy wishy and not wishy washy
_________________
Canned Water - the new California approved parts cleaner (except in a drought in which case rub it with sand).
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."
Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice" |
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Tweed2863
Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2024
Posts: 42
Location: Pittsburgh Pa
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| Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2025 10:31 am Post subject: Re: Intermittent No Crank-1972 bus |
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| airschooled wrote: |
1972 buses have a nonstandard (terrible) battery ground strap location in the engine compartment. That’s the first place I would clean and tighten the fasteners.
Robbie |
Good to know. I did replace the negative battery cable first. It looks like a typical battery cable (black) and it does attach to the frame inside the engine compartment. It doesn't look like the ground strap pictured earlier in this thread.
Thank you for the information |
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 42948
Location: at the beach in Northern Wokistan
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| Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2025 2:28 pm Post subject: Re: Intermittent No Crank-1972 bus |
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| Tweed2863 wrote: |
| airschooled wrote: |
1972 buses have a nonstandard (terrible) battery ground strap location in the engine compartment. That’s the first place I would clean and tighten the fasteners.
Robbie |
Good to know. I did replace the negative battery cable first. It looks like a typical battery cable (black) and it does attach to the frame inside the engine compartment. It doesn't look like the ground strap pictured earlier in this thread.
Thank you for the information |
there are a minimum of two ground straps. One between the battery and body, and one between the body/chassis and engine/transmission. The starter where it bolts onto the bell housing has to be clean of paint or the paint may keep it from a making good connection.
_________________
Canned Water - the new California approved parts cleaner (except in a drought in which case rub it with sand).
George Carlin:
"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it."
Skills@EuroCarsPlus:
"never time to do it right but always time to do it twice" |
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aeromech
Samba Member
Joined: January 24, 2006
Posts: 17747
Location: San Diego, California
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2025 12:07 am Post subject: Re: Intermittent No Crank-1972 bus |
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For the next guy reading this with the same problem. Take a battery jumper cable and connect one clamp to somewhere on your starter. Then the other clamp to either the bus frame or directly to the battery negative post. If the starter cranks then you’ll know that your problem is the ground connection between the starter and the battery.
Most electrical components have both a positive wire and a negative wire. Starters have just a positive wire. They need to be bonded to the transmission which is bonded to the frame via the ground strap pictured by Xevin on page one. As Steve said, the starter pad to bell housing must be clean and unpainted for this bond.
Funny thing…. As much as I love Eric at Transworks in El Cajon, he always paints the starter pad when he does a rebuild and when I get a trans from him I always have to remove that paint. I tried explaining it to him and he thought I was nuts.
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
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Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
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VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
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Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound |
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