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ghiamanjc Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2020 Posts: 146 Location: Vancouver BC
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Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:57 pm Post subject: Sad with a car that won't start ** Update ** |
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I've got a 74 KG Convertible in great shape. Had it on the road 2 days ago with no issues. This morning I turn the key, she starts and sputters a little then stalls about 5 seconds later. No biggie - its probably just cold - and I turn the key again....Nothing, just a faint click. So, I did the following:
Battery - tests fine, all the lights work
Wiring connectors in engine area - checked and re-seated
Fuses - all good; even found an in-line fuse burnt out and replace it. No change
Starter - smacked it with a hammer a few times
Starter stuck?- Put it in 3rd and pushed it backwards 3 yards (read that in a book).
After all that... no change. Turn key and faint click.
I'm pretty sure its not an electrical issue. I fear a blown starter which means a tow to a local air-cooled mechanic (that I've yet to find).
Any bright ideas from this charming hive-mind?
Pic of the engine in case you see something. NB - I've swapped the fuel filter and replaced the fuel hoses since this pic. Car worked great for 10 days after this work was done.
THANKS KG FAMILY !!
Last edited by ghiamanjc on Sun Jun 13, 2021 5:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Teeroy Samba Member
Joined: April 20, 2003 Posts: 3685 Location: Eastern WA
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:03 am Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start |
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Clean the battery posts and clamps. Also pull repair clamp on positive cable apart and clean (for now, replace with a correct cable as soon as possible). _________________ Pres. Rivercity VW Club www.rcvwclub.org
Founder Derr Wheat Panzers (DWP)
ARR #3
www.autosportsnorthwest.org |
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sputnick60 Samba Moderator
Joined: July 22, 2007 Posts: 3918 Location: In Molinya Orbit
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 3:48 am Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start |
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The ignition switch could be at fault. The wire to the solenoid could also be at fault, in particular where it connects to the solenoid. This is the thin wire on the solenoid. Also worth checking is the heavy current cable from the battery. Check that its not corroded at that starter motor end. Perhaps tighten the nut holding it on with improve the electrical connection down there.
How good is the battery, really? How about double jumping a second battery and see if it will crank with more current. You do have jumper leads and access to another car I hope
Nicholas _________________ '66 Karmann Ghia Cabriolet...
'65 Porsche 356C Coupe...
2005 Mecedes Benz C180 Kompressor Estate
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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Q-Dog Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2010 Posts: 8700 Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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Braukuche Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004 Posts: 11005
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 7:45 am Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start |
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Have the battery tested. Take it to any part store. That’s the easiest thing to rule out.
Next is the starter. Jack it up on the passenger side, make sure it’s in neutral. Crawl under with an insulated flat blade screwdriver and jump the post from the big battery cable to the terminal on the solenoid. If the starter works like it should then you’ve at least isolated that as a problem. _________________ Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now |
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Era Vulgaris Samba Member
Joined: August 22, 2012 Posts: 1683 Location: Raleigh, NC
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:35 am Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start |
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ghiamanjc wrote: |
Battery - tests fine, all the lights work
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Just because the lights turn on, doesn't mean the battery is fine. Incandescent bulbs will work well below 12V, they just get dimmer the lower the voltage.
You could easily have enough juice in your battery to turn your lights on, and nowhere near enough to work the starter.
Check your battery voltage with a digital multimeter. A healthy battery should be between ~ 12.7-13.3V at rest. If it's below 12.5V, it's on its way out. _________________ Currently own:
66 Karmann Ghia, L390 Gulf Blue, under construction, here: www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=760505&highlight=
99 Mazda MX-5 10AE, Sapphire Blue Mica, 6 speed, LSD
Previously owned:
98 Porsche Boxster, silver, 2.5L -- 67 Karmann Ghia, Black, 1500sp -- 98 BMW Z3, Atlanta Blue Metallic, 2.8L I6 -- 75 Porsche 914, Laguna Blue, 2270cc -- 72 Porsche 914, Signal Orange, 1.7 FI -- 74 Karmann Ghia, Black, 1600dp -- 74 Triumph TR6 with O.D., sapphire blue |
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jeffrey8164 Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2018 Posts: 3823 Location: Georgia
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 10:38 am Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start |
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Could be as simple as a battery terminal.
Just happened to me the other weekend.
Car started just fine. We headed north and stopped for gas about an hour later. Went to start it and…small click, then nothing. Someone had some jumper cables and just the pressure of the cable clamp on the negative terminal was enough to spring it back to life.
So we went to a restaurant, had lunch and the same thing happened again. Went to a service station next door and borrowed a pair of pliers to squeeze on the negative terminal and the car started right up.
Replaced that terminal and no problems since. _________________ Volkswagen!
Turning owners into mechanics since 1938.
“Let he that is without oil throw the first rod”
(Compression 8.7:1) |
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sjbartnik Samba Member
Joined: September 01, 2011 Posts: 6000 Location: Brooklyn
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:37 pm Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start |
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ghiamanjc wrote: |
Battery - tests fine, all the lights work
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Nope, this is not how you test the battery.
Take your voltmeter (if you don't have one, buy one) and put it across the battery terminals. If the battery is fully charged, it will read 12.6v.
If it's less than that, charge it.
If it reads 12.6v, then leave your voltmeter connected and put it somewhere you can see it when you turn the key. Turn the key to start and report back the reading on the voltmeter.
But of course the easiest thing is to first make sure both battery terminal clamps are clean and tight. _________________ 1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650 |
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ghiamanjc Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2020 Posts: 146 Location: Vancouver BC
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Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 6:01 pm Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start ** Update ** |
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Thanks everyone for your suggestions.... I got it fixed and here's how.
- Cleaned and re-seated the battery connections - no change
- Gave the Starter motor a review - firmly attached, no visible problems
- Confirmed with volt-meter that battery is putting out 12.5+ V and Starter motor is receiving 12.5V
Now what....Started the car with my buddy underneath giving the starter motor a good few smacks with a hammer. It came to life !!
Thanks to my buddy Rich for the idea and Carl for flawless execution.
Putting a new starter on the To Do list so it doesn't happen again. I think the one that is there now is the original.
Thanks to y'all for your interest and suggestions. |
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Steelz21 Samba Member
Joined: January 09, 2017 Posts: 130 Location: Ontario canada
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:09 pm Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start ** Update ** |
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I had the same issue with my 71.
I installed a cheap $60 starter from NAPA to keep it on the road and then got the original rebuilt and put it back in, keeping the NAPA one as a spare. |
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Teeroy Samba Member
Joined: April 20, 2003 Posts: 3685 Location: Eastern WA
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 6:14 pm Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start ** Update ** |
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Replace the positive cable when you do the starter. That quick repair cable end will haunt you with starting issues if yo don't. My Micro had one on it when I bought the bus, had to take it apart and wire brush the corrosion out of it at least once a year. New cable no longer a problem _________________ Pres. Rivercity VW Club www.rcvwclub.org
Founder Derr Wheat Panzers (DWP)
ARR #3
www.autosportsnorthwest.org |
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ghiamanjc Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2020 Posts: 146 Location: Vancouver BC
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:11 pm Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start ** Update ** |
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@teeroy - Thanks for the tip. Does that cable go directly from the + Terminal to starter? If so, I agree with you - simple job that lasts another 20 yrs.
I'm puzzled by that Red wire that joins into the quick repair cable joint. I don't know what its too and the connection looks dodgy. Any suggestions on what that is? I can PM you a close-up picture if helpful. |
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mxl556 Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2015 Posts: 62 Location: Vermont
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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:17 pm Post subject: Re: Sad with a car that won't start ** Update ** |
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Check the connections in the front trunk, next to the clock/speedometer/fusebox. In my 73 Ghia there is a connector that could get loose and the starter won't engage. If I remember correctly there is a wire from the ignition switch that activates the starter solenoid.
I was on a road trip once and bags in the front trunk got that connection loose enough to be intermittent. I ended up replacing the starter on a side of the road for no reason... then found the culprit.
Max |
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