Daily broke down today. Out of gas? Smoke from dash? *Fixed*

[TheShane]

You can only say so much in a title.

Bus:
1978 Automatic, Progressive carb, 2000cc

I'm just got home today for the holidays, a little late I know. I was planning on doing "fun stuff" that I wanted to do to my Bus (install my new dual carbs) over my holiday break but now I have some bigger issues I'm afraid. Anyway...order of events...

Bus is my daily driver, I filled up then drove it about 110 miles this morning from college to my house. Ran fine.

Got bored and removed my Heat booster fan and tubes ten plugged the holes in preparation for the dual carbs I was supposed to install tomorrow.

Got in it later in the day to go to a family Christmas party.

Get about two miles from my house and then I start to feel a buck like I'm running out of gas. Bucking intervals increase and I find a good spot to pull off.

She dies and I roll to a stop where I put it in park and attempt to shut the key off.

Key wont shut off, try the key several more times and no luck. To save my Pertronix I run to the back and disconnect the battery.

Call my pops for help and he runs out for gas while I try the key some more. Still couldn't get the key out. He returns with gas and I pour it in.

Pull the plastic wiring "socket" from the bottom of the key switch, re-connect the battery and start jumping wires in the plastic socket until the starter cranks.

She fires and I let it idle then I try to head back home because I never could get the key out of the switch. I put it in reverse and she dies, shitty progressive carb and cold weather..it happens sometime.

I try to hot wire it again and the starter just kinda clicks and doesn't crank, I try that about 6 more times and then smoke starts coming from the dash.

Immediately stop hot wiring and run to back and yank off battery cable and grab extinguisher but luckily it must have just scorched some wires and nothing actually caught on fire.

My dad and I get his Suburban and a trailer and tow my Bus on home.

I ride with parents to the Christmas party...two hours late.

Just returned..its dark outside and I will check the damage tomorrow.

FIN


Sorry for the length but I know it helps you guys to know the details.

What could have caused this?
What do I do now? My key is still stuck in the ignition.
Certain wires I can look for to be burnt?
Can I rebuild my original key switch? The switch that is stuck is a cheap China one from the PO.
Any advice your willing to offer is appreciated.

Thanks,
Shane
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'78 Sunroof Bus

Central KY VW Club

[TheShane]

How to Change the Ignition Switch on a '78 VW Bus. By Brad Clausen

http://www.ratwell.com/mirror/bclausen/How_to_files/IgnSw/index.html


Getting the switch out shouldn't be a problem with those instructions. But I still don't know what caused the smoke.
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'78 Sunroof Bus

Central KY VW Club

[TreeHugger63]

[borninabus]

that's a tall order @ 1am...

my first guess is that you knocked something electric around when removing the fan.
so look around in the engine compartment for something amiss.

there is the outside possibility that you somehow inexplicably and simultaneously ran out of gas & then your ignition key decided to crap out.
stranger things have happened...

since you obviously have the electric portion of the switch exposed try working it with a screw driver after you recharge your battery--it sounds like it's dead now. don't do any more 'hot wiring' until you understand the wiring a little better. hopefully you didn't toast a wire too bad...check your fuses. and if you've developed some type of 'mystery short' you'll have to find & replace the wire you just burned.

at this point i'd just get a new electric portion for the ign switch--you should find the source of the smoke when replacing it--and roll it with a screw driver
**just for now** and go ahead with the dual carb install. you'll need to expand your install to include: testing the fuel pump (with a gauge please) & replace all fuel line, filter & the strainer in the tank.

then if you have any time left in your week:
supposedly the late ignition switches are easier to do than the earlys.
i'm more familiar with the 68-73 housings
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88 Van WBX, A/T - 13 JSW TDI 6M/T - 2012 Touareg TDI Sport

[TheShane]

TH,
Thanks, I got the name for the Bus from a Kinks song about a cross dresser. Somehow it seemed suiting for a bus. I'm at UK, junior this year. You guys have any VW shows up your way?


borninabus,

Yeah, I posted that a little late. I was trying to get ideas for this morning, I'm about to head out and get started.

First thing on list will be check engine compartment, everything should check out.
The only thing I touched was the wires going to the booster fan and I was sure to cover the exposed ends and secure them.

I guess stranger things have happened but this would indeed be very odd.

I'll check the battery for charge, I hope it is dead and that will explain the starter clicking but not cranking. The battery never slow cranked though so I'm fearing I have started probs of something related.

Does it look like this would work? http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=171905865&refer=shoppingcart I'll order today if so, hopefully it would be on back order.

I'm waiting on a new fuel pump actually, Its from the Type4 Store. Regulated at 3.5 psi. My facet style has never given me trouble but I heard the rotary pumps were more consistent.

Thank you for a reply, I'll head out right now.

Shane


Ahh yeah...I thought about it and double checked my mileage. I had 122 miles on that tank and I'm pretty sure it ran out of gas. That would be like 8mpg! When 12mpg is normal for winter city driving I guess 8mpg isn't insane but I'll be shocked if I'm getting 8mpg. I'll check for blockage in the filter and tank if I take it out.
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'78 Sunroof Bus

Central KY VW Club

[TheShane]

Fuses look good:

Behind the fuses...not so good:

Closer but still blurry pic of burnt wire:

This wire was attached to the bottom spade of the #12 fuse. Any idea what is/was?
I have no idea if it was originally black or if its black from the scorch.
Why would it have burnt while hot wiring?
Could it just have contacted something wrong because I was moving wires around while hot wiring?

I have a Bently but the diagrams look crazy to me. I'm still trying to decipher them. I'm going to head back out to see how far the wire melted, hopefully not very but with my luck it is probably burnt the whole length.

Thanks.
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'78 Sunroof Bus

Central KY VW Club

[borninabus]

your best bet on the wiring is to try to trace the wire & see where it goes.
also, use an earlier T4 wiring diagram as they are very similar but are the easier to read style:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/baybus_71a.jpg

it looks like the 'black wire' is switched power.
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88 Van WBX, A/T - 13 JSW TDI 6M/T - 2012 Touareg TDI Sport

[busdaddy]

Looks like it was born black to me.
That will either be the wire from the ignition switch or the one to the booster fan relay and then coil in the back, you'll have to trace it to see which way it goes. Looks like it's coming up out of the harness to the rear though.
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[TheShane]

Thanks for looking that up borninabus.

[busdaddy]

The black wire just stops by the booster fan on it's way to the coil, my guess is it's touching something where you disconnected it from the fan.
_________________
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[TheShane]

[TheShane]

So, green+black striped wire goes to the oil pressure sender and the solid black wire swings by the booster fan and then to the coil as BD said. I'll repair these two and things should be back to normal. Hopefully I didn't fry my coil or something else during all of this.
_________________
'78 Sunroof Bus

Central KY VW Club

[busdaddy]

How important? Well you found out last night that the engine won't run without it. It doesn't need to connect to the booster fan but it has to go to the coil to supply it and the FI system with power.

Being cooked like that I'd run another wire between the fuse box and coil, taped or zip tied to the outside of the harness would do. Hopefully it didn't melt into any other wires when it fried, you'll find out soon enough if all your signals, brake lights, running lights and warning lights still function properly.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
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[TheShane]

I guess "How important?" was kind of a dumb question.

The Bus is up and running, thank for all of the help.


The key is still stuck in the ignition however. I found the OG key switch in a box in our garage from when my dad replaced the original switch with a Brazilian one when he was driving the bus. I connected the white plastic part to the key switch wiring harness and it will start with a screwdriver.

I have searched this in the past and found what I'm looking for but now I cant find it. Is there a thread or link on rebuilding your key switch?
I remember something about drilling a tiny hole and installing a screw or something.

I would like to use the original key switch so I only need one key but my dad replaced it because it wasn't working.

Or is this near impossible and I should just send it to someone like Gabe (I think that is his name) and have them fix it?



Also if anyone knows how to connect a brake booster to dual carbs that would be awesome. I'm about to replace my Progressive with HPMXs and I know I need a port but where do I drill it? #3 manifold? #3 and #1 manifolds and "T" together? All four manifolds and "T" together?
_________________
'78 Sunroof Bus

Central KY VW Club

[TreeHugger63]

[busdaddy]

[TheShane]

TH,