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Gremlins are back
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John Breit
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:52 pm    Post subject: Gremlins are back Reply with quote

No problems for a while and now its back. My 68 bug will start and idle great, when Im on the road it will shut off instantly, and with the key still in the run position the gen and oil light are out. In a few moments the 2 lights will come back on and I can restart the engine. The realy odd thing is that the turn siginals seem to make it happen, LS faster than the RS. Any ideas? HELP Confused
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flyboat
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like a dead short. Look around for a raw wire rubbing metal. Check your hots and grounds to the turn signals

Check the wires on the coil. Make sure they are snug on their respective posts
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John Breit
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If it were a direct short wouldnt the fuse blow. Whats odd too is after a few seconds the gen and oil light will come back on and I can restart. Its kind of like a relay is going on and off.
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flyboat
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are a few circuits that are not fused so if that is the problem it could start a fire. When I first read the post, I thought maybe the heat is causing metal to expand and touching something to ground and then when it shuts off, it cools just enough the the metal contracts, undoing the grounding. This is a long shot

Another thing could be a shorting our green wire from the coil to the dizzy.

What makes you think it is related to the turn signal?
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gevmage
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

John Breit wrote:
If it were a direct short wouldnt the fuse blow.

A lot of the wiring in the Beetle doesn't have fuses. For instance, usually battery->key switch->coil goes across the UNFUSED side of the fuse block and thus isn't fused at all.

Quote:

Whats odd too is after a few seconds the gen and oil light will come back on and I can restart. Its kind of like a relay is going on and off.


Does your headlight switch wiggle up and down at all? It sounds like something is shorting the hot wires to ground so that the coil doesn't get power. Get a flashlight a take a really close look at the back of the headlight switch if you can get to it. It's possible that if something is touching the hot wire from the key switch that it's shorting out there. Also look at the back of the hazard switch for the same thing. And look around at the unfused side of the fuse block.

In all the cases you're looking for something that might touch the hot wires and temporary short them. A loose wire or something metal. Particularly, if there's a scorch mark anywhere.

Craig Steffen
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John Breit
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I drive it all around, turn left turn right , it doesnt seem to act up. When I am stopped and turn the blinkers on, after about 30 blinks it will shut down. Gen and oil light will g out ( cant start the engine). Then in a few seconds the lights will come back on and I an start the engine.
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John Breit
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was just looking at the wireing diagram and it looks like the Wolfsburg West turn signal and flasher relay could be on the coil circuit and the warning light curcuit. Do you think if this relay is acting up and could kill the power to the coil.
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flyboat
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is possible. Considering thirty blinks the relay could be getting hot due to a bad contact. And when it shuts down, because it is all thin metal, it doesn't take much time for it to cool down enough to let it go back to normal.

I would replace the relay. Look at the connectors to the relay. they can be removed with a small thin blade. make sure the wires are not frayed at the connector. trace the wire from the relay back to the other end of the wire and make sure it is a good connection. Weak connections create heat and amp draw.
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John Breit
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 9:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Found the problem. It was the power wire from the flasher relay box that fed the first two fuses which also fed the coil. The blade connector was insalled improperly ,heated up and burnt. The blinkers must had added more amp draw causeing it to kill the curcuit.
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