'78 No Start ???

[UtahGOgear]

The series resistor is the one that makes all the clicking when I touch it at all.

Also- there's the + wire running off the battery to the starter and another one that runs off of the + terminal as well but it's just frayed off on one side and isn't connected to anything. Does this sucker go into the double relay or something?? It's fairly long and covered in the same color sleeve as the entire harness.

I must be missing something major here.... hope I haven't fried my starter trying to get it to work so many times without any luck...

[UtahGOgear]

[SGKent]

is there a loose ground wire on the side of the double relay or series resistors?
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[Tcash]

I took the relay off to clean the connections but it was way too rusty to even get the bolts off, so I wired it as it was.
-The rusty bolt that holds the starter relay on is the ground connection for the relay. The relay will not work without a good ground connection. You need to get the bolt off and clean the connection.
Or take the red and brown wire off the relay and connect those together, wrap some electrical tape around them so they don't short out and try and start it.

the plug that connects to something just above the double relay it makes this switch sound
Clean the ground wires connected to the Series Resistor.
Fuel Injection Series Resistor Pack Reinforcement How-to

[UtahGOgear]

I re-connected those wires to the starter as they're originally supposed to go stock and just ditched the relay.

I'll check for solid ground connections!

Man... I think if this thing ever fires up I'm going to get emotional!

[UtahGOgear]

Okay- I re-located the ground for the double relay because it didn't look like it was very secure under the series resistors. The entire firewall part that they're both bolted to looks newer and it's all painted so I'm not sure it's even getting a good ground connection.

The weird thing is that what seemed to be the ground wire on the series resistors (didn't go to any resistors, rather in the middle of them all) wasn't really connected on the plug. I shoved it in there and spent some time getting it to fit on. With the ignition on though, the series resistors became hot to the touch, the metal cover burnt me pretty good and so I un-plugged it immediately.

After un-plugging it there was no noise when I moved the wires. I must have some serious problems with connecting the wires in the wrong place when I put the motor back in! Would this even cause it to not start though? I hope I haven't fried major components. The lights and everything work... so there's that... but still when I go to start it absolutely nothing happens, just a click when I turn the ignition on.

[Tcash]

[UtahGOgear]

[Tcash]

What did it do when you tried to jump the starter.

[UtahGOgear]

[Tcash]

Connect the two terminal posts of the starter solenoid with a screwdriver, if the starter does not rotate, the malfunction lies in the starter. If the starter functions well, the malfunction lies in the solenoid. Either way the starter needs to come out.

The Red/white wire with the Red/black wire that has the push on terminal goes to the Double relay. This is what powers the fuel pump during cranking.

Pictures would be cool.

[Tcash]

The weird thing is that what seemed to be the ground wire on the series resistors (didn't go to any resistors, rather in the middle of them all) wasn't really connected on the plug. I shoved it in there and spent some time getting it to fit on. With the ignition on though, the series resistors became hot to the touch, the metal cover burnt me pretty good and so I un-plugged it immediately.


Please do not hook up wires if you do not know where they go.

Click on this link and open it. Note the wire in the center of the series resistor that looks like speaker wire goes in the middle of the resistor plug. The wires that connects to it go to 88b on the double relay and the ECU.
Fuel Injection Series Resistor Pack Reinforcement How-to

[UtahGOgear]

It seems I had a live wire where it wasn't supposed to be. I've plugged everything I don't recognize completely and have started to fit new disconnectors to every wire that is hanging on by a thread (which are like half of them) then following the wiring diagram to plug them in.

Question though- I don't know where the wire that goes off the + of the battery and somehow makes it to the double relay? Does it connect somewhere on the harness leading to the relay? This full-time 12v wire might be what's got me held back. The previous owner has spliced this wire in a few different places for who knows what reason and the tip was just shredded when I got it- I taped it off but now I'm thinking this is what I need to complete the wiring to start... any clue where it fiscally goes on the harness/double relay?

[Wildthings]

[UtahGOgear]

Shoot, I don't see any kind of stud or anywhere it would go off hand. There are two wires coming out of the larger part of the harness that runs across the motor, one is further back right by the air distributor in the middle of the motor ('78 FI Bus) and the other is more forward right before the connectors for the right double relay & series resistor. There are those two sensors thought, so I thought they just plugged into those (on the head of cyl. 3 and the other right next to the spark plug distributor)

[Wildthings]

On a Bay there is a wire that runs directly from the big 12+ lug on the starter solenoid to the double relay, don't know if this was copied over onto the Vanagon or not. The watercooled Vanagon had a funky split wire system coming off of the alternator with one wire going to the starter solenoid and one to the connector box. It is possible that this funky system was a carry over from an aircooled Vanagon as it certainly wasn't a go setup on the watercooled ones, don't have a clue as to its origin beyond knowing the VW seemed to have a problem with updating their wiring when they made changes to the fuel systems and ignition systems.

[UtahGOgear]

Okay! So then the constant 12v power goes from the starter solenoid straight to the double relay.... but there's still this wire running off the + terminal of the battery (not the huge one running straight to the starter solenoid) and it's about 3 feet long, was black and thick but now is white and thinner (PO maybe spliced the white piece on?) and I have no clue where it's supposed to run to....

still cleaning things up though and really trying to get solid connections/grounds in the right locations this time so this thing can hopefully turn over for me.

[UtahGOgear]

Here's a picture of this wire leading off the positive terminal of the battery

[busdaddy]

Are you sure the other end of that connects to the battery?, and not the ECU directly in front of the battery?
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[UtahGOgear]