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78 Westy starting issues
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Mellie77
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:55 pm    Post subject: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

Just picked up a 78 Westy. Fuel injected, electronic ignition, New battery installed. When I shut her off, she would not restart. Drove about 200 miles on Saturday and the problem occurred twice but was able to start on second try. Now I am stranded, Lights on dash come on and blower fan gets power in engine compartment. Seems like no power to starter. It was looked at last
Month and they said the problem occurred but they cleaned the contacts on the starter relay and could not reproduce. I am sitting in Columbus, OH now at a hotel trying to get the van to start but no luck!

Any guesses?
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Abscate Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:07 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

With no power to the starter you won’t get the fuel pump to kick on, as the starter is activated first by the starter current, then later from the air flow meter.

The cranking system is simple

Good battery,good wires to a good ignition switch, good wires back to the starter solenoid, good solenoid , goodstarter. Good positive and negative battery cables.

Everywhere there is a “good “ is a failure point

You need a Bentley and MUIR book if you don’t know up your way around cars,
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Last edited by Abscate on Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:03 am; edited 1 time in total
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Mellie77
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:52 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

Thanks for the reply. I know a bit about all things mechanicals and electric but have no tools and no place to work as we are just relocating the bus south. My first guess is the starter relay as it looks cruddy and the negative battery strap/lead as it is cruddy too.

Will dig into it some more.
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Abscate Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:07 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

There should be a Lowe’s or HD nearby with basic stuff and a voltmeter which can get you going; I count 10 in the area.
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alman72
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:13 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

push start. get er home
edit-provided it is a manual.
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Xevin Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:57 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

If you get some tools and start tinkering. Clean up ground strap on transmission and the contact points. Get some sandpaper while you getting tools.

Check this link.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=665775&highlight=ground+strap
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:17 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

This will come in handy

https://ratwell.com/
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67rustavenger wrote:
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo! Very Happy

Clatter wrote:
Damn that Xevin... Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

skills@eurocarsplus wrote:
I respect Xevin and he's a turd Razz

SGKent wrote:
My God! Xevin and I 100% agree Shocked
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Globespotter
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:31 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

alman72 wrote:
push start. get er home
edit-provided it is a manual.


^^Agree
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1979 Westfalia - 1986-1991
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Road Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=511800&highlight=
My 77 Westy Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647114&highlight=

http://vw-mplate.com/mcode.php?lang=EN&id=30990
https://vw-type2-id.xyz/mplate/72067382
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Mellie77
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 1:49 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

Thanks for all the links and info. The starter is bad. We ordered one last night and it will be here today early. The shop should have us rolling by noon. Wiring is really cruddy and corroded. They replaced many and made all at their shop. German Autowerks in Columbus, OH has been great.

We will be doing a complete rewriting and all once we get back hone for good.
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Wildthings
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 3:26 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

These things are notorious for not starting when hot. The fix is often just removing the starter and cleaning the old dried up grease on the starter solenoid plunger. Went through this on both my Bay and my Vanagon this past year. You can often get them to start by just using a screw driver to short between the big positive lug on the solenoid with all the wires on it and the male spade where the red/black wire hooks up to the solenoid. Most anyone who has put a pile of miles on one of these old rigs has had to do this.

You can make up a 6" long jumper wire with a female spade on one end and keep it in the glove box.
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 3:33 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

Mellie77 wrote:
Thanks for all the links and info. The starter is bad. We ordered one last night and it will be here today early. The shop should have us rolling by noon. Wiring is really cruddy and corroded. They replaced many and made all at their shop. German Autowerks in Columbus, OH has been great.

We will be doing a complete rewriting and all once we get back hone for good.


Just be aware that it isn’t uncommon to get a bad starter , even a Bosch rebuilt one. Parts supply chain on old VW is contaminated with a lot of junk cheap parts through even reputable vendors.

It’s difficult to sell a good $250 starter when the same picture is used to hawk the $30 one. The difference is pain, tears, anguish, and vomit.
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 3:42 am    Post subject: Re: 78 Westy starting issues Reply with quote

Abscate wrote:
Mellie77 wrote:
Thanks for all the links and info. The starter is bad. We ordered one last night and it will be here today early. The shop should have us rolling by noon. Wiring is really cruddy and corroded. They replaced many and made all at their shop. German Autowerks in Columbus, OH has been great.

We will be doing a complete rewriting and all once we get back hone for good.


Just be aware that it isn’t uncommon to get a bad starter , even a Bosch rebuilt one. Parts supply chain on old VW is contaminated with a lot of junk cheap parts through even reputable vendors.

It’s difficult to sell a good $250 starter when the same picture is used to hawk the $30 one. The difference is pain, tears, anguish, and vomit.


And a shop may sell you a $30 starter and charge you $250 for it. My daughter was on the other side of the country with my '77 when the battery died. She had a shop replace it and they charged her $250 for a replacement. Once she got it home I saw that the battery was stamped "second" and it would soon fail from the case splitting open and dumping battery acid everywhere. A cheap Walmart battery would have been a much better bargain.
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