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mystery mechanical failure
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rustbus
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:19 am    Post subject: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

Hi Guys,

After almost 10 years of no major maintenance, i had a break down yesterday.

Particulars:
camper special engine 2012, 34,000km.
new starter 2012
rebuilt stock high output alternator 2012
-pretty sure i installed everything meticulously.
*battery is also from 2012....

symptoms:
-Super hot outdoor temperatures. like over 35*C
- previous day replaced the ignition lock cylinder with a NOS one
- did not change the ignition switch, it *Seemed* fine...
- up to now, ive had to jumper the bus to start it, most times when hot. no hot start relay. i have a cable running from the starter that i contact to the positive battery terminal to do this.

so yesterday after a drive and few stops, upon trying to start it, the starter just would grind, not engage. and do other funny things like groan a bit. but it did start eventually and i started to drive home. on the ride home, it lost power and bucked a couple times, then ran fine for another 10 mins. a few blocks from home, it started bucking even worse and funny whirring noise was heard by my passenger on his side of the bus. we pulled over and shut down. upon trying to restart, power would cut out. i went to the engine, everything looked ok. check the key again, no power, no dash lights, again back to the engine compartment, the ground cable was smoking and too hot to yank off by hand, so i quickly wrenched it off, and that's it. we towed it home later

It too hot out, up to 39*c for the next 3 days, so im not gonna crawl around under it yet... anyone care to speculate what went wrong? is it a basic starter failure? did my ignition lock cylinder replacement contribute to this?

thanks for thoughts
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TDCTDI
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:52 am    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

Sounds like either the ignition switch or the solenoid hung up & kept the starter engaged & more than likely cooked the starter. (This will also cause the starter to short internally.)
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Last edited by TDCTDI on Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:54 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Abscate Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 12:39 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

Battery is about 5 years past end of life.

Honestly, with nothing done for 12 years the entire cranking circuit probably has multiple marginal operating parts.
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rustbus
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 12:23 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

had the battery and starter tested, battery is definitely too old for a load, and the starter solenoid is fused.

i'll replace the ignition switch too.

the starter only had some 34000km of use on it, but i suppose with the weak battery and fiddling with the ignition may have caused it some grief, or the starter these days are just remanufactured to shit standards. it was a "bosch". paid extra for the name too if i remember correctly.
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timvw7476
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:15 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

rustbus wrote:
had the battery and starter tested, battery is definitely too old for a load, and the starter solenoid is fused.

i'll replace the ignition switch too.

the starter only had some 34000km of use on it, but i suppose with the weak battery and fiddling with the ignition may have caused it some grief, or the starter these days are just remanufactured to shit standards. it was a "bosch". paid extra for the name too if i remember correctly.


Typical outcome with Bosch Approved rebuilts, starter OR alternator.
Some of their stuff signs off inside two years, others go a decade plus.
Then there's the starter-mounted solenoid, which costs so much you might as
well treat the entire unit as a single assembly. My last starter was Pure Energy rebuild, from Rockauto, 1 year warranty, it's decent, two+ years in. $40-ishUSD & core return.
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SGKent Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 4:34 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

if you or the PO added a hot start relay look at it too. If it goes bad in the on position it will destroy everything down stream from it.
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ToolBox
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 11:35 am    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

rustbus wrote:
or the starter these days are just remanufactured to shit standards. it was a "bosch". paid extra for the name too if i remember correctly.


If it's a Bosch reman it should have a "lifetime" warrenty.
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airkooledchris
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 1:45 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

rustbus wrote:

i'll replace the ignition switch too.



keep the old one. the new ones had been such garbage for a while I finally went pushbutton.
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rustbus
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:47 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

SGKent wrote:
if you or the PO added a hot start relay look at it too. If it goes bad in the on position it will destroy everything down stream from it.


No hot start relay, I thought about it but never did it
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rustbus
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:48 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

ToolBox wrote:
rustbus wrote:
or the starter these days are just remanufactured to shit standards. it was a "bosch". paid extra for the name too if i remember correctly.


If it's a Bosch reman it should have a "lifetime" warrenty.


Ahh, it was, but alas, I already traded in as a core for a "Wilson" brand unit. I'm sure they would have wanted proof of purchase anyway I wouldn't have had a that anymore
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rustbus
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:48 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

airkooledchris wrote:
rustbus wrote:

i'll replace the ignition switch too.



keep the old one. the new ones had been such garbage for a while I finally went pushbutton.


I did keep it, but i had, on hand, what I think was a vw brand new replacement switch for a few years now
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rustbus
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 5:50 pm    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

So yeah, I replaced the ignition key cylinder, the Ignition switch, the starter and the battery and its better than ever. Now I have 2 keys to deal with but that's ok
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Abscate Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2021 3:38 am    Post subject: Re: mystery mechanical failure Reply with quote

rustbus wrote:
So yeah, I replaced the ignition key cylinder, the Ignition switch, the starter and the battery and its better than ever. Now I have 2 keys to deal with but that's ok


Gabe can re-key that to one key if you get annoyed with that. He’s got a lock on that business. You can find him here on the Samba or on his Tumbler account
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