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****...87 Westy won’t start…cranks over fine [SOLVED]
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Ride-Fly
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:06 pm    Post subject: ****...87 Westy won’t start…cranks over fine [SOLVED] Reply with quote

About two weeks ago, I came back from a quick 2 day roundtrip from Portland to Anacortes/Orcas island and back. Shaggy ran superbly. But as we were pulling into the home driveway, and shutting down, my wife who happened to be driving said it just started acting funny. Didn’t think much of it, until the other day when I tried to start him up, without success. Shaggy was behaving like I’ve experienced before when the Mass Air sensor (not the O2 sensor like I originally wrote) wasn’t securely connected after I completed a tune-up. So, I confidently expected the Mass Air sensor to have knocked loose, but checking it, it was securely attached. I also checked the fuse box to ensure no loose engine/ignition/starter wires didn’t pop. (Something I learned from this thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...;start=0).

So now, I’m stumped. I’m sure it’s not the battery, starter, or ignition switch. Could it be the fuel pump? As I’ve said, it acted just like the time the MA sensor wasn’t fully attached. Could it be that the sensor itself had gone bad? How would I test for an MA sensor failure? What other trouble shooting do you recommend? Thanks all!

****= Scheisse !!!

Okay, I gotta fess up. What's the first thing one should check to make sure you're good to go???


F


U



E



L



I feel like such a moron!!! But in my defense, there were a couple of reasons why it didn't occur to me to check that I had fuel in the tank. First the issue happened right as we pulled into our driveway. If we sputtered out along the freeway somewhere, it would've been the first thing I check. What's the chances we run out of gas right as we pull into the driveway?? LOL. Second, it acted exactly like the Mass Air Sensor issue I've had before. So there I went again, jumping to conclusions!! LOL2. It didn't help that my wife was driving the last 3 hours of the trip, and she is notoriously oblivious to all things automotive. She NEVER keeps the fuel gauge in her "cockpit scan" to borrow an aviation term. LOL3. Knowing this, I usually ask her the fuel status a few times along the way, but this time I was napping off and on, so maybe I want the most coherent I could've been.

She is lucky that today's modern vehicles tells you when it needs something like tire pressure, service due, etc. A funny story: Back when we first started dating, I visited her in London, UK where she was living. We went on a short trip to the countryside and while we were at a gas station, I noticed every tire was very low. Checked the pressure and the highest tire pressure was 13 PSI. Hey Zeus flippin Krystal!!
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Last edited by Ride-Fly on Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:23 pm; edited 2 times in total
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bobbyblack Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:24 pm    Post subject: Re: 87 Westy won’t start…cranks over fine, just won’t fire off Reply with quote

Hmm... did you fuse your FI? If so, check that fuse. Check that there is actually power getting to the injectors, etc.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=692179
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Ride-Fly
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:53 pm    Post subject: Re: 87 Westy won’t start…cranks over fine, just won’t fire off Reply with quote

bobbyblack wrote:
Hmm... did you fuse your FI? If so, check that fuse. Check that there is actually power getting to the injectors, etc.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=692179


Thanks for the lead to the great thread! Although it’s not the issue in my case, it’s good to be made aware of the potentially dangerous situation. That thread is bookmarked for future reference.
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1987 Westy, Dove Blue
1987 Wolfsburg Tintop, Vesuvius Grey no more Sad
1977 Toyota FJ40, Freeborn Red
2018 Ford F-350 Platinum, Ruby Red Metallic
2017 Mercedes GLE350, Polar White
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Wildthings
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:22 pm    Post subject: Re: 87 Westy won’t start…cranks over fine, just won’t fire off Reply with quote

Start by determining if you have spark and fuel. Easiest to start with spark. Pull a wire off a plug and insert a spare plug into the wire and lay the plug against the engine case and have your wife crank the engine. Check at least two plugs.
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Ride-Fly
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:34 pm    Post subject: Re: 87 Westy won’t start…cranks over fine, just won’t fire off Reply with quote

Wildthings wrote:
Start by determining if you have spark and fuel. Easiest to start with spark. Pull a wire off a plug and insert a spare plug into the wire and lay the plug against the engine case and have your wife crank the engine. Check at least two plugs.


Thanks for the tip on how to check spark! It'll come in handy someday when I have a real issue with the engine and not the self-induced fuel issue of an empty tank. LOL.
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1987 Westy, Dove Blue
1987 Wolfsburg Tintop, Vesuvius Grey no more Sad
1977 Toyota FJ40, Freeborn Red
2018 Ford F-350 Platinum, Ruby Red Metallic
2017 Mercedes GLE350, Polar White
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Abscate Premium Member
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:42 pm    Post subject: Re: ****..87 Westy won’t start…cranks over fine, just won’t fire off Reply with quote

Use a jumper cable to ground it so you know it’s grounded well
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djkeev
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:21 am    Post subject: Re: ****...87 Westy won’t start…cranks over fine [SOLVED] Reply with quote

Don't beat yourself up!

I ran out of fuel, as I ran through my diagnosis my thread dragged on for days and ended up 5 pages long! Embarassed

Sometimes the obvious escapes us all........
Glad you found it so quickly.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=751454&highlight=

Dave
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