Re: '81's electrical woes...annoying its owner

["Andre' Bjorkheim" <andreb@maxwell.ee.washington.edu>]

Dave Novak wrote:

> Ok. It all began back this past spring. The 1.7fi that was in there wouldn't
> start very well. I'd turn the key, it would catch.. but only if my foot was
> on the gas. As soon as I took my foot off the gas, a relay would click and
> the engine would die rather quickly.

    Hmm, this is totally unfamiliar to me.  Only thing I can think of is
fuel pump relay (on my car) but I cant see it dying based on the amount
of fuel you pumped into the cylinders.  You have idle stabilizer stuff?

 This continued for a few days, leaving
> me unable to drive the car. Then, one morning, I went outside to try and
> start it, and it would just crank. I was getting no spark. I would get 12+
> at the coil, but no spark from it.
>
    Bad coil?  Swap one out from a friends car, if you know anyone with
an older VW.  Check the continuity of the wires that goto #1 and #15?
Replace any of the sparkplug wires?
 
> The '81 scirocco now sits there with a 1.8l 16v (PL) engine with matching
> computers, etc etc etc.. hooked up correctly per my Bentleys and Brian
> Honnold.
> 
    Brian Honnold, HAHAH, there is part of your problem  =p  VROOM
VROOM!!
J/K...

> So, what happens when I come to that final moment.. the moment of truth when
> the car either dies, or starts right up? Nothing. It never catches. It
> cranks just fine, but never catches.
>
    Hmm, ground strap to the tranny case from the battery?  
 
> I check for spark... no spark. Same symptoms as the long gone 1.7l 8v
> engine.
> 
> THEN, something else happens with the car's electrical system. I'm poking
> around the floor area by the driver's feet one day, trying to put in an
> under dash shelf. As I push it in.. "click click". Pushing a wire or group
> of wires down there seems to turn everything off.
> 
    Hmmm....

> Normally, when the key is off, the parking lights, emergency flashers,
> cigarette lighter, etc works. Normally, when the key switch is turned on,
> the fuel pump primes, computers turn on (idle stabilizer works), I can use
> the blinkers, headlights, windshield wiper, etc. Standard scirocco type
> stuff.
> 
> As I poked around under the dash, nudging wires and harnesses seeing which
> one made this evil situation, I get a "click click" from a certain loom of
> wires. If you're upside down (head where feet should be, looking up a the
> dashboard), there's a group of wires to the right (your right) of the
> steering column just behind the dash -- The loom that goes to the instrument
> cluster, emergency flashers switch, and rear defogger switch. To that loom,
> is taped the wires that go to the ignition switch. The other end of these
> groups of wires is the fuse box (where things are naturally horiffic, as
> they all are in the '81-'82 model years).
> 
> Well, I push on said loom right next to the steering column and it's as if
> the ignition key doesn't work at all. All swiched acccessories (blinkers,
> wipers), and the computer and fuel pump relays (basically, all the shit that
> usually works when the key is on) don't work.
> 
    Loose wire at the plug?  If one of them is loose, you wont have
power
to most of the things in the car, perhaps all of them...

> So, I'm here pushing and letting go of this wire loom watching everything
> turn on, then off, then on, then off again. Trying to narrow down where the
> breakage could be.
> 
    defogger or flasher loom shouldnt have anything to do with that
stuff.
Focus on the wires to the ignition switch.  If you have multimeter you
can test continuity while jiggling the wires around.  If it goes open
then
you know you have a problem there.

> Here's a somewhat interesting part. Remember I couldn't get spark for the
> life of me? If I pushed the wire loom to make everything turn off, as I
> turned it on, I believe a spark would occur. I can guess this to be correct
> cause as I was playing with the bitchy wires... let's say I did this: With
> the ignition system seeming to act normal, I'd try and start the car. It
> would crank. After letting go with the car still not started, I'd play with
> the wire loom, turning everything off and on again. As everything turned
> back on, I'd get a kick from the engine. Like a little jolt. I assume it was
> combustion occuring in the cylinder, because nothing else could make the
> engine spontaneously move like that. Sometimes I heard a pop, as if a spark
> occured.
> 
    VERY strange...  If you lived in Seattle you would certainly get
some
"on-site" help with that.  

> Can I scan the diagrams from an '81 Jetta and send them to you?
> 
    Yes you may, by all means, send them!

    The relay clicking on and off is rather bizarre.  Trying to think of
relay that gets power without ignition...  Load reduction relay?  I
would
check main power wire from battery to fuse box (H terminal) to make sure
its not down to a few strands or corroded.  Hopefully something comes
of this email, other than my joke about Honnold  =p

==============================================

 André Bjorkheim 
 Lime Green 79 Scirocco ©
 ICQ #266870

 "Opinions are like a**holes...  
  Everyone has one, and they all stink!"

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