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Re: '81's electrical woes...annoying its owner
Try running a wire directly from the pos of the batt. to the #15 terminal of
the coil. see if that helps. try bypassing the fuel pump relay by connecting
terminals #30 and #87 on the relay socket. What did you use for power leads
to the injection computer and the knock sensor computer? Did you install
relays for this? Have you tried swapping the load reduction relay into the
socket for the FI relay? Does your windsheild seal leak? Is there corrosion
on the fuse box? Did you use the original fusebox; or did you swap that too?
Try taking all the wires off of the #1 side of the coil and attach a jumper
to that terminal and check spark by tapping the new jumper to ground and if
it sparks then the coil is good. If you didn't use the original wiring for
the 16V then what splices did you make and where? Do you have a Bentley
manual? If so then do a pin test at the multipoint connector at the coil and
the FI brain. It takes a little time but,it will tell you where thee bad
connection is at. Try all this shit and if it still doesn't help, let me
know what you have tested/concluded and maybe we can figger it out. :)
>From: "Andre' Bjorkheim" <andreb@maxwell.ee.washington.edu>
>Reply-To: andreb@ee.washington.edu
>To: Scirocco List <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
>Subject: Re: '81's electrical woes...annoying its owner
>Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 21:40:20 -0700
>
>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!"
>
>--
>Email problems to: scirocco-l-probs@scirocco.org To unsubscibe send
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>
Chris DeLong
ICQ#45030867
'80 16V Rag
'65 Bus (ugly, but good for campin' W/toaster oven)
'82 GLI
'80 'Vert
'61 17 Window
'78 Scirocco
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