My car mysteriously died while driving

[kkrup62 at hotmail.com (Karl Krupke)]

Hi Don,
    In answer; every glitch and weirdness you describe I've seen occur as a 
result of poor or intermittent electrical ground contact.
    Sorry man; there ain't no simple fix. Not likely anyway... I once got a 
"dead" Rabbit to start and run by pounding a small pebble found in the 
parking lot with a larger pebble [same source] into the gap twixt battery - 
post and clamp to tighten it up and get home where I had REAL tools. Cleaned 
the clamp and post and reset and all was good.
    Start at the battery - post, clean (baking soda and water mixed to a 
light paste, almost but not quite runny, works good) and reset Gudentight, 
then work down the wiring from there using spray electrical contact cleaner. 
Also be sure to check the body ground to battery (varies by year, but 
usually a braided copper cable to the trans mount I think. I'm likely wrong, 
somebody who knows what Don is driving and has same please correct me).
    In my experience most often when you you experience "weird" or "odd" 
electrical symptoms [funky tach, dim or offbeat flashing idjit lights seem 
to be primary indicators], it'll trace to bad ground connections. Most will 
clear at battery - reset; after that see what else is acting obnoxious and 
trace and clean and reset.

Hope this helps.

Karl


>From: "Don Walter" <dswalterwi@xxxxxxxxx>
>To: "Scirocco List" <scirocco-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: My car mysteriously died while driving
>Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:54:57 -0500
>
>Heavy rains the night before.  I get in my car to drive to work and get
>about half way, around 15 miles.  I was driving along and went to put on 
>the
>brakes and I seen the tach drop to zero and then all electrical was dead.
>Under the rain tray was a lot of wet leaves and debris that I think a 
>rodent
>put there and the trunk was soaking wet.  Even the spare tire had water in
>it.  Had it towed home.  I was messing with it as the electrical was 
>working
>very weired.  Turning the key to on the idiots lights were very dim.
>Opening the door turned off the LCD clock.  Closing the door turned the
>stereo on.  The hazard on created a strange buzzing noise from the dash
>area.  I started pushing the door switch and flipping the hazard switch on
>and off just for the heck of it and all of a sudden I heard what sounded
>like the fuel pump kicking on and then all was better.  I checked behind 
>the
>fuse panel and it was dry as a bone no sign of water leaking back there.
>Just the water soak debris under the rain tray piled up arond the computer
>and that thing on the aluminium heat sink.  The trunk was just like a
>swimming pool.
>
>Now it seems to drive just find.  What could it have been?
>
>--
>Don Walter - Waukesha, WI
>1986 8V Black Scirocco (Daily Driver)
>1984 8V Audi 4000s (RIP 2/14/2006)
>1986 2.0L 16V TEC 2 Black Scirocco (see progress at
>http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/708939)
>1986 2L 16V Toronado Red Scirocco (Ben's Car)
>1988 1.8 16V Toronado Red Scirocco (sold on 3/29/04)
>1984 1.8 8V Pewter Scirocco (sold years ago)
>1971 Karman Ghia (sold)
>1969 Karman Ghia (sold)
>1969 Beetle (sold)
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>Scirocco-l mailing list
>Scirocco-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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