Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

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Amskeptic
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Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:36 pm

likely symptoms

Brakes
Pedal free play. . . brakes dragging
Fluid level. . . spongy or low pedal
Adjustment. . . low pedal or swerving
Drum/Rotor. . . run-out > pulsing pedal
Rubber Hoses. . .dragging or spongy pedal
Pads/Shoes. . . low pedal, sudden leaks, squealing, swerving
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Amskeptic
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Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 09, 2006 2:02 pm

likely symptoms

Suspension / Steering / Tires
Steering box. . .knocking, loose or stiff or lumpy steering
Center Pin. . . vague or stiff steering, knocking
Tie rods. . . . vague or stiff or loose steering, knocking
Ball joints. . . knocking in potholes, tightness
Front beam . . .knocking graunching abnormal tire wear
Rear Axle . . . . low/high ride height, noisy, poor transient handling, abnormal tire wear
Shock absorbers. . . excessive pitching, poor wheel balance
Wheels . . . vibration, shimmy
Tires. . . abnormal wear, noise, vibration, shimmy
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Amskeptic
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Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 09, 2006 2:27 pm

likely symptoms

Engine
Compression. . . low power, rough running
Valves. . . low power, rough running, clacking
Hydraulic lifters. . . cold or constant clacking, loss of power warm
Solid lifters. . . clacking, loss of power warm
Intake. . . hissing, hard starts, poor running or mpg
Exhaust. . . noise, excessive fragrance
Internal noises. . . clattering, knocking, thumping, squealing, buzzing
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Amskeptic
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Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 09, 2006 2:37 pm

likely symptoms

Trans / Axles
Bearings . . . growling, howling,whining
Gears. . . whining or growling
Synchronizers. . . clashing when engaging gear
Shift stop plate. . . difficult gear engagement, no reverse, too much reverse
Shift rod bushings. . . creaking, rattling
Coupler. . . sloppy shifter, difficult engagement, noisy shift rod
CV Joints. . . car won't move, low frequency tocking
Clutch disk. . . chattering upon engagement, slipping, no release
Pressure plate. . . chattering, slipping, no release, vibration
Release bearing. . . noisy
Clutch cable. . . chattering, insufficient travel, too much travel, stiff
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Amskeptic
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Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Sep 09, 2006 2:47 pm

likely symptoms

Electrical
Short circuit. . . blows fuses heats up wires, smokes
Open circuit. . . dead electrical component(s)
Lighting. . . blown filament, open circuit, short circuit, switch failure
Switch. . . does not switch on (open circuit) does not switch off (short circuit)
Alternator. . . battery dies, battery overcharges, noisy
Voltage regulator. . as above, flickering lights, gen light on or off at wrong times
Starter. . . noisy, intermittent, no engine turnover noisy/quiet
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Amskeptic
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Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:34 am

likely symptoms

Body / Hardware
Door seals. . . wind noise water leaks difficult closing
Window felt channels. . . accelerated wear, wind noise, rattling glass
Sliding door. . . won't spring open, mis-alignment, won't close, rattles, difficult handle, slides poorly
Window seals. . . leaks, poor fit
Door latches/hinges. . . rattles, hard closing, improper operation,
Sunroof. . . leaks, won't open correctly, misalignment,
Body shell. . . drainage, rust eradication, wind leaks, insulation -sound-thermal
Inner door panels. . . waterproofing, removal, installation, vapor barriers
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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dingo
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Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by dingo » Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:12 pm

Charging Test

Check Alternator Diodes

Select 'AC' on your multimeter.
Black lead to a good ground.
Red lead to the 'Bat' (B+) terminal on the alternator.

With engine running:
A good alternator should read less than a half volt (0.5 ) AC.
A higher reading indicates faulty or damaged diodes.

Check Battery Charge %

Engine Off.
Headlights on for one minute to bleed surface charge. Then shut off.
Measure DC voltage across the battery terminals.

Voltage : Percent Charge
12.6/7 ....................................... 100%
12.45 ......................................... 75%
12.30 ......................................... 50%
12.15 ......................................... 25%
'71 Kombi, 1600 dp

';78 Tranzporter 2L

" Fill what's empty, empty what's full, and scratch where it itches."

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dingo
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Post by dingo » Wed Apr 04, 2007 9:14 pm

Alternator Ripple Voltage Test
The alternator produces alternating current voltage.
The battery requires direct current voltage to charge.

Diodes (one-way "electrical check valves") located within the alternator change (rectify) the AC to DC.
A small amount of AC can be present with no ill effect.
Problems can develop when a failed alternator diode permits an unacceptable amount of AC to pass into the vehicle electrical system.
Set multimeter to read (lowest possible range) “AC” volts.

Black lead should go from meter's "COM" to battery negative ( - ) post.
Red lead should go from meter's "Volts" to the battery positive ( + ) post.

Turn ON the heater blower and high beams with engine at 1500 rpm.
Meter reading should not exceed .09 volts (90mV) AC.

High ripple voltage readings imply faulty diode(s) which can cause:
* Undercharged battery.
* Stalling.
* Rough idle.

. . . found at
http://www.labscopes.com

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Amskeptic
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Re: Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:02 pm

If you have fuel injection, get the distributor installed correctly or you will be annoying the cold start plug or banging the advance unit into the fan housing.

Type 4 engines with stock distributors, set #1 @ TDC, remove distributor and the pressure spring in the middle of the drive dog.
L :cyclopsani: :cyclopsani: K at the current slot position. One side or the other of the slot bisects the exact center of the drive dog. The other side is the "offset". For correct distributor positioning, that offset side must be on the left at a 12* angle from longitudinal axis of engine. "What is 12*?" you ask. Well, grab the distributor and hold it in the general installed orientation, set the rotor to the little notch on the body of the distributor, put the can directly right as though it were pointing perfectly to the right side reflector or battery or whatever, and read the bottom of the distributor. It will have the 12* angle and the lugs will be offset left, unless someone has already fricked the indexing.

A 2 1/2 lb pull magnet and a large screwdriver will allow you to pull up on the drive dog maybe 2" so you can rotate it to the correct position. There is a slight helical cut to the gears so set the angle to 20* or so, and it will rotate clockwise to 12* as it seats. If it hangs up, wiggle the crankshaft back and forth while you tickle the slot (shut-up) with your screwdriver.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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asiab3
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Re: Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by asiab3 » Fri Apr 15, 2016 8:25 am

When I stripped my mom's bug down, every fastener on it was of Volkswagen pedigree. When one of the exhaust studs was rusted to the nut, it backed out of the head. We eventually got the nut off, and I even declared the stud "toast."

...but... Brian spent an hour and a half with a thread file, a die, four M8 nuts, two wrenches, and enough chemicals to declare my garage a superfund site. The result was nothing short of magic, as that stud went in clean, torqued up clean, and looked brand new.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsT1zeNrFtI


Just a simple metal part, but it was half about the principle, and half about being 1am and needing an exhaust stud.

Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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Elwood
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Re: Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Elwood » Mon Feb 06, 2017 9:22 pm

hi
i be back to ask a quetiun oor two .bout my clutch cabke jx fbi the right plACE?

.OVE, BARB









































C
'69 weekender ~ Elwood

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asiab3
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Re: Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by asiab3 » Mon Feb 06, 2017 10:58 pm

Hi Barb! It's great to see you around here again! Ask away!
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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Amskeptic
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Re: Initial Troubleshooting Possibilities

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Feb 07, 2017 7:27 pm

Elwood wrote:hi
i be back to ask a quetiun oor two .bout my clutch cabke jx fbi the right plACE?

LOVE, BARB
We'll answer it wherever it comes up . . .
ColinInNaples
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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