Itinerant Air-Cooled

… of not driving Bertha. She used to be my only, my daily driver. I miss those days. No more.

ruckman101 wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:34 pm

… of not driving Bertha. She used to be my only, my daily driver. I miss those days. No more.

How come she's been retired? Mechanical issues?

George isn't my daily driver in the summertime, because of the heat of California's Central Valley. And I don't take it on drives where I have to carry a lot of stuff ... that's what the Sienna is for. But other than that, I try to keep it in shape to be a daily driver whenever I want. And I still camp out in here whenever I can.

Just starting issues. When she runs, she runs well. I want to put a relay switch into her and get the battery checked. But I don’t know the specs for the switch. Local parts store has a 12v 30 amp, but isn’t the amperage from battery to starter hellish large?

ruckman101 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2019 7:17 pm

Just starting issues. When she runs, she runs well. I want to put a relay switch into her and get the battery checked. But I don’t know the specs for the switch. Local parts store has a 12v 30 amp, but isn’t the amperage from battery to starter hellish large?

I'm not sure that's an issue (but Colin will surely set me straight if I'm wrong).

Couple of things from my own half-vast experience:

1. It might be the starter bushing. Are you sure you replaced it when you last had the starter replaced? Refer to this story:

https://www.itinerant-air-cooled.com/vi ... 83#p197683

I see that you responded to that thread, so you know the drill. But that doesn't mean that the bushing you put in hasn't gone south in the intervening six plus years.

2. On my second bus, I got sick of asking somebody to turn the starter key while I did compression tests, so I installed a second starter switch inside the engine compartment. I drilled a hole in the oil bath cleaner pedestal to mount it. Like the stock switch, it went directly from a hot lead near the battery to the solenoid. It not only served me well for that purpose, but I found that it would work when the stock starter switch didn't, like in weak battery situations. It's been on every one of my buses ever since. It's a replacement starter momentary-on switch that can be obtained from O'Reilley (at least, that's where I remember buying the latest one).

3. and 4. Please refer to the following write-ups on installing relays:

The Ratwell write-up: https://www.ratwell.com/technical/FAQ/F ... .html#0705

The Wolfsburg West write-up: http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wired/wire ... _03_01.htm

Hope this helps.

I replaced the bushing. You don’t forget having to pull the engine a bit to retrieve the new one that fell into the bell housing clutch place when I initially tried to install it. Could be 30 amp is fine. I just realized I can go check the relay on our ghia that someone installed prior to our ownership for an amperage rating.

ruckman101 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:02 pm

I replaced the bushing. You don’t forget having to pull the engine a bit to retrieve the new one that fell into the bell housing clutch place when I initially tried to install it. Could be 30 amp is fine. I just realized I can go check the relay on our ghia that someone installed prior to our ownership for an amperage rating.

Hello Neal,
There are subtle oversights that lead to dodgy starting reliability.
a) the flange between the starter and the bell housing is an electrical path.
b) ground strap between transaxle and diagonal arm bracket needs to be shiny clean, but so do the transaxle and the diagonal arm bracket contact points shiny! clean!
c) if you have that hated cable-smushed-in-battery terminal-with-2-7/16" bolts style of battery cables, get rid of it/them.
d) absolutely clean battery terminal end to starter post, and every other wire on the post, especially the red/white (or all red) that goes to the #30 on the light switch and then to the ignition switch #30.
Clean! Tight!
Colin!

They were all bright and shiny when I put the engine and transaxle back together. You lost me with c). Gretchen Ghia’s starter relay is rated at 40 amps. Genuine VW/Audi model no less.

SickTiredNeal wrote:

Amskeptic wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 11, 2019 10:04 am

c) if you have that hated cable-smushed-in-battery terminal-with-2-7/16" bolts style of battery cables, get rid of it/them.

You lost me with c).

What, like these high-quality items?

SlowLane wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 11, 2019 6:38 pm

SickTiredNeal wrote:

Amskeptic wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 11, 2019 10:04 am

c) if you have that hated cable-smushed-in-battery terminal-with-2-7/16" bolts style of battery cables, get rid of it/them.

You lost me with c).

What, like these high-quality items?

YES! Thanks, SlowLane. You got these, Neal? They can corrode the wire strands in subtle ways, because the strands are exposed with these terminals.
Colin

By golly, those would be the style of battery connectors on Bertha. Bad? The thought there was an alternative style never crossed my mind. In fact, I’ve never been able to expand the positive to the point it seats fully on the battery terminal. Compounds of micros.

neal

ruckman101 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:40 pm

Compounds of micros.

^ Almost every starting issue ever, described in beautiful prose.

Robbie

You make me blush Robbie.
Thanks for that praise.
Let me collect my thoughts … .
Oh yeah, … .essentially, systems analysis. Working on it.
Still going to pick up a hot start module, spread my partially seating positive battery cable to seat fully. Maybe that new battery I bought isn’t fresh anymore. How many years ago did I buy that? The only other option would be to get steering column deep replacing compromised wheel lock, key activated ignition, rather than the switch. But that would be cosmetics, not really addressing the issue. One thing at a time.

neal

ruckman101 wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 16, 2019 10:07 pm

You make me blush Robbie.
Thanks for that praise.
Let me collect my thoughts … .
Oh yeah, … .essentially, systems analysis. Working on it.
Still going to pick up a hot start module, spread my partially seating positive battery cable to seat fully. Maybe that new battery I bought isn’t fresh anymore. How many years ago did I buy that? The only other option would be to get steering column deep replacing compromised wheel lock, key activated ignition, rather than the switch. But that would be cosmetics, not really addressing the issue. One thing at a time.

neal

Systems Analysis! Whereupon our intrepid Forum Poet embarks upon a prosaic search for a solution by expertly excising variables in a planned attack. Start simple, Note That Which It Is Not, and you will get down to The Cause.
I for one will be waiting here to see how you make it through the thickets of improbabilities.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 8:27 am

Start simple, Note That Which It Is Not, and you will get down to The Cause.

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

-- Sherlock Holmes

"Wanna bet?"

-- me

JLT wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:24 am

Amskeptic wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 22, 2019 8:27 am

Start simple, Note That Which It Is Not, and you will get down to The Cause.

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

-- Sherlock Holmes

"Wanna bet?"

-- me

"You have to figure it out or you shall die." -- Colin In Death Valley way up that dirt trail