Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:00:36 -0700
Reply-To: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Help! '87 Westy won't start...
In-Reply-To: <c2c43a7e0904170718t63ff2a5an99cc2424b5d0fc9e@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
That could also be caused by a failing ignition switch...
On Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 7:18 AM, Marc Perdue <mcperdue@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm constantly amazed at how many ways my van can leave me stranded,
> in spite of all I do to try to keep it in top shape.
>
> I got in my van to leave my daughters' house last night, and when I
> turned the key, the fuel pump came on, but there was no click for the
> starter. This has actually happened on occasion before. When it has,
> I usually moved the shifter out of Park and back. If that didn't do
> it, trying another time or two always would.
>
> So, I'm thinking that there's a starter relay somewhere, but when it
> happened, it was 10 PM, my tools were in my other car, and my Bentley
> was on the kitchen counter back home, where I had been researching
> what I need to look at for the rough running problem that I had been
> having. Incidentally, it's running WAY smoother since I had the shop
> adjust the valve last to 0, cold, according to Bob Donalds' specs.
> And it hasn't been stalling.
>
> Asides aside, I pulled the cover off the gear selector (auto tranny,
> in case you hadn't gotten that yet) and cleaned the switch. In case
> anybody out there didn't realize it, the shifter needs to be either in
> Neutral or Park to start, and there's a switch in the gear selector
> enclosure. You can pry off the top cover of the enclosure to get to
> it. Cleaning the contacts didn't change my results. Thinking maybe
> the Park contact only was affected, I tried starting in Neutral to no
> avail.
>
> At this point, not knowing whether there was a starter relay or
> whether I could do anything about it if I found it, I had to seek out
> a ride home.
>
> Am I on the right track? Does this sound like a bad starter relay to
> you all? Oh, and before you all suggest I go start chasing ground
> connection gremlins, the shop that was trying to fix my van checked,
> cleaned, and in some cases put new connectors on, ALL of my ground
> connections that they could find. :^) Um, come to think of it, they
> wouldn't have cleaned the contacts on the gear selector switch . . .
>
> If this does sound like a bad starter relay, does anyone have a part
> number for it? I'd like to get my van back up and running sooner than
> later...
>
> Thanks all,
> Marc
>
--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
Crescent Beach, BC
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27
| 
