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RE: Another car won't start problem


On 19 Nov 2004 at 22:03, Elroyyy@aol.com wrote:

> I have a FI, MT, 73 Squareback who's engine I had recently rebuilt. She ran 
> fine for about 200 miles and one night, in mid-flight, she died and would 
not 
> run. It was as if she'd been shut off; all indicator/idiot lights came on 
as if 
> the key were inserted and turned ON.

If the key was still ON at this point, this would be perfectly normal. 
(Except 
for dying, of course.)

> I adjusted the valves but #2 exhaust and #4 intake have no clearance. That 
is 
> to say I can't get a feeler gauge between the rocker and valve stem.

I agree that this is wrong, but I think it is a separate problem. Is it 
possible that you're doing the adjustment wrong; ie, how familiar are you 
with 
adjusting your valves. If you've never/seldom done it before, there are a 
number of ways that you can go wrong here.

> I set 
> the points and timing; cleaned the trigger points with a piece of paper; 
made 
> sure I had spark at the coil and plugs; checked to make sure I had fuel at 
the 
> injectors and still, the battery cranks over and over but she will not 
start.

Hmmm, cleaning the trigger points was going to be my first suggestion, so you 
just stole my thunder....

> When the key is turned ON the fuel pump relay and main relay are supposed 
to 
> click at the same time, the fuel pump is supposed to whir for ~1 sec and 
then 
> the fuel pump relay is supposed to click again. But my pump just keeps 
> running, without the second click of the pump relay. I tried another, 
working relay 
> without any change. One post in the archives pointed me to the Bentley 
manual 
> and I tried swapping the red and the red/white wires on the starter. It 
didn't 
> do anything. This tells me that the pump relay has been wired incorrectly, 
but 
> the car ran for 200 miles like that.

Are you sure that the pump and relays worked properly for the first 200 miles?

Try these tests:

Turn the key ON and then go to the engine. Listen while you depress the 
throttle lever. You should hear a series of clicks. If you don't, I suspect 
that your FI brain is fried. This would be unusual. 

Turn the key OFF and remove and disconnect the brain. Turn the key ON. Does 
the 
fuel pump still run? Turn the key OFF Plug the brain back in. Turn the key 
ON. 
Does the pump still run? Repeat this back and forth a few times just to make 
sure you understand the pattern. 

If the pump consistently stays on when the brain is connected and never when 
the brain is disconnected then the brain is fried.

If the pump sometimes/always runs even with the brain disconnected then there 
is a short in the wiring harness somewhere.

If the brain is fried, I probably have a good used one. I'll need to have the 
number off the old one to make sure you get the right one. Before you replace 
it, it would be worthwhile to make sure that there's not some external 
problem 
that would cause the replacement to fail, too.

Brain failures are actually quite rare, but I can't think of anything else, 
other than a wiring problem, that would cause this.

-- 
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
*******************************

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