Re: [T3] one two three will you start for me?

["Tony Adams" <tony@orb.micro.lucent.com>]

    I went through this with my Squareback, about six months ago.  Every time I
thought that I had it fixed, it would do the same thing again. In fact the starter I
gave you was replaced, (unnecessarily I might add) during this little chapter of my
vw relationship.  Because the screwdriver method works, I am all but absolutely
certain that the problem is in your neutral safety switch.  Does yours allow starting
in Park or is it neutral only?  I had to study mine for quite a while and follow the
brass leads inside the plastic block to understand the way that it was connecting.
If yours is the neutral only style, then there are six contact spots on the side of
the switch that contact a conductor on the gear selector.  From the front of the car
the first pair of contacts meet the gear selector when it is in reverse.  The other
four contacts are for starting.  The conductor on the selector should be able to
bridge all four contact points.  This may require some shaping of the gear selector
contact.  Also just when you've got that all straightened out.  You will put it all
back together and it will fail to start the next day.  Before you go and buy a new
starter.  Pull the carpet up, I'll bet one of your wires fell off of the switch.  I
wrapped elec. tape around the connectors to keep them from shorting on each other or
the chassis.  In the mean time you can run a heavy gauge wire from your solenoid into
the car.  Then start the car by touching the wire to the positive terminal on the
battery.  This is the same as the screwdriver method, but you don't have to crawl on
the ground.

Good luck, I know this is a frustrating problem.  Another thing to check, in mine the
PO had installed a later model safety switch that supposedly allowed the car to be
started in Park or Neutral.  The problem with this was that none of the contacts
lined up properly.  I got lucky and found the original safety switch dropped down
into the shifter cable tunnel.  with a screwdriver and some needle nose pliers I was
able to pull it out.  If your car has the wrong safety switch, the contacts may not
be lining up properly at all.  I don't know what year they changed switches though,
Jim?

Tony Adams
1970 Squareback FI AT


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bryan" <henryvw@ij.net>
To: "type3" <type3@vwtype3.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2000 5:50 PM
Subject: [T3] one two three will you start for me?


Hello all,
On my 71  auto fuel injected fasty , some times it starts , sometimes not.
At first i thought it was the starter. about once every 3 weeks I would turn
the switch and nothing. The pump would run but no start. So i crawled under
the car and rapped on the selinoid and it would start up for about 3 weeks
untill it happened again. About a week and a half ago it stopped starting
again, this time the tapping on the selinoid didnt work. It seemed as if I
jiggled the shifter in the nuetral position it would start but that soon
proved wrong.
I decides to clean the contacts for the wire to the started. I assume the
starter is fine cause it starts every time with the screwdriver method. I
also pulled and cleaned the plastic block with the contacts in the shift
console. Afterwards, every thing seemed fine for a day. Then it happened
again. I bypassed the plastic block and connected the power wires to each
other and it still would not start(the fuel pump still is getting power). I
put the power wires back in the plastic block and tried again. First try no
good, second try and it starts. .

What gives? Anyone else have this problem?
Thanks ,
Bryan

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