Re: [T3] Car QUIT and would not start - what I learned (remembered)

[Jim Adney <jadney@vwtype3.org>]

On 23 May 2007 at 21:12, Chris Slaymaker wrote:

> Through years of tightening down the distributor clamp nut (after
> setting the timing) the clamp itself  warped. 

It's a very common mistake to overtighten the dist clamp. I 
straighten a lot of them that I work on. The secret is to note that 
the locknut really doesn't have to be all that tight to work 
effectively. Try tightening it and checking to see if you can still 
move the dist. You'll discover that it locks the dist when it really 
doesn't seem tight at all. Give it another 1/6 of a turn and then 
quit. Anything else is just going to bend something.
 
> I even rewired the FI harness and replaced the crimp splices that some
> dumbass mechanic used to "repair" prior broken FI wires.  I simply pulled
> the brass connectors out of the plastic plugs and soldered them onto the
> ends of the wires and put them back in where they belonged in the plugs.

As long as you remove the pins from the connector bodies carefully, 
this is exactly the right thing to do. The factory crimps are high 
quality and will last forever, but nothing done outside the factory 
is going to last long enough to keep you happy.

There are occasional finds of NOS FI harnesses, but there are about 6 
different varieties and your chances of finding the one you need are 
virtually nil. I have a number of good used ones, but I recommend 
that you always try to do good repairs to the one you have first.

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