Re: [T3] Distributor Drive Shaft (updated)

["Jim Adney" <jadney@vwtype3.org>]

On 15 Apr 2010 at 21:19, Chris Sheridan wrote:

> With the distributor seated in now the vacuum can sits in that
> depression of the left cooling tin to the rear of the oil cooler, and
> the distributor rim notch points to about 7pm on the clock, which I'm
> guessing is right. 

Yes, that sounds about right.

> The vaccuum can still appears to hit the tin just
> before I reach number one, but to honest I haven't gotten that far
> because now when I go to turn it over, the starter whirrs to life for
> one second and then stops. Put the battery on a charger and it reads
> fully charged. In fact the battery is a recent purchase the the
> headlights are bright, idiot lights come on smartly, a test lamp shows
> power at the positive terminal and traveling to the relay under the
> seat after turning the key on. turned the engine with the distributor
> out and watched the drive shaft rotate freely when I turn the motor.

You should never turn the engine in the normal direction with the 
dist out. If the drive gear catches just a little bit, it will lift 
the drive gear up in its bore, then push it sideways and it will jam. 
If this happens, the gear may not move again until you take the 
engine completely apart. Worst case if you do this with the starter: 
a cracked case.

> The motor turns fine though there are some high pressure spots as it's
> a relatively recent rebuild and probably has high compression. The
> valves all check out at a nice clear .006 with nothing binding. I
> brought the static light and tried to time it at #1 tdc and was unable
> to get the light to come on, but I'm guessing I'm just shy of #1 on the
> retarded side. 

Check the point gap, too, as that will affect where the points open.

> Although last week it died pulling out of the gate. I charged the
> battery and made it one house before it died again. It doesn't appear
> to be the battery and I have juice going to the starter. I shorted the
> starter terminals together and it made that same whirr click starter
> runs for ajust a second slowly then dies. I can see the torque
> converter spinning from below. Any ideas appreciated! thanks. 

Check all your battery plus and ground connections. The battery posts 
are tapered and it's common for the terminals to close down so they 
don't go onto the posts all the way. The posts should protrude just a 
bit above the top of the terminal. You may need to spread the 
terminals with a pair of screwdrivers to get them to fit all the way 
down again. Check the ground strap connection at the body end, too.

Then check the plus wire on the starter. It may just need to be 
loosened and then retightened to get rid of an oxide layer there 
that's keeping the connection from being good.

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


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