Itinerant Air-Cooled

I went to start my '79 Bus at the weekend, and something strange happened. First turn of the key, the dash lights came on, fuel needle moved, CHT gauge lit up, but the engine didn't start.

Second turn of the key and nothing - no dash lights, no fuel needle movement, no CHT gauge lit up, nothing.

Put a voltmeter across the battery - 12.3v showing.
All fuses under dash intact - put voltmeter to fuse holders and it recorded 0.02v.
Crawled underneath and put voltmeter across starter terminals - 0.02v.
Tried to start with a screwdriver across the terminals on the starter and nothing.

I noticed that the connector at the end of the positive battery cable was looking a bit gnarly, and the strands of cable I could see were looking rusty, so I've ordered a new cable from Wolfsburg West. Could it be that my cable just gave up the ghost inside?



The new cable from WW comes with a smaller red cable attached, which I don't appear to currently have in the above photo - this one goes to the double-relay terminal 88y (if I'm reading the wiring diagram correctly for a '79). I do have two red wires and a red/white wire at the double-relay, so the new red wire would replace the existing one, I presume?

rallybug wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 11, 2019 9:29 am

I went to start my '79 Bus at the weekend, and something strange happened. First turn of the key, the dash lights came on, fuel needle moved, CHT gauge lit up, but the engine didn't start.

Second turn of the key and nothing - no dash lights, no fuel needle movement, no CHT gauge lit up, nothing.

Put a voltmeter across the battery - 12.3v showing.
All fuses under dash intact - put voltmeter to fuse holders and it recorded 0.02v.
Crawled underneath and put voltmeter across starter terminals - 0.02v.
Tried to start with a screwdriver across the terminals on the starter and nothing.

I noticed that the connector at the end of the positive battery cable was looking a bit gnarly, and the strands of cable I could see were looking rusty, so I've ordered a new cable from Wolfsburg West. Could it be that my cable just gave up the ghost inside?

The new cable from WW comes with a smaller red cable attached, which I don't appear to currently have in the above photo - this one goes to the double-relay terminal 88y (if I'm reading the wiring diagram correctly for a '79). I do have two red wires and a red/white wire at the double-relay, so the new red wire would replace the existing one, I presume?

Yes to the cable giving you those symptoms. My Lincoln can give me idiot lights, then upon engaging the starter, coat the positive terminal/post in an instant with some hard black oxidation coating that kills all electrical flow. A thorough cleaning and tightening cures it.

That gaudy cheap cable has a wire for the bugs and type 3s to lead over to something under their back seats. Your 88y/z should be coming from the starter post, IIRC.
Colin

Victory - the new cable got the engine started on the first go!

Here’s the old one - I think it was due to be replaced





I’ll probably keep the red wire to power something like a 12v socket - just insulate it for now.