[tcb] Re: A very goofy gremlin
- From: Lee <robilee1@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:47:44 -0600
You are welcome. Duncan's idea about vibration makes a lot of sense too. I
hadn't thought about that but it is probably even more likely. Also the fact
that this happens more after the bus has been running for awhile could be
related to the fact that the current running through a resistive connection
heats up. If the connection heats it expands and gets looser/poorer.
Sent from my PDP-8
On Dec 18, 2011, at 7:04 AM, julie.hey.ho.lets.go@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Thanks Lee,
>
> At least you don't think I am crazy.
>
> On Sun, Dec 18, 2011 at 6:39 AM, Lee <robilee1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Julie,
>
> I also have a 71 and every time I have one of those oddball electrical issues
> it turns out to be a cruddy or loose connection somewhere, so I think you are
> on the right track with that. It is most often a bad ground connection. The
> reason that the horn is probably fixing the problem is that cruddy and loose
> connections get resistive. Chances are that when you toot the horn the
> current flow from that is enough to temporarily break down that resistance so
> the circuit works again.
>
> I'm the world best mechanic, but I do know a bit about the electrical side of
> the world having spent quite a few years working in that field. Bad grounds
> sometime produce very very weird symptoms. We once had a customer whose
> computer crashed every time someone flushed the toilet and it turned out that
> a recent plumbing repair had resulted in a short section of his iron sewer
> line being replaced with PVC. Since his computer was grounded to that iron
> pipe that was no longer actually grounded (PVC doesn't conduct electricity)
> whenever a toilet was flushed the rushing water through the line would
> temporarily bridge that PVC gap and the change in grounding crashed his
> system. By comparison Donner's symptoms seem pretty straight forward! Also,
> you mentioned not getting spark. That would have noting to do with a fuel
> problem.
>
> I don't normally participate in these discussions, but thought maybe on this
> occasion I might be able to add something. Good luck. Finding a faulty ground
> can be extremely difficult.
>
> Regards,
> Lee
> Sent from my PDP-8
>
> On Dec 18, 2011, at 6:05 AM, julie.hey.ho.lets.go@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
>> Twice when I couldn't start him I undid the fuel line from the carb and fuel
>> flowed through when trying to start him. He does not have a fuel problem.
>>
>> And just to explain how I came about knowing that the horn is capable of
>> helping when I have starting problems, the first time that I couldn't start
>> him I checked for loose wires and anything else that could be the culprit.
>> I would fiddle around try to start him and he would turn over but not fire.
>> I tried the lights and the wipers and the horn just to see if the battery
>> was giving enough power or if they were wimpier than they should be. They
>> were fine. Right after trying the horn I tried starting him and he fired
>> right up. My mom was there with me and we laughed and laughed because it
>> seemed as if the horn had something to do with it but at that time I did
>> believe that it was a coincidence. When this gremlin appeared after that I
>> would try all of the other things I could think of, like loose wires and
>> checking the fuel flow... and then I said to myself, what the heck, try the
>> horn and bingo! After tooting the horn he would start. I was still
>> skeptical but I would thank my lucky stars and now that this has happened so
>> many times I know for a fact that somehow the horn works like a
>> defibrillator.
>>
>> On Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 10:35 PM, J Duncan <whocanduncan1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Have you tried to override the horn's switch?
>>
>> Still be it's fuel, or lack thereof.
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 9:41 PM, <julie.hey.ho.lets.go@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Donner embodies the Christmas spirit (even though he was not named after a
>> reindeer but after the folks that resorted to cannibalism). He doesn't have
>> any Christmas lights.
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 9:27 PM, atxan <atx_bus@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Is this happening with or with out your Christmas lights being plugged in?
>>
>> Jeff
>>
>> Sent via iPhone
>>
>> On Dec 17, 2011, at 8:58 PM, julie.hey.ho.lets.go@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
>>
>>> The horn is NOT a coincidence! And the fuel filter has been changed
>>> recently, the problem was before and after that. I have checked the fuel
>>> pump in the past too.
>>>
>>> On Sat, Dec 17, 2011 at 8:54 PM, Duncan <whocanduncan1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>> My bet is tyhe horn is a coincidence.
>>>
>>> Replace the fuel filter.
>>> From: julie.hey.ho.lets.go@xxxxxxxxx
>>> Sender: tcb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2011 20:20:21 -0600
>>> To: <tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> ReplyTo: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> Subject: [tcb] A very goofy gremlin
>>>
>>> I enjoy gremlins. They challenge me. But I have one that I can't beat in
>>> my '71. And I thought I had. He is chuckling loudly right now.
>>>
>>> I have electronic ignition and this one has been in this Bus for 95,000
>>> miles. And the horn is no longer the button in the steering wheel, it is a
>>> button off to the side and it has been this way for years. Otherwise this
>>> is a stock Bus, 1600 dual port, nothing unusual.
>>>
>>> Sometimes he won't start. But I discovered that if I toot his horn then he
>>> will start right up, or he will stall and not start until the horn is
>>> tooted. This has been happening very intermittently since June. It always
>>> happens on the way home, never first drive of the day, always after 5
>>> o'clock (this may or may not be a clue). He never does this when there is
>>> a mechanic or a VW friend that has knowledge greater than mine is around.
>>> I did bring him to my mechanic a couple of months ago and he cleaned up all
>>> of the corroded wiring that was hiding behind the dash. It was really
>>> green and crumbly and nasty back there. We thought that would have done
>>> away with the gremlin.
>>>
>>> I was just a my mechanic's Tuesday morning and we were addressing another
>>> problem. Donner drove the 70 miles there perfectly. On the way to work
>>> after the mechanic at one point on the highway it was like we were cruising
>>> along at a sprint and then suddenly there was a significant lose of power,
>>> I drifted into the gas station because I needed gas anyways so once he was
>>> filled up, he started up and made it to work like nothing happened. After
>>> work he drove 40 miles with no problems. And then at midnight when I was
>>> heading home he stalled in the first 1/4 mile. Started only after tooting
>>> the horn. On the highway there were times when I would have sudden
>>> stepping down loses of power, like I was an Olympic sprinter, then a high
>>> school middle distance runner, then an out of shape jogger and then stall.
>>> I have never run out of gas but I assume you would just feel a vehicle slow
>>> smoothly as the gas runs out? It wasn't like that. And then honk the horn
>>> and I would be able to start up again. One time as I was going through
>>> these sudden loses of power I honked the horn and it was like a rocket
>>> booster, he went back to normal for a little while. So today I was just
>>> going down the road a bit so I thought I would see how Donner behaves. I
>>> figured if worse came to worse I can just keep doing my honking trick and
>>> make it home, this trick has consistently worked. But no. When I was
>>> going to head home, he wouldn't start. I honked and honked and honked.
>>> Nothing. My mechanic had me put the key in the on position and un-connect
>>> the solenoid on the carb and it clicked so I was getting power there. And
>>> then he had me un-plug the wire that goes to the middle of the distributor
>>> cap and my mom would have the engine turn over while I held the wire near
>>> metal and no spark, none at all. So I could not do the pop the clutch
>>> trick to get started. My mechanic figured it must be the electronic
>>> ignition. So I called AAA. While waiting the hour for the tow truck I
>>> fiddled more and more and tooted the horn and tried and tried to get him
>>> started. Towed him home. As soon as the tow truck left the driveway I
>>> turned Donner's key, wouldn't start, wouldn't start, wouldn't start. Toot
>>> the horn and he starts right up.
>>>
>>> My mechanic says that electronic ignition problems aren't intermittent. It
>>> either works or it doesn't.
>>>
>>> I will try to make the 70 mile journey to my mechanic next week but I was
>>> wondering if you guys have any ideas on how to slay this gremlin or at
>>> least chase him a few states away. The electronic ignition? The ignition
>>> switch (this one is about 2 years old)? Constantly beep the horn until
>>> someone shoots me? Any other ideas?
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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