"Earnest The Betrayer" (hnnngcars)
05/10/2017 at 09:57 • Filed to: Turds | 4 | 8 |
So I bought a 1984 Vanagon with a Volvo keychain. Same thing right?
This vehicle won’t electronically start up after it’s been running for a while and then shut off. It will push/roll start no problem, but no cigar with the key. Starter fluid in the intake does shit. I’m assuming it’s probably the starter itself combined with perhaps a leaky injector. Thought? Experiences?
McMike
> Earnest The Betrayer
05/10/2017 at 10:06 | 2 |
Ignition switch is often responsible for starter issues.
PS9
> Earnest The Betrayer
05/10/2017 at 10:41 | 3 |
Hellcat swap. DO IT.
Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
> Earnest The Betrayer
05/10/2017 at 11:01 | 0 |
Bosch starters are pretty famous for this. If it is a good old fashioned hot-start issue, a hot start relay would fix it. Super common on Cabriolets. If you google “Cabby info hot start relay” you’ll find a host of info.
Good luck!
Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
> Earnest The Betrayer
05/10/2017 at 11:01 | 0 |
I had a 1983.5, one of my favorite cars ever. It was only a couple of years old when I owned it so I never experienced the same issues that you’re experiencing.
My issues were all cooling system related. The dealer sold it to me with bad head gaskets and then covered only half of the repair under their 50/50 warranty; they knew, and just patched it up enough to sell it to some rube (me).
Watch those head gaskets and the engine temp. What I did was to splice in a manual switch into the thermo switch on the radiator. This kept the automatic operation of the fan, but let me override it if necessary. I used a factory 2-position switch on the dash, but those are difficult to find today. The cooling system was in great shape for years after that, right up until the day some idiot attempted an illegal U-turn and I wrecked my van :(
McMike
> PS9
05/10/2017 at 11:04 | 0 |
How about Chevy?
Justin Hughes
> Earnest The Betrayer
05/10/2017 at 12:04 | 1 |
I have a Subaru turbo keyring for my VW key, so whatever. It has a turbo too.
Speaking of Subie, that’ll solve your problem. STi swap. Do it. Now.
RallyWrench
> Earnest The Betrayer
05/10/2017 at 12:24 | 0 |
I see you looked at a ‘79 245. And have a Vanagon. Welcome to the club, I had a ‘79 245 for a few years, and have never been without a Vanagon since I was 4. One of us... one of us...
Sounds like you need the WR1 kit.
torque
> Earnest The Betrayer
05/10/2017 at 13:01 | 0 |
If it won’t start only when the vehicle is hot, yes it could be a hot start issue as mentioned in the comments.
If it still starts with the key sometimes but it seems like you really have to apply more torque (to turn the key) than what seems usual, it is most likely the ignition switch. VW Ignition switches are a (longish) wear item as they are molded out of plastic and over time they develop a stress crack in them & will fail & need replacing every 160-180K miles or so.
If it’s the ignition switch, you should get a warning symptom as an ignition switch is going bad b/c power to most electrical things (windshield wipers, interior blower fan, headlights, interior light, dash lights, radio) goes through the ignition switch.
When an ignition switch starts to go bad, you will notice that the car still runs but all of a sudden you seem to have lost electric power to all the things mentioned above, but if you lightly hold your ignition key firmly in a forward position (while the car is on) you’ll get electrical power back.
It is an inexpensive part. If this is the problem, usually it requires removing the steering wheel in order to replace it, but I’ve never replaced on on a Vanagon