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Rotor button- a weak link in the VW ignition

68AutoBug - February 17th, 2004 at 09:56 AM

I'll bet most VW owners or Mechanics don't know that the VW Rotor Button has a resistor in the top of it. If the resistor burns out, no spark... The VW rotor button is the only one I know that has this.. All other rotor buttons I have seen have a copper strip from the centre to the edge... On a VW rotor button You will see some epoxy cement between the centre & edge, this is where the resistor is..
So it pays to carry a Spare rotor button...
Lee

blutopless2 - February 17th, 2004 at 10:37 AM

i gather this acts as a current limiter for the rotor??

mnsKmobi - February 17th, 2004 at 02:28 PM

My understanding is that the resistor is to suppress electrical noise. Apparently it can burn out if you put too much current through it. The alternatives are to:

- dig out the resistor and replace it with a wire
- buy aircooled.net's replacement rotor that has had the resistor removed
- work out the drop in replacement that doesn't have the resistor! (And share the info with the rest of us. )

BiX - February 17th, 2004 at 02:43 PM

Id this for standard rotors? o don't remeber my 009 having one, or the porche one i use in the 009 (it has a rev limiter)

Rota_Motor - February 17th, 2004 at 03:15 PM

wow, are you serious, I thought they would have used a normal rotor buttion and resistor leads/plugs like everyone else

well if nothing else, I know to keep an eye out for this.

Old Dubber - February 17th, 2004 at 03:27 PM

I disagree about the weak link! I've seen "silicon" plug wires fail more times than a VW rotor.
It's for radio suppression and plug gap erosion.
It's also in some spark plug connectors.
Simple check- it's must be less than 10,000 ohms.

68AutoBug - February 17th, 2004 at 09:32 PM

I like the original VW wire type spark plug leads with the VW resistor spark plug caps. I don't think the silicon leads can take the heat from the VW engine too well. I have had many failures over the years in VW engines only.... I have never had a Rotor button fail on Me, but then I always replace them at regular intervals, same as the distributor cap.. It happened to a local "L" Beetle a few weeks ago...
and I have one of the US non resistor type for a spare..
Lee

hellbugged - February 17th, 2004 at 09:35 PM

yeah , my rotor button blows out all the surrounds in that area every 12 months
( 009 ray box electronic ignition, compufire omnipack and leads )

[Edited on 18-2-2004 by dumone]

mnsKmobi - February 18th, 2004 at 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dumone
yeah , my rotor button blows out all the surrounds in this area every 12 months
( 009 ray box electronic ignition, compufire omnipack and leads )

I'm glad I'm in Melbourne then!

Peter Leonard - February 19th, 2004 at 02:35 AM

i managed to rediscover the meaning of "flummoxed" thanks to my rotor. NRMA took half an hour to discover that it was cracked (ultra fine hairline) and was conducting the current straight down to the case, killing my bug. new rotor, no wuckas. now i carry a spare. and a spare distributor cap. and three pounds of lard.