Hi all,

Bear with me please being a novice mechanic. The best way I can describe the problem I had yesterday so it seems to be si,ilar to someone pulling the plug on an appliance whilst it's in use.

We have a '76 2 litre manual Kombi and a couple of times yesterday whilst driving it simply lost power. No cough and splutter or any noise, just seemed to stop mid drive, only being crried forward by momentum.

Any ideas on this or what I could check? Haven't driven it today and the only thing I have done is removed the clamp (is that what it's called?) from the negative battery post and scrubbed off some whitish-blue powder build-up.

All advice appreciated thanks. Let me know if you need any further detail.

Cheers...KOM123

KOM123,
Cleaning your terminals and greasing them is always a good idea, but don't think it will cause your problem (more likely slow cranking speed).
Hard to tell without more info, but could it be getting hot?? If so, that could cause your symptoms. Try the old 'hand on the dip stick' trick if you don't have a gauge.
If not a thorough tune-up often reveals some problems.
:thumb

Hmmm what more info can I provide? Does not appear to be heat related as sometimes it occurs not long after I have started driving, not necessarily after a long time. The bus is regularly serviced so it would appear to be something that has suddenly gone amiss rather than a long term degradation. Slow cranking speed? Is this something a novice like me could check and/or regulate?

Fuel injection or twin-carb motor?

If your Kombi is regularly serviced at a professional VW workshop, it may be worth taking it back and getting them to look it over. Your last service warranty may even cover the cost.

I know it's not fuel-injected so assuming it's the other.

I gotta go home now but just to help clarify the problem so that people may be able to help - when the engine stops you haven't stated what happens after that, does it start straight away like nothing is wrong, or you have to leave it a while etc?

It pretty much starts striaght again as if I just got in for the first time that day, no long waits or anything.

I am guessing electrical

The only thing i could guess that would cause it to die that quickly is the hot wire to the coil.
The first thing i would do is beg, steal or borrow a dizzy cap, coil, condenser etc etc. and swap it over. Check the hot wire to the coil, make sure it isnt broken.
Have a good sticky around the dizzy.
Is the high tension wire secure into both the coil and the dizzy cap.

Just thought - do the lights come on when it dies -as in the genny and oil lights?
If they do then i would go back to my first guess - around the dizzy area.
If they dont - and it looks like you have turned the motor off i would guess the ignition switch.

Start the car and give the keys a real good wiggle - see it you can make it cut out

As Blue said wiggle the key to see if the problems there. Have the same thing happening to my Oval about a year ago. Turned out the contacts in the ignition were really burned and corroded, maybe from a short or something. Replaced the ignition, no more probelm.

I'd be looking for an intermittent short in the ignition circuit. Check for loose terminals, bare wiring, etc.

where do you live, I be able to get over to have a look with bits to swap over, I have seen your mean machine somewhere between Concord & Castle Hill

[Edited on 24-3-2003 by kombikim]

I actually live at Blacktown but also driving all over Sydney. Work at North Ryde, folks live at Eastwood and generally crusing around. That'd be great to meet up cause I got no idea mechanically hehe.

I understand in simple terms the advice offered on things like the "hot wire" etc but I've got no idea where it all resides

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Again, not a lot of information: but this sounds suspiciously of a sick coil. The "coil" actually has a pair of coils of wire wound about an iron core, suspended in oil. It's the oil that's the problem (if this is it,) it's there to provide insulation and cooling - if it's deteriorating it can form bubbles (greatly reducing it's capacity to insulate,) when it gets hot.

The only way to know is to borrow another coil and try it. If you can't find a friendly Kombi owner to try a swap, and your coil is as old as the car, it might be worth considering a GT40 - they're cheaper than the stock and at least it will look cool.

Another often-overlooked culprit is the "condensor" (the cylindrical thing on the side of the dizzy,) They'll start and run OK, then produce all kinds of problems...

That's about it, except check your fuel pump diaghram.

P.S. These are all things most mechanics would miss - don't come heavy on him if it's not warranted (especially the electrical problems I described - there's no reliable way to check for them.)

Hi, I have sent you an email, contact me & we will see what we can do, paying a professional to find an intermittant problem can be more expensive than blowing up a toilet, & it is not their fault
Kim

I agree with Kombi Kim. Intermittant problems are the worst and can cause you alot of expense. I had a similar problem with my Kombie. I had the petrol tank drained three times, replaced the fuel pump and fuel lines, had carbies rebuilt, replaced the dizzy cap and points and still had the intermittant problem. After all of this and a *@#! load of money, the problem was traced to a cracked coil lead. The lead looked fine from the outside, but was damaged inside.

I agree that you are best to try and borrow parts to determine what the exact problem is. Otherwise, you will end up fixing and replacing things that don't need to be fixed or replaced. This will cost you plenty of $$$$ which I am sure could be put to better use.

Quote:

Originally posted by kombikim paying a professional to find an intermittant problem can be more expensive than blowing up a toilet, & it is not their fault Kim

An update.

Many many thanks to kombikim who took time out after work (on a Friday afternoon!!) to try and help me out.

By the end of it, poor Kim was covered in grease, oil and petrol whilst I was practically as clean as a whistle! As I said previously, I'm a real novice when it comes to car mechanics and Kim taught me in a few hours, more than I knew to date!!

We haven't found exactly what the problem is but seemed to have narrowed it down somewhat. What I have learnt is:

* I don't have stock carbies, I have Webers (and these don't appear to be the problem)

* I don't have a stock coil, I have a ceramic coil (GT40T) and on visual inpsection it looks ok but COULD still be the problem

* all wiring drom the coil to the dizzy (and other wires coming from the coil) appear to be ok and connected tightly

* there was one wire coming from the coil to a relay for an unfinished dual battery setup started by the previous owner but not finished so we disconnected that anyway in case there was a related problem there

* Kim removed the gauze filter from the fuel pump and that was pretty clean but the fuel pump COULD still be the problem

* my igntion switch is not operating as it should in that there are not distinctive clicks when you rotate the key and its possible that the wieght of the many keys I have on the keyring could be inadvertantly swtiching the ignition off as it is a smooth turn from the engine running position back to a point where the engine can cut out

So I'm monitoring things over the coming days, easiest one to eliminate first will be the possible ignition problem and then we will go from there.

Kim I'm sure you will read this post, please feel free to add in anything I've missed or correct anything I have written that is wrong. Again thanks for your help.

Also Kim the Racor you saw I have found is a Racor Model 110A Gasoline Fule Filter/Water Separator.

[Edited on 28-3-2003 by KOM123]

My 77 Kombi had ignition problems which turned out to be the ignition key blockin the steering column.
By the description yours (not having clicks when turning) is suspect and you'd do well to
replace it. You have a few good Kombi experts out your way with Custom Bugs and Buses and Indian and CBBVW.com
-
The Ignition switch module is a little difficult to change

[Edited on 28-3-2003 by OvalGlen]

Well later this morning is the first real long drive since Friday to test out so we'll see how it goes