Dying Rabbit, please help - page 1 - Troubleshooting - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• Dying Rabbit, please help by vegfuel on 24 Dec, 2007 22:21
• Well, after letting my 81' Rabbit sit for several months it is now winter and I need to do a minor rebuild on it. I put in a 5spd tranny last summer but have not got it out on the road. So after coming home for x-mas break, I wanted to started it up before I did the rebuild. I tightened the timing belt and adjusted the timing. I also got a new battery.
  
  But now it turns over very slowly and of course won't start.
  It gets town to about 25 degrees at night but I just put fresh diesel in it (ULSD crap  :evil: ).
  
  I noticed it has a leaking return line and there a few air bubbles in the fuel line. But shouldn't it crank over faster with a new battery?
  
  It wants to fire right up, but it cranks over at too slow of a rate and then dies.
• #1 by jtanguay on 25 Dec, 2007 06:55
• the type of oil can affect the way it starts, but it sounds to me like you need a better connection to the starter.
  
  i would suggest you run a fat ground and fat positive to the starter.  there is so much juice going through that wire (especially if your alternator hooks up to the starter and then to the battery  :roll:) and so electrolysis can occur (basically oxidize the metal and corrosion... my wire actually fell off one day  :lol:)
• #2 by vegfuel on 25 Dec, 2007 08:55
• Interesting
  
  so you are saying that if i run a fatter wire (which should increase amperage) it might turn over faster?
• #3 by Powjetta on 25 Dec, 2007 10:48
• Yes, change your oil and put the heavy wires on to the starter and the ground.  It should turn over like old times.
• #4 by wikdslo on 25 Dec, 2007 17:04
• Also, try plugging in the block heater for a few hours if it has one.
  
  This will definitely help.
  Even hooking it up with some jumper wires to a running car, will give it some more cold cranking amps.
• #5 by somolovitch3 on 26 Dec, 2007 04:25
• If you can get a small ceramic heater (WalMart <$20 USD) and place it under the engine so both the engine and trany get warm it should help.
  
  Did you ever try to start it with the new trany in it before now?
  
  My 79 Rabbit did not like the clutch package I put in it and I was trying to spin the engine and the trany while starting, even with the clutch pushed in.
  
  What gear oil are you using in the trany?
  
  And just for grins, everything is alined and setup properly? Yes?
  
  Best  of luck and a happy new year!
• #6 by Op-Ivy on 26 Dec, 2007 12:52
• Quote from: "jtanguay"

  the type of oil can affect the way it starts, but it sounds to me like you need a better connection to the starter.

  
  
  Agreed. I find that once in a while, if it's cranking over slowly, I can wiggle the battery connection on the starter and it will turn much better after. This summer I'll look into new wires.
  
  
  
  
  Matt
• #7 by vegfuel on 26 Dec, 2007 13:59
• well it looks like someone cut the plug in on my block heater. It wasn't torn either it was precisely cut with electricians pliers and they even left me the wire sticking out so I can splice easier  :lol:. Why? :?
  
  Anyway, yes the engine used to start up just fine after I put the new tranny in, but that was in the summer.
• #8 by jtanguay on 26 Dec, 2007 14:36
• well just remember what i said.. my starter wire just broke off because there was so much corrosion.  in the summer there wouldnt be too many starting issues but they would most likely surface in the winter (when its much more difficult to fix because of the cold..)
• #9 by vegfuel on 27 Dec, 2007 12:53
• Well I wire-brushed the connections to the starter and it still wouldn't fire up. So now I am leaning towards the No. 1 injector that is leaking like a siv. I bought brand new injectors about two months ago so I will replace it and see what happens.
• #10 by jtanguay on 27 Dec, 2007 13:08
• Quote from: "vegfuel"

  Well I wire-brushed the connections to the starter and it still wouldn't fire up. So now I am leaning towards the No. 1 injector that is leaking like a siv. I bought brand new injectors about two months ago so I will replace it and see what happens.

  
  
  still won't start if she doesn't turn over fast enough, but i'd replace that line immediately, or at least cut the end off and re-insert it (they only seal once, so if you remove it, it will never seal like it did the first time)
• #11 by burn_your_money on 27 Dec, 2007 19:41
• To test to see if you have bad wires or a bad connection hook your volt meter up in parallel to the wire you want to test and with the car cranking measure the voltage drop. If your meter shows over 0.2V you have a bad wire or connection (depending what you are testing)
  
  Replace or repair as needed.
  
  This will avoid spending unnecessary money on parts you don't need to replace.
• #12 by Doug on 28 Dec, 2007 04:38
• If you do have a voltage difference as described above, look to the internal copper braid that connects the external starter terminal to the brush assembly. This is most likely the corrosion victim as it is hidden inside an insulating sleeve that holds the road salt and water perfectly. It can present sufficient resistance to give a slow turning starter symptom.
• #13 by vegfuel on 28 Dec, 2007 21:09
• well here's the update.
  
  -replaced No. 1 injector
  -replaced starter with one of a gas Rabbit (bad idea, i think)
  -changed oil
  -checked wires and connections, wire brushed as needed and tightened
  -spliced new plug in for block heater and plugged it in
  -NEW BATTERY
  
  
  So after all this it still would not crank over faster. It basically cranks over for seven seconds and then dies. The gasoline starter cranked the engine over about as fast as the previous (diesel) starter.
• #14 by Doug on 29 Dec, 2007 05:14
• Did you do the voltage checks as suggested?
  
  Is the battery dead after 7 seconds?
  
  Is the battery new from the store or new as in a different one.
  
  Does the battery have sufficient capacity?
  
  Is the starter a new/rebuilt one or just some old piece laying around?
  
  Do the main ground, starter and battery connections feel warm after cranking?
  
  Sometimes supposedly new batteries have not been activated properly with a nice long gentle charge. They then sit for a long period without further charging slowly discharging into a sulfated state. The battery looks new but is often a cripple at delivering current. If it is new, take it back to have it load tested. If it fails, I am sure that the reputable retailer that you purchased it from will exchange it for a fresh one.