NEWBIE Owner w/ electical problems, 1982 Diesel Rabbit

[CoastalDefender]

Okay, got this yesterday knowing of the electrical problem.

Charged the battery today with my truck, and it attempts to turn over, but doesn't. "Rwr.rwr..rwr...rwr....rwr"

I didn't expect it to start, just kinda wanted to figure out where I was standing as far as electrical went.

So the wire that burned out was (I think) the greenish (it's fried now, so all that's left is residue) that connects to what is connected to the front of the engine, where the throttle sits.

BTW, I'm a doober-newbie when it comes to these small diesels, so be gentle. I'd track it down, but my Bentley and Haynes manuals are in the mail, so no finding it myself.




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At this point, and in the respect of full-disclosure,
I was pointed towards this site by a few fellows at VWVortex.com.
So some of this will be inter-forum cross-posting.
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Filled up a few cans of diesel at work today (I'm a fuel truck driver, hence the sig line), and registered the vehicle in my name at the County.

So I came home and decided to start screwing around with the rig again-

Filled the fuel tank.

Moved the return line to an area that I could see from the driver's seat. (But not connected anything.)

Set a jumper from the Fuel Injector Solenoid to the + Batter Terminal (it is good, I can hear the clicking inside).

Proceeded to attempt to start the engine.

I can see fuel attempting to escape the fuel return line with each "rew rew rew".

But never kicking over.


So I proceed to unscrew the injector lines from the injectors to see if they're getting diesel. Yup, little puddles of clear liquid there.


More futile attempts to get it to start, and here I am. Square one.


So, at this point, what can you suggest?


I can't imagine the only thing preventing any success is connecting the return line.

[burn_your_money]

How old is the timing belt? Not that it will effect the starting of the engine but it'll certainly ruin your day of it snaps. Give it a thorough inspection before proceeding.

It sounds like the starter isn't turning fast enough to me. You can try push starting it, but you'd be better to inspect all the cables with the starter and ground to make sure they are in good condition. Voltage drop tests are ideal.

An equally likely culprit is a non-functioning glow plug system. Do a quick search and you should see many posts explaining how to test it.

[CoastalDefender]

An equally likely culprit is a non-functioning glow plug system. Do a quick search and you should see many posts explaining how to test it.

Err... I did a long search and can't find anything. Any tricks to the search function? To narrow things a bit.

[burn_your_money]

http://vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=11365&highlight=glow+plug

http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/CheapTricks/GlowPlugs.shtml

There are a few posts to get you started

[Possum79]

Kinda dumb question but does the battery hold a good charge? you said you charged it but does it stay charged at good voltage.

[CoastalDefender]

Kinda dumb question but does the battery hold a good charge? you said you charged it but does it stay charged at good voltage.

No it really doesn't hold a good charge. But I've been doing all this with my pickup and jump cables.

[Possum79]

Then check and recheck your cables. if all is well then like previously stated the starter may be going bad. That is though if your rawr rawr rawr is it really turning over slow or just us reading thinking its slow.

[jtanguay]

i thought my battery was going... changed the starter for a rebuilt one about two months ago and guess what? she turns over like a champ now!!!  i'm so amazed.  good investment for a diesel engine.

[CoastalDefender]

Well, got a line tester and ammeter today. Dunno how to work the ammeter, so I didn't screw with it much.

Ran the test line from the hot on the glow plugs to the + Batt Term. Good light, so I left it there to maintain a connection.

Got a double-ended barb from Belfair Hose I delivered to today, and reattached my return fuel line.

Attempted to start it. Same as before.

So I'm thinking the plug is just sending current, but not actually glowing.

So I pull the plug and using my jumper cables... Holy crap that sucker gets hot when it glows. Glow Plug is GOOD.

5 minutes later when it cooled off, I put it back in and disconnected all my stuff.


I'm at a loss here. WTF?

[CoastalDefender]

Then check and recheck your cables. if all is well then like previously stated the starter may be going bad. That is though if your rawr rawr rawr is it really turning over slow or just us reading thinking its slow.

Tested the battery. When not being charged by my truck, it maintains an 11.4.

And yes, it slows WAY down when attempting to start it. MAYBE 3 good "rawr" when turning the key.

So $$$ for a starter may fix the problem with all else looking good?

[CoastalDefender]

Also, the test light jumping my glow plugs to my battery went out when I attempted to start it. 5 seconds after ceasing the attempt, it would gradually come back on.

Is there any way to test the starter?

[Possum79]

Yea easiest way is to take it out and go to a local auto parts store. Stuff like Kragen autozone etc test them for free.

[burn_your_money]

Tested the battery. When not being charged by my truck, it maintains an 11.4.

A good battery should have 12.6V when fully charged. Put the truck battery in the car or put the car battery on a trickle charger for 24 hours. Then let is sit 6 hours and then take a voltage reading. If it's low replace the battery, or bring it in to a shop to have it tested. If you are bringing it in make sure it is fully charged and has been off teh charger for at least 6 hours.

Take your voltmeter and when cranking the engine over put one end on one end of the starter cable and the other end on battery post that the cable is connected to. If you have a voltage reading (voltage drop) of 0.5V or more you need to clean and inspect all the cables and connections that are between your 2 multimeter leads. Then reassemble and check again. Make sure to check both the positive and the negative cables.

[CoastalDefender]

Take your voltmeter and when cranking the engine over put one end on one end of the starter cable and the other end on battery post that the cable is connected to. If you have a voltage reading (voltage drop) of 0.5V or more you need to clean and inspect all the cables and connections that are between your 2 multimeter leads. Then reassemble and check again. Make sure to check both the positive and the negative cables.

What does it indicate if i still get the drop in voltage?

[burn_your_money]

What you are measuring is how much power is being converted to heat due to resistance in the wires/connections.

If after cleaning the connections you are still getting a high voltage drop you most likely have bad cables