1986 Golf 1.6 N/A Crank No Start

[scrounger]

This is getting interesting. I had forgotten that you started with bad gps.

What about taking off the wires from the alternator. Carefully tape them up so they don't short out on the chassis. Remove the battery ground while you do it. Start the car and again measure right at the alternator like you did earlier.

Sometimes cheap meters (mine included) do not work well on pulsating DC, it confuses them because of their extremely high impedance but could be worth a test. That way you would remove all other loads.

Of course you may have a bum alternator but that would be odd with it being refurbished and then tested on a machine which should load it.

[jhax]

Please explain to me where this glow plug buss is?

[theman53]

The buss is sometimes called a buss bar. It is the strip of copper that connect all 4 glowplugs together.

[TylerDurden]

What about taking off the wires from the alternator. Carefully tape them up so they don't short out on the chassis. Remove the battery ground while you do it. Start the car and again measure right at the alternator like you did

Not a good idea to run the alternator without the battery attached.

[jhax]

So if i get a voltage after the light turns off at the buss my relay is brokeded. Is there a safer way to run a test on the alternator without a load?

[TylerDurden]

You might meter the battery and watch the voltage.
Watch the meter and GP indicator... key off: battery is ~12V...
key on (engine not running) : the voltage drops... after a few seconds, the led will extinguish... after roughly 20sec the voltage should jump up as the GP relay clicks off.

If the voltage does not rise after ~30sec, the relay is likely sticking.

If the engine is warm, you can unplug the GP relay (or disconnect the fuse or wire) and run the engine the see if the voltage is in the proper range.

[jhax]

well im pretty sure my multimeter is dead (constantly reads -0.00V no matter what) GAHHHH god hates me. Until tomorrow.

[ORCoaster]

My meters have a battery that dies expectantly  or the fuse blows when I forget to change the amp scale. 

[jhax]

Okay sir, here are the results...

Took the battery off the charger.
12.4V  battery terminals
12.36V negative batt terminal to pos post on alt

Key on ACC
11.4V batt terminals

Car start and idle
11.43V (lots of belt squealing, rev throttle until no more squeaking)

Attach jumper wire (one end post terminal alt another attached on blue alt excite wire spade connector), blip throttle
11.83V batt terminals

So perhaps botched bench test...

[/quote]

Looking at this again, it would seem that the glow plug relay IS the problem, there really is no other explanation.

[TylerDurden]

There's no other explanation we have thought of yet... but a hanging relay would be consistent with all the symptoms and events described, including the burned-out GPs.

[jhax]

Well i just bought a new one from GAP so hopefully it will be here soon.

[8v-of-fury]

Good thing to replace regardless, it handles a lot of current.. so its good for it to be in working order

[scrounger]

So the relay was sticking on? I missed that. Last I heard was the multimeter was sour and you were getting another one.

[8v-of-fury]

So the relay was sticking on? I missed that. Last I heard was the multimeter was sour and you were getting another one.

I do not think it was confirmed, but a new GP relay is a good idea regardless.

[jhax]

8-V, correct. This is my daily so I need it going reliaby asap. The relay shipped from NY today so hopefully it get here soon.