This showed up in my inbox. Probably ought to be in the Vanagon List’s inbox as well.

I don’t know that Ms. Linda is on list, so please remember to reply all.

Jim

> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> From: "LEM" <lemberkeley@yahoo.com>
> Subject: * 10/4/2015 Needed NOW! Vanagon (1981) ONLY starts when cold /How To FIX this advice. PLEASE . . .
> Date: October 4, 2015 at 9:05:19 PM PDT
> To: "LindaMerrill" <lemberkeley@yahoo.com>
> Reply-To: lemberkeley@yahoo.com
> 
> 10/4/2015 Needed NOW! Vanagon (1981) ONLY starts when cold /How To FIX this advice.  PLEASE . . . 
> 
> HELP!  [Okay to forward to "right" wise ones]
> 
> Do You know how to solve this?
> To get the Vanagon starting reliably warm
> and cold?
> 
> 
> Or, do you know someone who will/might
> know how to solve this?
> To get the Vanagon starting reliably warm
> and cold?
> 
> Do you know "the right person" who I can
> talk to ASAP about how to fix this, and who
> should do it that I can actually afford?
> 
> 
> HERE is what I Know/think:
> 
> (A)
> In the last few months, my 1981 Vanagon
> stopped starting when it is warm.
> 
> It starts easily when cold.
> 
> Once the Vanagon is driven far enough to
> warm it up (maybe a mile + ), the van will
> not start again until it is cold again.
> 
> Given an hour-plus to cool down, the van
> will again start again, just fine.
> 
> (B)
> Several people have worked on this -- and
> charged me for that -- and the car still only
> starts when cold.
> 
> (C)
> The Bosch starter has less than 200 miles
> on it.  A new/rebuilt started caused the same
> only-cold starting a few days ago.
> 
> The second, long bolt to hold the starter on is 
> missing.  I got a M10 D-Head 123 mm bolt
> from The Bus Lab, and a mechanic was not
> able to install that bolt -- saying it does not
> fit / "wrong bolt" -- today.
> 
> (D)
> This is an ASI camper conversion, and has
> an old auxiliary battery under the driver's
> seat -- which does not hold a charge.
> 
> Months ago, someone disconnected this
> old auxiliary battery -- to keep the battery
> isolater from trying to charge IT instead of
> the main, passenger-side battery.
> 
> With only the one battery hooked up, the
> battery isolater still seems to be working,
> the alternator seems to be working, and this
> very new battery seems to have adequate
> power.
> 
> The temperature gauge does not seem to
> work properly, and sometimes jumps and
> stutters, going right from barely warm to
> hot and back in two seconds.
> 
> (E) 
> Yesterday, a very accomplished Volvo
> MechanicB was confident he could diagnose
> a solve this no-warm-starting.
> 
> I easily started the cold car, drove it several
> miles to the two mechanics, and shut it off.
> And it would not turn the engine over, warm.
> 
> We waited for it to cool down, and MechanicA
> prepared to swap the "newish" Bosch
> starter back in so I could return the brand-new
> starter.
> Starters out, MechanicA saw that the "fat"
> wire that goes to the starter had a broken
> specialized connection. So, he used a nut to
> hold that wire firmly in place on the threaded
> on-starter connection; then he attached the
> two thinner wires to the same threaded
> on-starter connection, below the fat wire.
> 
> Then I started the now-cold VW with its 
> Bosch starter, and took it for a test drive.
> I got it warm, stalled it, and it would not
> start.
> We pushed it to pop the clutch, I drove it
> back to their place, and they began testing.
> 
> MechanicB (the expert) tried various things.
> MechanicA watched a few warm non-starts
> and saw that the Bendix was not being
> thrown far enough to engage -- when the
> van was warm.
> 
> MechanicB looked at the positive battery
> wire by the post and said it was too flimsy.
> (Someone had spliced this too-thin wire
> onto the wire coming from the rear years 
> before I bought the VW.)
> Well, he reasoned, if this cable gives a
> marginal connection when cold, maybe it
> carries too little power when hot.
>     (A grounding issue somewhere?)
> 
> So, both mechanics connected a good battery
> to the starter (using jumper cables, I think),
> from a few feet away, at the rear of the VW
> ar of the VW.
> Then, they used the same wire to "jump"?
> the starter without using the ignition key
> -- I'm getting fuzzy here --
> and the still-warm car started right up.
> 
> So, MechanicB felt that his diagnosis ** had
> been confirmed:
> the non-original positive battery
> wire . . . was too flimsy.
> (Someone had spliced this too-thin wire
> onto the wire coming from the rear years 
> before I bought the VW.)
> Well, he reasoned, if this cable gives a
> marginal connection when cold, maybe it
> carries too little power when hot.
>       (A grounding problem?)
> 
> 
>      AND. MechanicB reasoned that IF 
> *** he got a correct-gauge battery cable, 
> with connectors at each end and ran it under
> the car from the starter to (the positive
> ground ??? ) on the battery, all would be well.
> 
> OKAY:  MechanicB did his *** good-cable
> purchase and battery-to-starter swap-in ... 
> He then started the cold car with the
> ignition key, drove the car in circles around
> a building to warm it up, and then shut it off.
> 
> AND, now warm, again it would not start
> with the key (one guesses that an observor
> would again see the Bendix only going
> part way toward engaging . . . ), just as before.
> 
> MechanicB is very upset, and thinks that a
> push-button starter, on the steering column,
> will solve this . . . And he has no other ideas.
> 
> MechanicsB and A have NOT
> found a starter relay on this van
> and believe that the ignition switch must
> be fine.
> 
> 
> MechanicA was not involved today and 
> I filled him in by phone.  MechanicA does not
> see how a push-button starter will fix this
> situation, if the low-power doesn't get the
> Bendix to thrust all the way and engage.
> 
> 
>   ......
> 
> I need to get this car starting reliably!
> And, I paid for the AUG 2016 registration,
> which needs a smog certificate to complete
> it.  I want it to start when warm before I take
> it to a Test-Only smog shop, and I park this
> VW on the public street.
> It needs to be smogged so it can stay safely
> parked on the street.
> 
> Money, time, and car functioning are major
> issues for me here.  Into small savings to
> pay for this already ...
> 
> I need: the repair actual solution, a truly
> affordable person to "get it done right the
> first time," and to pass my smog.
> 
>   ...........
> 
> Thank you So much!
> Nowe that you know all non-mechanic I
> can think might apply, here are my original
> questions again:
> 
> 
> 
> Do You know how to solve this?
> To get the Vanagon starting reliably warm
> and cold?
> 
> Or, do you know someone who will/might
> know how to solve this?
> To get the Vanagon starting reliably warm
> and cold?
> 
> Could this knowledgeable "right car person"
> please talk with me about how I can get
> this car fixed ASAP an starting when warm?
> 
> ((( Really low on funds, I have a new ignition
> Switch for this 1981 Vanagon that I could
> take back for the $27 refund. Are there any
> relays (what kind?) or wires you suggest
> I buy tonight?.
> 
> Do you have any helpful diagrams or
> instructions you could forward to me?
> 
> I so wish I knew how to do this, so I could
> do it myself. Or be helpful to a mechanical.)))
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> 
> Still hopeful . . .  and distessed,
> 
> L
> 
> 
> 
>