Re: Cold Start Problems (email 4 everyone worth saving)

[Night Shadow <soltwede@ucsub.colorado.edu>]

Nice write up Andre...that went into my personal to do file....(anyone
feel like adding that to rocco.org?)

Eric


On Mon, 18 Oct 1999, Andre' Bjorkheim wrote:

> SII2L16V@aol.com wrote:
> > 
> > Hello, everyone!  Hope everyone had a great weekend!  My 16V is  now having a
> > hard time starting in the cold.  It only happens in the morning or when the
> > car has been sitting for several hours.  It was somewhat doing the same thing
> > about last week but it started right away after a couple of starts.  But
> > now... it is taking a couple of minutes!  I took the car to a neighborhood
> > auto repair shop and was told that it could be the Cold Start Valve or the
> > Thermotime Switch.  I took the car to 2 VW shops.  Both shopes quoting $55-65
> > just to check it out.  They mentioned the same thing but also said t could
> > also be among other things but the Cold Start Valve and T-Time Switch made
> > most sense to me.  Should I start from there or is there something else I can
> > do?  Thanx!
> 
>     If you have a meter, some wire, and basic tools you can do it ALL 
> yourself.  
> 
>   First thing I would suggest is running an extra ground wire from
> where the cold start bolts up to either the chassis or the battery
> ground itself.  On my Mk1 its not necessary, but for some reason I 
> have heard that it is a problem with the Mk2 cars.  Also clean your
> battery ground cable and where it bolts up.
> 
>   Second, if you have a multimeter you can test to see if both the
> thermo time switch and the cold start are getting power when you
> crank the engine over.  To do this, simply remove the 12 guage wire
> (red w/blk stripe) off of terminal 50 on the starter.  This is the
> wire that gets power when you crank the car over.  Also remove the
> plugs on the thermo time switch and the cold start valve.  Take the
> multimeter and check for continuity between the 12 guage red w/blk
> wire that goes to the starter solenoid with the red w/blk wires
> that go to the cold start and thermo time switch.  In each case, 
> you should read close to 0 ohms.  If either of those red w/blk 
> wires that goes to the cold start or thermo time are busted, then
> they arent getting power on cranking, and hence cold starting will
> be a problem.  
> 
>   Next, if those wires check out okay, you will need to check the
> continuity between the green w/white stripe wire.  This wire is 
> connects the cold start to the thermo time switch.  When the car
> is cold, the thermo time switch grounds that wire so the cold
> start will then fire.  If the circuit is open, the cold start will
> never fire.
> 
>   Next, if that wire checks out okay (roughly 0 ohms resistance)
> then you will want to check the operation of the thermo switch
> and cold start valve themselves.  To do so, simply take the meter
> and read the resistance between the one spade terminal on the
> thermo switch that corresponds to the green w/white wire and the 
> engine block.  When cold (recommended you do it in the morning)
> this resistance should be very low, if not zero.  When hot it
> will read a few hundred ohms or more.
> 
>   To check the operation of the cold start, simply ground the
> green w/white wire (keeping the plug attached to the cold start
> while grounding the green w/wht wire from the thermo time switch 
> plug) and try to crank the engine over.  If everything is peachy, 
> meaning the cold starts red w/blk wire had power and the green
> w/white wire is properly grounded) and the car should fire right
> up.  If not, then the cold start isnt functioning.  If it
> doesnt fire right up, you can take the cold start off the
> end of the intake manifold, place it into a jar, remove the
> 12 guage red w/blk wire from the starter solenoid, place a 
> jumper wire from the battery + into the red w/blk wire and
> then jumper L13 and L14 where the fuel pump relay sits (or 
> terminal 87-output and 30-power on where the relay sits), and
> you should get fuel to spray out.  If not, then your cold 
> start is faulty.
> 
>   I hope this solves your cold start problem.  And, if I missed
> anything, I hope someone points it out to me.  Good luck...  
> 
> ==============================================
> 
>  AndrČ Bjorkheim 
>  Lime Green 79 Scirocco ©
>  ICQ #266870
> 
>  "Opinions are like a**holes...  
>   Everyone has one, and they all stink!"
> 
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