the bloodletting conitnues.

[rick@brubakerbox.com (Rick Alexander)]

Cathy, on the air cooled cars there is an additional wire on the starter
that feeds full voltage to the coil while the starter is cranking. The
symptoms you describe are exactly what the air cooled cars do when that wire
has fallen off or has broken. What happens is that the coil gets starved for
voltage by the starter. Now the water cooled starters have an extra spade
connection that is not used. I suspect that this would serve the same
function if our cars did not have a voltage reduction circuit to do this
chore. All of that said, I'd be checking the voltage reduction circuit to
make sure that your coil was getting enough voltage to perform it's duty.

Good luck

Rick Alexander
http://www.brubakerbox.com
http://clubs.hemmings.com/hams/
http://clubs.hemmings.com/vwsrus/

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cathy Boyko" <losinit@usa.net>
To: <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2002 7:34 PM
Subject: the bloodletting conitnues.


> Well, here's the latest "theory" on the car's bad behavior, tell me what
you
> think.
>
> A recap of the symptoms- Car is a 2L/ 1.8 head 16V Rocco. The car wouldn't
> start, then we realized it would start but only as you brought the key
back
> from the start to the run position, and had it hooked up to booster cables
as
> well. The ignition switch had been replaced to correct this problem, but
no
> luck. It runs well once it does start, and right about now, I am having
> fantasies about how good it would look in the crusher. I am seriously
> wondering how many more parts it could possibly need. It's ranking just
> slightly above the PT for reliability right now.
>
> Diagnosis - needs a new distributor. Does this sound reasonable? And what
is
> the going rate for one of these, new or used, because I'm not too thrilled
> with what I've heard from the dealer so far pricewise. And don't bother
with
> the "evils of the dealer" stuff either, it's the only game in town. And I
> don't have the time to go junkyard scrounging at this time of the year.
I'm in
> Southern Ontario if anyone has one to part with.
>
> I'd appreciate any feedback on this, is it a common failure? Should I even
be
> considering a used one? (If not, the car will stay parked for some time,
too
> much money for a new one, I'm still reeling from two sets of tires/wheels/
> quaife/tranny surgery/ timing belt on the bug, etc)
>
> So I wonder what next week's problem will be. I love driving this car, but
> this is getting really tiresome.
>
> I keep telling myself this has to be the end of it, but it never is. I'm
just
> really down, not having the car for yet another weekend, this just really
> sucks. And I feel totally stupid and helpless to do anything myself to
correct
> the situation. So the car sits waiting to be damaged or stolen at the
> dealership. I really don't know what I have done to deserve this.
>
> On the bright side, at least I don't have the flu this weekend. And the
car
> doesn't have a turbo, that would blow up next if it did.
>
> Cathy, again, a happy TDI owner.
>
>
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