Grrr (cold weather starting probs)

[txrocco at sbcglobal.net (Patrick Bureau)]

sound like you need a boost to start your car :)


ATS - Patrick Bureau


->-----Original Message-----
->From: scirocco-l-bounces@scirocco.org
->[mailto:scirocco-l-bounces@scirocco.org]On Behalf Of treed2@wsu.edu
->Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 5:15 AM
->To: scirocco-l@scirocco.org
->Subject: Grrr (cold weather starting probs)
->
->
->Just when I thought I hated VW's cooling systems more than VW's
->electrical...
->
->I was gonna go for a quick spin in the snow to check drivability before
->leaving on my long trip.. so I cleared several inches of snow off the
->roof, hood and windows and climbed inside. I turned the key to start the
->engine and it didn't turn over.
->
->Well, it made a wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh sound that was very uncharacteristic of
->it... but it didn't noticably "spin". The dash lights dimmed a small
->amount and the tach wigged out just a little (like 100 rpm, once or
->twice).
->
->My impression at the time was that it behaved like I was in 5th gear and
->trying to use the starter to get the car moving from a stop. Not like a
->dead short (substantial dimming) or a total lack of starter movement
->(like a dead battery), nor a gradually-getting-slower type of movement
->(like a dying battery).
->
->I checked battery voltage at 11.78 V, outside temperature was 25 F.
->Headlights nice and bright, including high beams (400 watts of them, no
->less). No dimming of dash lights when I turned on various accessories.
->
->Voltage at the cigarette lighter inside was 11.29 V. So power seems okay
->(and chassis ground). The last time I drove the car was 36 hours ago and
->it was only for a short distance. Before that the last time I drove it was
->like 3 or 4 days ago.
->
->My grounds have been finicky in the past so I ran my main ground to a
->totally new bolt I stuck through the bumper channel on the driver side,
->using a lock washer on both sides and grinding the paint off first. This
->"stud" serves as a distribution point for all my other grounds and is
->hidden away behind the driver side headlights. From there I have an
->8 gauge wire run to the lower starter bolt to supply a better ground to
->the starter.
->
->This has been a problem area in the past where even at normal temperatures
->I get hard starting when the bolt backs out and the ground gets loose
->(which is why I added the ground in the first place!). When I did my
->transmission swap I forgot to reconnect this wire and IIRC the car
->wouldn't start at all (just the dying-battery symptoms, but good power
->everywhere else on the car).
->
->The starter itself is driven off an 8 gauge wire coming directly from the
->positive battery clamp. When I get back home I think I'm going to run a
->second ground path directly to the alternator (like I did with the
->starter) to try to make sure I'm getting my full charging potential.
->
->I'm running 10W30 dino oil, but I can't see that gumming up enough at 25 F
->to slow things down.
->
->There was some snow in my exhaust pipe that I didn't remove but it wasn't
->blocking the pipe completely.
->
->So what's the verdict? So far my only idea is to pull the battery and hook
->it up to a charger in my apartment for a few hours then try again. I do
->have tools here so I could pull the ground and power wires for the starter
->and run a wire wheel over them to clean them up, but that's too big of a
->pain to do right now in the freezing fog (like light powder snow but way
->more annoying because it goes everywhere.. and sticks to everything like
->skunk odor sticks to clothes, getting it wet).
->
->Any ideas for a non-electrical cause? Frozen fuel lines wouldn't affect
->cranking.. Hmm..
->
->-Toby
->
->
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