a Specialist kind of nightmare

[Tony Tone]

I understand what you are saying re carbs and tolerences but they put a complete engine, carb, everything from another van i to rule out engine carb faults and they got the same problem, no tickover. But, when it went there i had never had a tickover problem.

So, question is. Who should fix it ?. Theyve given up and I totally understand theyve had enough trying to fix it. However, i dont really want to pay to get a van back that doesnt tick over, feel like a fool handing over cash for an unfixed van .

[Sunray]

I understand what you are saying re carbs and tolerences but they put a complete engine, carb, everything from another van i to rule out engine carb faults and they got the same problem, no tickover. But, when it went there i had never had a tickover problem.

So, question is. Who should fix it ?. Theyve given up and I totally understand theyve had enough trying to fix it. However, i dont really want to pay to get a van back that doesnt tick over, feel like a fool handing over cash for an unfixed van .

It does tend to suggest that its not the engine but the van they are putting it into, so I can see why they are taking the stance they are? Clearly they have gone way above and beyond what they could have done, so it suggest they know what they are doing, not all mechanics are bad.

Personally I would bite the bullet and get an auto electrician as they suggest, fitting a new engine does not mean that you will get a working van back, just a van with a new engine. It sounds like one of those small niggles that just happens when you do this. I can't stress how much, fitting a new engine isn't a plug and go solution, really need to budget 500-1000 or so more than is quoted for the engine to cover just this sort of problem. In my case I think I've spend 600 over what the original cost was in extra parts and labour.

[kevtherev]

Agreed..and when you do it your self, even more, as you uncover worn and past it components not broken or failed but "while I'm here" replacable

[Tony Tone]

Thank you so much for the constructive comments. I think youre right and Ill get the van back and get an auto electrician on the case and check out all of the other possibles suggested.

[ermie571]

Tone, before you pay someone to do it, take some photos, get a photobucket account, and link to them from here...or if you have FB, host them there and put a link to the album on here (i find this a damn site easier!)

It may be that someone spots something very simple!

regards

Em
xx

and....where are you....someone with a ticking over van could maybe come and park next to yours??

[Tony Tone]

Hi Em, Im in Sunny south Birmingham not far from m42 j3. It would be excellent to see another van to do a show me yours ill show you mine operation. The van lands back with me Monday so ill get photos and vids of it running and hopefully suddenly cutting out for no apparent reason. Keep you posted .
I agreed a settlement with the company and they were gents and didnt charge me for many additional hours of fault finding that couldnt find the fault.

I did have a problem previously with it not starting for ages as the one bolt that holds gearbox to engine wasnt providing a sound earth, when tested it showed it as earthing but in reality it wasnt, this may be my first port of call in problem solving as this bolt has been undone and retightened a couple of times

[Wychall]

Tony. I have some of the required diagnostic equipment, dwell, tach, syncronising, strobe, gas analyser, multimeter etc, and am not far from you in Northfield. Unfortunately I don't know one end of a WBX engine from another as mine is totally different. However, I am willing to drop round with the equipment and see if I can assist you at all. Let me know if this would help. Perhaps someone with the knowledge but no equipment could join in.

Brian.

[ermie571]

See...its all coming good!



Good settlement with the company as well!!

two heads betterer than one!

never know, your vids and photos may help someone diagnose fault for you

Em
xxx

[Tony Tone]

Brian,Em cheers for the help,advice and positive comments.
Brian definitely take you up on your offer, thank you so much. Ill hunt for someone who knows how to apply your equipment to my DG engine. Superbio folks, cheers

[docklad]

have you googled them? Sometimes just banging the name in google brings up some useful stuff. Others might have mentioned them in forums on other sites. Mr G noramlly brings it up if they have. Just a thought.

[Tony Tone]

All good . Just need to find simeone that knows how to apply brians techwizardry gadgets to my wbx engine to see why it doesnt want to tick over every now and then. Ill have a fuller idea, pics and vids by early nxt week. Watch this space

[Tony Tone]

So, the van landed back with me today.

It fires up first time and runs well from cold. I let it run for 15-20 mins and revved it, it cut out, would start but not tick over in any way, shape of form. I left it and hour or so.

Again, started up great, ticked over for 15 mins, i pulled and pushed some bits, still ran. I then touched and wiggled the wires by the ecu thingy, cut straight out and would not restart for love nor money. Left it 30 mins, fired up again first time. The van now has a different coil and ecu unit to what it went in with.

vids of running are here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKK1zO3ri4s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKwhq2I3Vnk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

pics as follows http://s1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj6 ... AN%20stuff" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Other issues - fuel gague reads empty (there is fuel) and temp gague goes to hot straight away and the light will not go out. These, like the tick over issue were not present before the replacement engine.

I hope all of the links work ?

[Sunray]

Is the dash connect properly connected?
Check the voltage stabiliser on the dash, should be 9.5-10.5v

Temperature gauge going straight to hot suggests its shorted to ground. The wire runs near the exhaust and on my 1.9dg the temperature sensor is at the rear left of the engine looking at it from the back. Didn't fit it properly, wire can melt against the exhaust. Happened on mine.

I see that VW had a test tool that allowed you to plug it in and exercise the fuel and temperature gauges. Its the VW1301, wonder if anyone has one to borrow.

Fuel sender, can test it by pulling off the 14 way connector to the dash, check the resistance and add some fuel. Does it change.

For a 1985 water cooled.

Pin 6 is the temperature gauge.
Pin 7 is the fuel gauge.

[ermie571]

Right - I'm not brilliant at this, but that bit of pipe you are holding in vid 1 could do with replacing. It could be letting in air. Mine looked like that....Brickwerks replacement for about 6 quid.

the light not going out means that the system water check is failing....it thinks there is not enough water in the system.

Now - I am not going to guess how the answers to these could help, but the gurus will want to know

when you can't start, what do you get? Lots of battery activity? attempts at firing but not running, any smoke out exhaust? if so, colour?

There are many threads on here about hot/warm starting issues....read through those, and update the thread with what you try / have tried.

Warm start should be foot flat to the floor....have you tried that?

Keep going.


Em

xx

[Tony Tone]

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to tonights puzzler.

Start and run van ( no problems).
Running for ten minutes no problem then stops dead.
Engine will turn, fire but dies straight away and wont run.
The temp gague ( shoddy connection) had risen to half way so i am guessing this is related to something getting hot and cutting the engine ?. Any suggestions ?