'83 Rabbit will die while driving down the road. Starter will spin the engine but engine will not attempt to start. Jumper cables from another car will always start it immediately. I replaced the battery and rechecked all the cable connections but that has not helped. Others tell me the alternator is the problem but I don't understand why that would be intermittent like this. So where do I look next? (This is getting old! The tow truck drivers all know me by name.)
I know you have a good voltmeter, check if your alt. bumps the battery voltage up to about 14.2 volts at slightly above idle. That VW ain't like other imports that have Lucas ( Prince of Darkness ) components so fuze links and switches should still be good. Probably worn brushes in the alt.
12.5 volts at the battery terminals before start up. 13.98 volts with the engine just above idle. Mechanic did find a couple of fluke problems: (1) corroded power wire connector to the coil following the first tow trip. (2) burned out rotor resistor following the second tow trip. Both on cold days in the rain. May be just that time of year for gremlins. I loaded up the car with a good multi meter and booster cables this morning and it ran faultlessly to work.
When you turn the headlights on does it stay above 13.8? (not high beams) If it does, I would have the battery tested even though it is new.
12.5 volts at the battery terminals before start up. 13.98 volts with the engine just above idle. >clark +++++++++++++++ If your voltmeter is reading about .15 volts low, then both voltages would look OK. That would only be 1% error, not bad. Voltage with the motor running and charging should be a little over 14 -- depends on how the battery reacts to whatever excess current the voltage regulator thinks is appropriate at the time. Anyway, if it'll spin the starter for a while, then the battery is not bad to the point it would prevent the motor from running right -- after it starts the alternator will provide enough voltage.
Don't know if this applies. I had a problem with my sentra where the battery was fine but the power connector at the battery had a bad connection. Car would do some strange things. When I turned on my blower or ac or even headlights the engine would die for a second. Even had it totally kill one time and put me on side the road. I cleaned both the negative and positive terminals and it got better. It hasn't done it in a while but my guess on your car a bad ground or positive connection somewhere. Check that main terminal if you have one at the battery where your main power connections go.
Made it to work two days in a row without calling the tow truck! May be I just needed a full battery charge and the cables cleaned, retightened, and such. Still think the cold, wet weather gremlins were after me.
Gremlins - - Ain't life wonderfull Clark ? You may have found all the offending connections already from what you describe but it wouldn't hurt to take time to just stare at everything perchance there's another crusty connection you overlooked. I like BB's train of thought, if you don't have a Simpson 260 or better your meter probably is off a smidge. You greasing up all those connections to slow down what our insideous humidity does to them ?
Only on the Ranchero! Guess I'd better start on this as well. I use a Fluke multi-meter which ought to be accurate.
Gremelins in my VW product to my Audi quattro did fire on just 4 cyl. today, rain and shitty weather here now. Its a 5 cylinder car. The plugwires had this stupid tin insulators/capsuling for stopping the statics from the ignitions on it. sparks all over the place Its no all gone and radio signals is ok, no noise at all !!!!
