[Vwpickups] A2 glow plug !@#$! - firewall fuse?

Sun Nov 1 20:12:06 CST 2009

I got some help, hald a booster cable from the battery post to the #1 glow plug for the right amount of time, then cranked  - still no-start.  Lotsa smoke though. 

Something else is a problem.  It kinda kicks over, almost starting, but not.  Would air in the fuel do that?  I would think air in the fuel would give a no-smoke no-fuel thing.  There's enough smoke - black and stinky - to bring the neighbour out of his house bearing a fire extinguisher.  I had the battery on the charger for two days, and the block heater plugged in, the head was warm to the touch.  It shoulda started without glow.  

Further investigation.  I found a 1/4 can of ether startig fluid, left under the leaf-tray by the previous owner.  3/4 can of ether is enough to toast an engine....

I wish I had a method of checking compression.  Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jiggs. 

> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 02:19:54 -0600
> From: jhsg at sasktel.net
> Subject: RE: [Vwpickups] A2 glow plug !@#$! - firewall fuse?
> To: jiggseob at hotmail.com
> 
> That may be a European spec light.. Does it have DOT on it somewhere? It
> should be glass. IIRC, the euro lenses were glass and had the city light in
> it.
> Okay, I unnerstand the fuse. I looked for a long time to locate one of
> those once, so just for giggles, had a look at the relay panel. Heh. My 89
> A2 had the firewall fuse, that I replaced with a fusible wire instead of the
> lead/tin thing that failed twice.
> Good luck with that. It's been a while, but I think the coolant sensor was a
> varistor too. You could swap the temp gauge and glow sensor and see maybe.
> Do you have a spare GP relay to swap out?
> -james
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Mathew Banack [mailto:jiggseob at hotmail.com]
> > Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 8:53 PM
> > To: vwpickups at neubayern.net
> > Subject: RE: [Vwpickups] A2 glow plug !@#$! - firewall fuse?
> > 
> > 
> > Thanks James,
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > According to Bentley, there are many different fuse/relay panel
> > layouts. This particular car seems to have the one on pg 14-36, with a
> > 2-bolt fuse on the top of the relay panel, and the legend says its for
> > the glow plugs. It looks like the firewall fuse on an A1 deisel and it
> > meters fine from screw to screw. Thats not to say they could have put
> > another fuse in there somewhere else...
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > I'm familiar with the firewall fuse on my 81 pickup, and I don't see a
> > similar thing on this Golf. If its hidden somewhere ... @##%!
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > I went to the pick-my-part junkyard hunting for a starter, but only
> > found 1 diesel, and the starter was a gasser-type without the reduction
> > gearing. I didn't take it.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > This Golf has a cracked and cloudy headlight and I did find an A2
> > headlight, that takes an H4 bulb, instead of the normal o-ringed bulb.
> > The lens and reflector were nice and clear, and there was a bulb-base
> > halfway up the reflector with a mini-bulb in it like a clearance light.
> > My curiosity got me, so I paid the $5 and brought it home to look at
> > it. Anyone know waht that is?
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Thanks, Mathew Banack
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > > Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:34:42 -0600
> > > From: jhsg at sasktel.net
> > > Subject: RE: [Vwpickups] A2 glow plug !@#$!
> > > To: jiggseob at hotmail.com; vwpickups at neubayern.net
> > >
> > > Check the firewall fuse. They get sometimes get brittle, and cracked,
> > and
> > > are intermittent. I had similar experience on my 89, and that turned
> > out to
> > > be the fuse.
> > > -james
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: Mathew Banack [mailto:jiggseob at hotmail.com]
> > > > Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 11:08 PM
> > > > To: vwpickups at neubayern.net
> > > > Subject: [Vwpickups] A2 glow plug !@#$!
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Working on an 85 Golf for a winter beater car.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Glow plugs are intermittent, one day they work, next day they dont.
> > > > When they don't, its crankety crank for about 30 seconds and it
> > will
> > > > go. Some days the glow plugs work, and it fires right up. The light
> > > > in the cluster always says it works, but I've put a test-lite on
> > the
> > > > bus bar and found for sure they work sometimes and for sure the
> > bus-bar
> > > > is dead - zero volts when they don't.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Bentley says check the T terminal of the glow plug relay plug for
> > > > continuity to ground below 50C thats about 122F. Above 122, there
> > > > should be no continuity. Isn't that sensor a varistor, that is
> > higher
> > > > resistance higher temperatures, rather than a switch that closes
> > below
> > > > 50C and opens above?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Or is there circuitry between the socket and the sensor that turns
> > > > resistance into off/on? Nothing mentioned in Bentley...
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Is that sensor troublesome? Could a PO have hooked the glow plug T
> > > > wire to the guage sensor? Or replaced a T sensor with a guage
> > sensor?
> > > > Is there a part number on the glow plug T sensor? Whats the PN?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > The annoying thing is the intermittent fault, one day it works
> > perfect,
> > > > next day it craps out, especially when the Chevvy driving
> > neighbours
> > > > are watching. The cloud of smoke it makes after 30 seconds of
> > cranking
> > > > is kind of embarrassing....
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Thanks in advance,
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Mathew Banack
> > > >
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