Help car a non starter was fixed now back to non starting HELP!!

[Jon_vr6 1]

New starter motor on and she fired up first time, it was then i shouted in the voice of Ace Ventura ITS ALIVE ITS ALIVE

[Jim Bowen 1]

:lol: nice one

[Jon_vr6 1]

Just been for a spin out to clear the rust off the disks and did a few stops and starts and all is well that new ignition switch has made a difference too

[Jon_vr6 1]

Right just had to bump start the car i know its a no no.on a vr but was the only way to get home. Got in the car after work went to turn the engine over and well that same click from the starter motor.

So ive replaced igntion switch, starter motor and my dad has tested that there is power to the starter, the battery has 12.6 volts and 11.6 when i turn the key so all good there.

What else can it be earths ? Where are they etc please help had enough now

 

Out of interest how is the starter motor earthed? via the block then to where?

Edited December 5, 2012 by Jon_vr6

[Jon_vr6 1]

bump anyone?

 

Just done an earth check by connecting a wire from the - battery terminal and to the engine to rule out the earths being at fault, tried jump starting to rule out battery still nothing. VAGCOMd it and only get an engine speed sensor fault - which i presume is because the engine isnt running

Wrong time of year to have a problem with a car is freezing out there

[Supercharged 2]

Do you just get a click from the starter?? If so I think it must be a faulty unit or wiring to it not carrying enough current to move the solenoid...

 

The circuit to actually activate the starter is fairly simple - what about feeding 12V straight from the battery to the single pin plug on the soleniod?

[Jon_vr6 1]

Yeah just a click from the starter like i originally had when i first posted this thread up. What would feeding a wire from the battery prove/help?

My dad checked for power through the wire to the solenoid and all was good.

 

For it to work straight away when the new unit was installed it says to me everything wiring wise is ok and that the re manufactured unit from VW is at fault everyone agree ?

[Supercharged 2]

That would prove a wiring fault from the ignition - give it a try if you can before removing the starter again...

 

If the starter was from anywhere else i'd agree but the VW units are usually as good as new!

[Jon_vr6 1]

Will give it a try tomorrow. i know im at a bit of a loss really as it worked then didnt work so im clutching at straws really

[Supercharged 2]

Will give it a try tomorrow. i know im at a bit of a loss really as it worked then didnt work so im clutching at straws really

 

Yeah - it's just that it's back to the original fault makes me think it could be wiring or maybe a connection has come loose since the swap... maybe worth disconnecting the battery and re-seating / brightening up all the connections around the starter / alternator circuit

[Jon_vr6 1]

Thanks mate if you think of anything else let me know

[fla 9]

i had exactly the same issue with the new starter - does your car start if you jump start it? If so, the issue i had was one of shorting. One of the connectors to the heated spray jets was shorting the battery meaning every time i went to start the car i would just hear the solenoid click and that was it. And it didnt appear to be charging the battery either. Check for a short - its a little time consuming and you'll need someone to pull fuses while you do it. Are your windows working, btw - this is on the same fuse as the spray jet heaters.

[Jon_vr6 1]

No doesnt start when i jump it either, starts when i bump started it though.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Bump for any more ideas?

Havnt taken the old (original) one back to vw yet so my dad is going to hook it up to my battery to see if that works

[fla 9]

i was going to suggest that - might be worth removing the solenoid and greasing the lock pin. I posted a thread on a minor starter service (which assumes the solenoid itself is still able to create a good magnetic field), i'll post it up when i find it. Otherwise, as suggested by Supercharged, clean up all the connectors, spray some contact cleaner on them and try again. Your off-car test will certainly reveal some pointers.

Worst case, you can rig in a relay to power the solenoid hence giving minimal power loss from the battery - similar to the uprated loom. Keep us posted and good luck!

[Dox 23]

Check the condition of the battery to earth connection at the gearbox, check for frayed cables at the ends. Starters consume heavy current when cranking, you may have 12V+ at the cable ends but is the cable capable of carrying this heavy current?

 

Check the cable from the battery to the starter too.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Will keep it updated searched through loads of threads some similar but then no end result by the original poster to say how, what was the cause and how it was fixed.

Work, cold nights and it being dark when i get in isnt helping either

 

---------- Post added at 4:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 4:09 PM ----------

 

Old starter works with battery off the car so am i looking at wiring?

[fla 9]

yes, it seems your starter is ok. As above, check the condition of all wiring and see that the terminals on the starter itself are clean and not corroded. Clean with a wire brush and refit . Check the earth connections.

[tony_ack 0]

As mentioned previously corrosion is a common problem, had it on my old Golf, exactly the same symptoms you described. Part of the copper wire had turned to green dust - as soon as I replaced the damaged part of the wiring and cleaned up it was fine.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Well im currently in notts but my dad thinks he has sussed it the power cable from the starter to the battery was a bit corroded so he took it off cleaned it up and it started....thing is i dont want this happening again so i would like to replace that cable if possible anyone done it/what cable did you use ? Can it be bought from vw

Cheers