starter motor?

[gripper924 0]

Hi, I am new to this and have a technical question.

After leaving the lights on and flattening the battery I find now that the starter motor is playing up (I think).

When switching on the ignition the fuel pumps prims up, the dash lights are on, but turning the key gets no response, not even a clicking noise.

This is only an intermittant problem though. Has anyone heard of this?

My car is a '95 16v with 88k and I have owned it for 8 years. I am not mechanically experienced because nothing ever goes wrong!

[boost monkey 0]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Corrado owndership will soon see you as a Master VW Technician or bankrupt - one of the two. Having no money to start with, I'm aiming for the first option.

 

Stupid question: have you recharged the battery? It may still be flat. It needs to be over 12Volts when the engine's off and somewhere around 14V I think when the engine is on and the alternator is recharging it.

 

If you have recharged the battery, it could be the wiring to the starter motor itself. Check both terminals are secure with the earth lead disconnected from the battery.

[Critical_Mass 10]

Hello :wave:

 

Ignition switch would be good place to start. Sounds like symptoms of.

[belfastfumanchu 0]

If it was your starter needing reonditoned it would make strange noises I'd think. Like a whirring/whizzing noise.

When it happens how many turns of the key does it take to finally fire the engine up?

[VR-OOM 0]

Talking of starter motors, does anyone know where I can find a written procedure for removing a starter from a VR?

 

Cheers James

[Chris 0]

Hello :wave:

 

Ignition switch would be good place to start. Sounds like symptoms of.

 

if your battery is charged its likely this is your problem, its an annoying job but its a cheap on for a change :D

 

you can test by turn your ignition on then running a wire from the + on the battery to the single pin plug on the starter motor itself, the car will start if its only the switch that has gone. please dont leave your car in gear if you try this though :) or an :epicfail: will happen.

 

 

Talking of starter motors, does anyone know where I can find a written procedure for removing a starter from a VR?

 

Cheers James

 

dunno if anyone would use this, all you need to do is unplug and remove the wires, then its just 2 (upper & lower) long bolts holding it in

[gripper924 0]

Thanks for the replies. Very kind.

I think the battery recharged itself quite quickly, as when this problem does not arise it starts immediately.

I will check the starter motor when I can find it. Is it by the alternator?

There are no noises from the starter, and the number of times it takes to start are variable.

From your replies the ignition switch does sound the favorite.

Many thanks.

[Chris 0]

Thanks for the replies. Very kind.

I think the battery recharged itself quite quickly, as when this problem does not arise it starts immediately.

I will check the starter motor when I can find it. Is it by the alternator?

There are no noises from the starter, and the number of times it takes to start are variable.

From your replies the ignition switch does sound the favorite.

Many thanks.

 

the start motor is located on/in the front of the gearbox. fairly simple to take out if you ever needed to. when my ignition switch went it started off as an intermitent problem which progressively got worse and worse. its no fun when you go to drive your car with russian roulette ignition :) you never know whether itll start

[belfastfumanchu 0]

Although taking the starter out is no bother, putting it back in can be a pain if you dont realise that the engine may drop down a little bit when you take the 2 bolts out.

Jack the engine up a bit if that happens.