key not not startingcar in hot weather...ignition switch?

[dubweiser 0]

Hi guys i have a strange starter problem.I turn the ignition and all the electrics work fine but the engine wont turn over.There is no sound coming from the starter motor,no clicking or anything.The fuel pump can be heard as normal and all the dash lights etc work fine,just nothing when i try to crank the engine.Ive been reading on here that maybe it could be the ignition switch.Does this sound right to you?

The car will bump start fine and goes straight away,but if i turn it off,i get the same issue when i try to start it again with the key.

It did this once before a few weeks ago when we had a hot day,and the last two days when the car has been parked at work in the sun (in this glorious british weather lol),the same problem has occured....totally dead when i try to crank with the key,but bumps straight away and runs fine.

Ive now let the car stand a couple hours in the shade and tried it again and it turned over first time!

Anybody got any ideas please? Icant not use my car in the sunshine..we dont get that much ha ha!

If it is the ignition switch,is there any way of testing before replacing it to make sure thats the problem,and anybody got a how to for replacing it please?Ive searched the forum and there was a mention of a wiki how to but cant seem to find it after the site got changed around.Thanks guys

[seanl82 23]

I cant find the wiki guide either, and yeah I'd go with ign switch. May just be coincidence about weather types but that would be my first port of call mate.

[dubweiser 0]

Thanks mate.I havent got a scooby doo how to begin changing it or even what it looks like lol.Ive looked on ebay and theres all shapes and sizes of stuff,some look like ignition barrels.I dont have to change that do i and keys and stuff?I dont mind banging things with hammers,but when it comes to electrical stuff im useless

 

---------- Post added at 5:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 5:09 PM ----------

 

Or maybe its the starter motor thats knackered,im not sure

[seanl82 23]

Get the ignition switch from vw mate, it was about £22 iirc, have a look in the part number thread in general car chat, I put it up a few months ago when I changed mine. Dont need new keys or anything, google it, it may come up. Its a bit fiddly, but not difficult, just the tiny little retaining screw that stumped me for a while! Disconnect the battery and you'll be safe don't worry!

 

---------- Post added at 5:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 5:23 PM ----------

 

Sorry dude, bum steer there! Parts numbers are in suppliers forum, and I forgot to put the price there anyway! Just had a look at receipts and it was £26.89, although that may or may not have been with 10% discount they sometimes give me. :thumbleft:

[dubweiser 0]

Cheers for that mate il have a look.Im assuming you have to get at it from under the steering cowl or something.I just hope its that and not the starter motor before i start taking stuff apart lol.Im thinking its not the starter motor because i would of thought if it was that which was sticking,there would be some clicking noise,but i dont hear anything at all

[jamiehamy 0]

dubweiser, def sounds like starter switch as mentioned, I've got exact same problem when it's warm. It's a pain getting the switch off, so much so I've not done it yet, I have just left the cowling off until I have a full afternoon. I could go in 'heavy' but worried of damaging something else! :)

 

I just unplug the loom and put it into the new switch and use the key to start it that way. remember to then put the key in the ignition or the steering will lock when you drive. Wonder how I know that....doh! lol

[dubweiser 0]

cheers jamie.Im of the same mind..i dont want to start taking things to bits when i dont know what im looking at,and i need the car every day for work.You mentioned you unplug the loom and put it into the new switch?Does it just unclip or something under the cowl?Ive never had the steering to bits so dont really know whats under there or what i have to remove to get the switch replaced.Cheers mate

[Supercharged 2]

You need to check for 12V down the thick red/black wire to the starter - it's more likely to be the starter solenoid sticking in the hot weather...

 

Have you got AA cover? - just get them out to diagnose.

[dubweiser 0]

Yeah i have aa.I have a multimeter,is it easy to check? I saw what looked like a red wire on what i think was the solenoid.I didnt seem to recall a thick red/black one.Does it lead up to the battery?

[Wild-Animal 0]

It could just be your started motor, you could send 12 volts with jumps leads of the battery straight to the starter motor and that would rule it out.

[Jim 1]

Definitely an ignition switch on the way out. My old 16V started doing exactly the same thing as yours when it got to the summer months, a few years back and then literally weeks later it got really problematic. New ignition switch sorted it right out.

[jamiehamy 0]

Dub, when you take the cowl off, you can see the plug furthe r back from the key slot. There are two clips on either side that need depressed, ideally with a push inards (i.e. towards the steering wheel) to help disengage the clips. Pull back and you can lower the plug and just pop the new switch on. It will not hang down too far, meaning you can drive safely without the cowl.

 

J

[davidwort 0]

I don't think it will be the solenoid on the starter as supercharged says, they usually stick with heat soak from an engine that has been running, e.g. after parking up at a filling station.

It's worth checking though, before you strip the ignition switch out, as it's easy to check for power at the solenoid and you can remove the solenoid without removing the starter motor itself.

[dubweiser 0]

Thanks for the help fellas.So heres what happened today....Started fine first thing this morning,then after standing all day outside in hot sun i got the same problem,wouldnt turn over with the key.After 5 minutes of trying and wiggling with the key i found that if i really gave it a hard fast turn then sometimes it would crank.I got home and turned the engine off and tried with the key again and same problem occured.So i disconnected red/black plug and ran a jumper wire from the positive on the battery to the starter solenoid and the car cranked first time no problem.So i then got a multimeter and checked for voltage at the plug on the end of red/black wire and discovered that if i turned the key "normally" there is no voltage,but if i gave the key a good hard yank (ooeerr missus!) right round,then i was getting 12v.

Ive just checked it again now and it starts almost everytime with the key now that the temperature outside has dropped and im getting 12v almost every time at the solenoid.I think this must be pointing to the switch being on the fritz?

[jamiehamy 0]

If I'm wrong, I'll donate a tenner to charity. :) It's the switch!

[Supercharged 2]

Deffo the switch then!

[efil4sbuD 0]

I have exactly the same problem which I also thought was weather related initially. Maybe it is. For the last couple of years (no kidding) I have been driving around with half the dashboard missing so I can get my finger on the switch and tweak it to the right gently. It'll start every time like this.

 

Obviously I need a long term solution and I have a new switch, but, like everyone else, I'm waiting for some quality time when I can rip it all apart.

 

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but to get the switch out don't we have to remove the steering lock and drill out those two sheer pins? I can't see another way to do it, hence I still haven't fixed it in two years.

 

James

[seanl82 23]

No, there is a tiny little retaining screw. I couldnt see it even with the guide showing me exactly where it was. In the end I just smashed the old switch out and a small part was left in there being held by the screw into the column. Its best once you've removed the shroud, to remove the drivers seat and lay a pillow or two on the bracket, then lye down and use the brake pedal as a head rest. U need to do it all from below. It should become apparent when your down there!:thumbleft:

[efil4sbuD 0]

Yeah, I have seen the screw but I can't see how to get a screwdriver on it without having the steering lock off.

 

I have the adjustable steering wheel and the mechanism for this gets in the way of the screw.

[seanl82 23]

Ah I don't have an adjustable column so therefore, I'm out. :grin:

[dubweiser 0]

I have read on another forum that 93 models onwards dont have the shear bolts but have ordinary bolts instead.This should make it easier to loosen and gain better access.Can anyone verify this?Ive seen photos on another guide with normal bolts aswell so maybe its true..? Here is the guide i think imgoing to try and follow.Maybe it might help others aswell.http://www.corrado-club.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8617

[efil4sbuD 0]

I read brief description in a Bently manual which mentioned the shear bolts though I can't be sure that it was the same for my car being British and a '95.

 

It said that you 'may' need to drill out and use an extractor. I don't think there's any 'may' about it. I can't see how else to do it.

 

I do have two bolts which look like they are threaded but the tops are rounded like a rivet. I don't even think you could drift them out due to the thread.

 

---------- Post added at 9:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 8:51 PM ----------

 

I read brief description in a Bently manual which mentioned the shear bolts though I can't be sure that it was the same for my car being British and a '95.

It said that you 'may' need to drill out and use an extractor. I don't think there's any 'may' about it. I can't see how else to do it.

 

I do have two bolts which look like they are threaded but the tops are rounded like a rivet. I don't even think you could drift them out due to the thread.

 

I just looked at that link and the bolts in the picture are in the same location as mine but definitely not the same. I think they have been replaced at some time and my rivet looking things are the originals.

[dubweiser 0]

Sounds like you have shear bolts.Ive not looked at mine yet so dont know what i have.Theres loads of people done it without drilling or removing said bolts though.Heres another guide that might help you http://wiki.the-corrado.net/ignition_switch_replacement.html or another method which seems to be the most common that i have read,is the same as this but to bend a screwdriver to an angle so that it fits round into the place where the little screw goes so you can get it out.http://www.corradocentral.com/ignitionswitch.htm if and when i get round to doing it,il let you know how i get on mate cos i think this is going to be a pain in the arse to be honest from what people have been saying,and i dont want to go down the route of drilling and removing stuff and chiselling bits away etc lol

[efil4sbuD 0]

Bending the screwdriver sounds a much better idea than drilling. I'll give it a go.

 

James

[Jim 1]

Bendy screwdriver is the way! I spent about 2 hours lying in the footwell.. finally bent the screwdriver into the right position and then the screws came out no trouble. Someone on here advised a pillow on the pedals and remove the drivers seat - will give you a bit of comfort whilst you sit there shouting at it!