My '70 type 1 bug is acting up when starting. Turned key and got nothing. Heard a click sound
but don't think a zip or multiple clicking. Bumped started and drove home. Tried to start again but
nothing. No click sound or anything. It then sat a couple days and has been starting ok since. Do
starter/solenoids wear out gradually or suddenly? Could this be the ignition switch? Any help would
be much appreciated. thanks!
Starting problems
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Ol'fogasaurus
- Posts: 17881
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:17 pm
Re: Starting problems
There are so many things but I would start out by checking all the battery and ground cables and their connections especially the woven ground from the engine to the chassis. Make sure that they are clean and no rust or grease stopping them from doing their work. It is free, unless you find a problem, and shouldn't take too long. Check your headlights for color: e.g., if the light is dim or to the yellow side then you might suspect connection problems but don't rely just on that. Take 'em loos and make a good check of condition and connections. Also make sure that they are not too long as you can get voltage drops that could be a problem.
Lee
Lee
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foreverska
- Posts: 137
- Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2013 11:24 am
Re: Starting problems
Mine sometimes would click and go completely dead only to mysteriously be fine after 10 minutes of checking things and I couldn't find a fix until one day I wiggled the battery cable. It was a little loose and something about jiggling it got it to start. Tightened it down and haven't had a problem since.
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helowrench
- Posts: 1925
- Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2004 6:20 am
Re: Starting problems
ground straps and battery cables
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Marc
- Moderator
- Posts: 23741
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2002 12:01 am
Re: Starting problems
...including the one that goes around the front transmission mount - if it's loose, the starter only gets grounded through nebulous paths like the clutch cable.
What makes it difficult to troubleshoot an intermittent starter problem is that there may be more than one component or connection that's in a "borderline" condition. For example, if there's high resistance anywhere in the control circuit, a slightly weak battery will be more likely to be a problem.
Starter solenoids typically require more current to pull in when they're hot, say after a 5-10 minute shutoff period following a hard run - it takes a few minutes for the residual engine heat to "soak" into the starter...often, after sitting for a half-hour or so longer to let things cool down some the starter will then work fine.
The contacts inside the electrical portion of the ignition switch can recede into the insulating substrate so they don't touch as well as they should (or the substrate can crack, allowing a contact to move slightly out of position).
Look under your back seat; on the driver's side there's an inline connector for the red solenoid control wire (older cars didn't have this one so it's often overlooked). Keep a couple feet of stout wire with you and if the starter fails to work again try jumpering from the positive battery post into that connection (be sure you're in Neutral) with the ignition on - usually that'll get you back on the road, unfortunately it's not particularly conclusive for troubleshooting purposes.
Many people choose to install a "booster relay" for the starter. Add a ~30A relay so that the control circuit only has to pass enough juice to energize it, and let the relay switch a heavy wire direct from the battery - this way, high resistance in the wiring to and from the ignition switch will usually not be enough to keep the car from cranking since things would have to be in really bad condition to not be able to operate the little relay.
http://www.vw-resource.com/starter.html
What makes it difficult to troubleshoot an intermittent starter problem is that there may be more than one component or connection that's in a "borderline" condition. For example, if there's high resistance anywhere in the control circuit, a slightly weak battery will be more likely to be a problem.
Starter solenoids typically require more current to pull in when they're hot, say after a 5-10 minute shutoff period following a hard run - it takes a few minutes for the residual engine heat to "soak" into the starter...often, after sitting for a half-hour or so longer to let things cool down some the starter will then work fine.
The contacts inside the electrical portion of the ignition switch can recede into the insulating substrate so they don't touch as well as they should (or the substrate can crack, allowing a contact to move slightly out of position).
Look under your back seat; on the driver's side there's an inline connector for the red solenoid control wire (older cars didn't have this one so it's often overlooked). Keep a couple feet of stout wire with you and if the starter fails to work again try jumpering from the positive battery post into that connection (be sure you're in Neutral) with the ignition on - usually that'll get you back on the road, unfortunately it's not particularly conclusive for troubleshooting purposes.
Many people choose to install a "booster relay" for the starter. Add a ~30A relay so that the control circuit only has to pass enough juice to energize it, and let the relay switch a heavy wire direct from the battery - this way, high resistance in the wiring to and from the ignition switch will usually not be enough to keep the car from cranking since things would have to be in really bad condition to not be able to operate the little relay.
http://www.vw-resource.com/starter.html