new engine, new injectors, glow plugs, new battery, reconditioned starter motor, all cleaned terminals, perfectly labeled wires, NOTHING happens when i turn the key to start the car. nothing remotely mechanical that is. head lights work, turn signals, radio, instrument lights, clock, etc.
i turn the key half way, wait until the orange glow plug light shuts off, and then i turn the key all the way, only to find that the brake warning light comes on, and not a peep comes from the engine compartment. bentley is telling me something about connecting the starter directly to the battery, but i thought it already is naturally, at least it looks that way. any ideas fellas? am i missing something crucial
First thinking is Have you replaced your Battery to frame and frame to engine/tranny grounds?
Starters need 3 things to spin.
GOOOOOOOD Ground Connections via the engine/transmission mounting bolts. (Hence replacing the battery to frame and frame to engine/tranny cables)
You can use off the shelf cables you will but one from the Battery to frame, then a battery jumper cable from the frame to the engine/tranny.
Good Power 12V+
Switch power via the ignition switch to the Starter Solenoid
If you can place the car in Neutral.
Then Jumper 12V to the solenoid and the starter spins then we are good on the ground, and have to worry about the 12V to the solenoid.
When you have verified that the Grounds are good, if they are flaky then you are using the Speedometer / Clutch cable and Instrument cluster to ground the car which is a bad thing............
And you have verified that there is 12V+ to the Starter. (VW usually chained the alternator to the starter to the battery) Statically.
Then measure the voltage to ground on the solenoid switch when some one turns the ignition switch to Start. If there is not 12V then you have a bad ignition switch.
Just because the glow plugs glow and the lights light up, doesn't mean that the ignition switch is good on the Start side.
Now with that said, if you have to replace the ignition switch then you will want to add a "HEAT SOAK RELAY" as this allows the starter to get full power at max current to power the solenoid.
It saves the ignition switch the high current loads that the solenoid uses and extends the life of the switch.
Here's how to do it.
See: Installing Heat Soak Relay
It is drawn for generic, but then it is for Automatics, but works extremely well for standards too.
What do Divorces, Great Coffee and Cars all have in common?
They all Start with good GROUNDS.
Replace all of them that you can, 99 percent of flakiness will disappear.
92, 93 Cabriolet.... 89, and 90 are Deceased.
before i took the engine out a few months ago, there were no starter problems, no ignition switch problems, no ground problems. if anything, theres more power coming from my new battery, and better connections on all my terminals since i sanded them all and cleaned them. the only things that have changed in my electrical system are cleaner connections, a new battery and a reconditioned starter. why would these changes cause this?
before i get into this heat soak thing, what your saying is to connect the battery's positive as in red terminal directly to the solenoid and turn the key to find out if its a faulty ignition switch or faulty ground?
i shorted between the terminals of the solenoid and got no action from the starter. big spark no motion, this must mean i have a faulty solenoid?
just disconnected battery from car, jumper cabled from negative to casing of starter, positive to terminal 30, no action. so the guy that reconditioned my starter at the vw shop was full of **** when he said he 'reconditioned' my starter, and that it worked when he tested it. is it easy enough to find new solenoids and work on starters yourself, or find whole new ones? or am i going back to this mechanic for purposes other than to be refunded
Did you run a jumper cable from the negative side of the Battery to engine ground? No ground and you get the same symptoms.
What do Divorces, Great Coffee and Cars all have in common?
They all Start with good GROUNDS.
Replace all of them that you can, 99 percent of flakiness will disappear.
92, 93 Cabriolet.... 89, and 90 are Deceased.
turned out the solenoid was rusted stiff on the inside, plunger wasnt moving to connect to the starter, new solenoid, problem solved.
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