help needed in Amesbury, wilts!

[Bertsbus]

Hi all, our T25 1.6 diesel is dead as a dodo and we need help!! It was working fine, sat for a week then wouldn't start. Battery seems fine as lights etc are all ok - we did try jumping it just in case, no joy. When you turn the ignition, you get a clicking sound from the engine but no spark / firing. Thought we smelt an electrical burning smell so we checked a load of wires and found a couple which looked exposed so have taped them to insulate and checked fuses (all fine) but still nothing and we're now at a loss. Hoping there is someone in the Amesbury / Salisbury area who is a lot more competent than us with engines - we'd obviously pay. Help!!!

[ferraldog]

Does the starter turn the engine over? Mine did this (1.6d CS Too!), and it turned out to be the hot cable from the battery to solenoid had burnt out. I also replaced the starter, which was a 30 minute job (19mm socket and a breaker bar to gently persuade the clutch reservoir outta the way).

[Bertsbus]

Nope doesn't turn over at all. My hubby reckons he saw a puff of smoke from the area behind the head (closest to cab) midway between the electric box thing and the throttle, would the starter /solenoid be there? In case you haven't guessed, we are real novices! !

[ferraldog]

Hey, no problem. I'm new to T25's too, but I'm handy with a spanner. So I'll always be happy if you guys want to PM me if I miss something. I'm going through my own learning curve. I'm just about to stick a GTi engine into mine, so I'm regularly asking questions too .

Yes, in short. Lift up the hatch from inside the van, and the starter motor is right underneath you - bang in the middle, where the gearbox and engine join (mail if you're confused n I'll take a pic tomoz!). There's the thick black lead coming direct from the battery to the solenoid (which looks like a small motor attached to the corner of the starter). On mine, the cable had actually burnt right through. It sounds so strikingly similar to the problem I had. I don't know why it suddenly frazzled.

[Bertsbus]

Thanks for that, the van lives at my work so I'll try and skive out some point during the week and have a nosey. Fingers crossed it'll be an obvious frazzled wire - will let you know how I get on

[what2do]

Hi there, you say that there is an audible clicking but fail to mention if the starter is actually spinning or not. Has the battery been on charge at all - do you own a battery charger? I lnow how it feels to be in the dark but fortunately for me, my van was still running and meant that I could seek help from members on here (one in particular). It won't be a huge drama but may require a few questions and answers, if you have the time.