having problems please point me right

[dave2878]

hi looking for some advise , i am up in the north west of scotland and i cant get van started
its a 1.9 petrol 1985 watercooled .
earlier today i went to oldshoremore and the van started no problem , after spending a few hours on the beach i got in the van and once again it started no probs , after driving for ten mins i stopped at a shop, when i got back in van . nothing happened , dashboard lights came on, but starter motor never turned ,
changed battery , still nothing .
took starter motor out . connected to battery solenoid worked , and the starter motor turned , so it seamed to be working , reinstalled starter, and the motor made a slight start then nothing, then tried again , the starter made a few turns then nothing . after that it went back to how it was earlier ,
i have a lack of tools with me and a lack of ideas ,
anyone care to help me in the right direction , i have aa but i woud rather attempt it myself so i dont have to cut holiday short

[slowcoach]

hi looking for some advise , i am up in the north west of scotland and i cant get van started
its a 1.9 petrol 1985 watercooled .
earlier today i went to oldshoremore and the van started no problem , after spending a few hours on the beach i got in the van and once again it started no probs , after driving for ten mins i stopped at a shop, when i got back in van . nothing happened , dashboard lights came on, but starter motor never turned ,
changed battery , still nothing .
took starter motor out . connected to battery solenoid worked , and the starter motor turned , so it seamed to be working , reinstalled starter, and the motor made a slight start then nothing, then tried again , the starter made a few turns then nothing . after that it went back to how it was earlier ,
i have a lack of tools with me and a lack of ideas ,
anyone care to help me in the right direction , i have aa but i woud rather attempt it myself so i dont have to cut holiday short

I'd be trying bump/push starting if you think it's just the starter? If ignition on looks fine, give it a push. A wbx is easy to bump start, did my whole honeymoon around Ireland push starting every time
Good luck!

[marlinowner]

Maybe short across starter terminals to eliminate ignition switch and wiring to starter solenoid. If you've got jump leads also jump between engine block and chassis in case of earth problem.

[dave2878]

tested the starter when i took it out , solenoid worked and the starter motor worked , however once i put it back in it made an attempt then stopped again , cleaned the earth straps not lond ago

[itchyfeet]

ignition switch perhaps

you should never turn a DG starter out of the van as it has no bearing on one end, bearing is in the bell housing.

[Mocki]

I would suspect the neg side of things
Starter motor to bell housing face, gearbox nose mount Earth strap
Add a extra one if you can

It could be the Ollie bushing worn and nipping the shaft also

[shrig1969]

I had exactly the same problem you describe when we stopped for a brew on the way to Cornwall last weekend. Never happened before and complete panic set in. Pulled off the crimped connector on the starter( positive feed) and it was covered in a "greenish like" rust. Cleaned up both contacts with some sandpaper and slapped some Vaseline on. Started first time, and every time throughout the holiday. Before joining this forum I would of called the RAC in an instant.

[dave2878]

went out this morning to try again , first time on turning key nothing happened, took of the connector at the ignition switch , pushed it about and put it back in. this time the solenoid clicked then the i turned key again and the van started . left it idling for five mins then then turned it of and tried again , this time nothing hapened again back to where i was yesterday.
i was going to order a ignition switch , anything else i should order with it also is there something i am missing and should be looking at , info welcome
also thanks to the folks who have replied . dave

[Mocki]

its a simple test to check the actual ignition switch.... pull the plug off and bridge the correct two connections
(obviously not saying which on a public forum)

that checks everything but the switch......
if that is not conclusive, you can run a temp second wire from the correct out put of the switch to the spade connection on the solenoid will check the wire .

a combination of both the above will only proove the starter

[bigbadbob76]

If you are heading for Skye give me a shout and I'll go through the electrics for you and fit a relay if needed.
If you're going clockwise round then Roger T might be able to help you. he's in Caithness.

If all else fails.....
Scrounge a bit of wire from the nearest telephone line
turn the key to the on but not start position, don't forget to set the choke.
Make certain it's in neutral, check again, it is in neutral isn't it?
get under the van (saves pulling all the bedding out to get in the hatch) and pull the spade terminal off the starter.
Bridge between the spade and the battery terminal on the starter, you'll get sparks and motor should start the van, mind your head on the way out.

Thieves beware, this will not work if you don't have the key so don't even bother trying.

[dave2878]

Done as you said and the van started running . Appreciate the tip. Waiting on ignition switch coming . But I am also wondering if there is corroded wires or something on the line . . Will try to get the van down the road on Friday. Was going to stay away for longer but I think I need to find out the exact cause andamage get it sorted properly

[itchyfeet]

Sent a pm telling you how to do this yesterday but it's not been read.

its a simple test to check the actual ignition switch.... pull the plug off and bridge the correct two connections
(obviously not saying which on a public forum)

that checks everything but the switch......

[dave2878]

ok thanks o will have a look just now . thanks for taking the time to help out

[dave2878]

just tried it and all i got was a small spark from the wire . nothing came from the solenoid or the starter motor . i believe i can here a click coming from the relay in the engine bay thats in the black box at the left hand rear, not sure what that tells

[itchyfeet]

will pm