Club 80-90 Forums

When I turn the ignition key most times it will start but sometimes it won't?

Lights on dash come on. No starter motor clicky.

What do you think??

ignition switch faulty??

Entirely possible ^^^^^^^^ but the most common reason is the little spade terminal that pushes onto the starter solenoid. These corrode, work loose or the wire blackens internally creating resistance. It's just a case of fitting a new terminal but make sure you do it properly with electrical crimping pliers of better still, solder it on (just awkward to get to though).
Other possible causes:
Copper braided wire between the solenoid and starter body badly corroded
Poor earth to engine (gearbox)
Battery terminals loose.
Starter fault (commutator/brushes/solenoid contacts eroded.)

Martin

Wonder if it is that time of year!

Another one here https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=121323 with same problem and where I posted there saying I get that a couple of times a year I didn't mention that this year my van picked last weekend to play this trick with me so that makes at least three of us with this problem in last few days. This time just outside the campsite reception and again with a bike rack. With mine I know it is not a loose trigger wire as have that all nice and tight and jiggling the wire makes no difference but the cure is always to tap the solenoid gently with a hammer and then the engine always starts the next try. Have tried the van a few times since the weekend and it is back to normal again.

Thanks guys.

I will do a diagnostic on all those areas the weekend.

pirate-pete wrote:Wonder if it is that time of year!

Another one here https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=121323 with same problem and where I posted there saying I get that a couple of times a year I didn't mention that this year my van picked last weekend to play this trick with me so that makes at least three of us with this problem in last few days. This time just outside the campsite reception and again with a bike rack. With mine I know it is not a loose trigger wire as have that all nice and tight and jiggling the wire makes no difference but the cure is always to tap the solenoid gently with a hammer and then the engine always starts the next try. Have tried the van a few times since the weekend and it is back to normal again.

I had had starting problems and thought I had fixed things by adding a second earth strap, only for the problem to recur the day before our two week holiday to Cornwall! I tried all the usual remedies but eventually decided to remove the starter motor and strip it down to see if that was the problem. It was, the armature and commutator were burned in a couple of places because the carbon brushes had worn away. To check your brushes isn't too difficult. See this really good article..http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.p ... ual-tranny

Mine had totally stopped working because the brushes had aligned themselves to the burnt out bits.