Club 80-90 Forums

Hi,

Just fitted my EJ25 and having a few issues getting it to turn over. The starter motor was faulty so a new one arrived today. This has been fitted and the cable from the battery connected up, along with the feed to the Alternator.

The Battery output is reading 12.89v and when I turn the key it clicks....so would suggest battery is kaput although output says otherwise and is a new battery last year.

The cables on the starter are all tight, as they are on the battery...not sure what to check next...
I have 1 error flashing 31, which is the TPS.

Regards, Richard

Earth strap ?

Hi,

There is a brand new Gearbox earth strap fitted, should there be another ?

Battery today 12.75v
Reading at Starter Motor 12.65v and at Alternator.

Any thoughts ?

Regards, Richard

Ignition switch on its way out passing insufficient holddown current to the solenoid ? Try a direct jumper from battery positive to the solenoid terminal ?

What Live battery cable are you using (from the starter to the battery)
It’s quite possible that you have a voltage drop, especially if you dont have the ridiculously large cross section wire as fitted to all later petrol models (about 60mm^2). Cable this thick is very expensive, and is capable of carrying far more current than is required to crank a 2.1 litre petrol engine. There is only one reason why VW would have switched to it from the thinner, cheaper cable used in earlier models (about 35mm^2), and that’s to reduce voltage drop. Keeping the cost of this cable down is also why most cars have the battery located near the starter motor – the longer it is, the thicker it needs to be to minimise voltage drop.
If you do have the very thick wire, you could still have a voltage drop if there are any loose connections. You really don’t want loose connections on this wire, as it’s unfused and capable of carrying many hundreds of amps

Do you also have the original VW spade connector plugged in to the solenoid?

Hi,

Yeah I've got the original thick wire and original spade on solenoid...is it worth at some stage moving the battery to the rear ?
Some good news, I've cleaned up the earth on the gearbox, replaced the bolt and washers with new and the engine turns over.

I've not started yet as no exhaust manifold connection onwards yet...that's my next job

Thanks very much for your support. Invaluable as ever.

No need to move battery any closer.