Club 80-90 Forums

my van just wouldnt start, was fine the day before.
all i got when i turned the key was a click. click click

a friend took the starter motor off and said it looked good (help mmmm)
then after putting it back together again, the click had altogether gone... zip .

so whats the guesses, is it a trip to the auto electrician, or mechanic???

i do have trouble with electrics, but it could be the starter motor.

please advise needed .

Colette

Get the battery checked out!

Check the voltage at the battery (ideally as you turn the key to start) and at the lead going into the starter - maybe the cable has a break in it which was disturbed as the starter motor was taken off and put back.

NOTE - since the -ve side of the battery is ground, you should also check the -ve side of the starter motor - ie. the ground strap too - this might be broken or have a poor connection.

Hope this helps - you will need a multi-meter to do this - like this one

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Mod ... s&doy=24m9

Just £8.99 + P&P!!! .. a good investment IMHO

Cheers yes checked the battery, also to see if it was charging via the alternator.
checked and rubbed down the terminals and earth. did find one broken wire that goes on the split charger for my leisure battery, repaired that. but still nothing.

dya think i should go to an auto electrician or a mechanic first ?

I had a similar problem with my first van, replaced everything on the ignition system and it still failed to start from time to time. After two changes to the ignition switch (lazily done it now appears), it was the switch itself not earthing properly to the steering collumn. It seems that in order to replace the switch the steering wheel has to be taken off and the switch to be replaced afterwards so the circuit is complete. Paid a lot of money to a mechanic I no longer use for that discovery!

Just recieved a call from the garage.. it wwas the flippin spade connector to the starter motor, which someone told me they had replaced previously. so now she starts on the button, BUT...... as there always is with a garge.. I need now a clutch slave cylinder, they said the gears where mental and it was dangerous. so thats getting done now. gears were a bit sticky 1st and 2nd.. they laughed when i said that to them. but i said you get used to driving a vw, with all their little quirks, i just thought it was a newly developed quirk..... oops

my starter did that once, it was the cable to the starter which was off a bit.

This goes on now, the clutch pipe burst when they were bleeding it through. they sorted my temp gauge, whivh wasnt connected in the first place , despite being to an auto electrician. my oil gauge wasnt connected so wasnt working, no that i had noticed. and shes on the road again.. £240 i nearly fell over, but all feels ok when shes up and running.

£240 ...............Gulp

Hope all is ok now Hun

Gulp is the word, i asked him 4 times "how much is it ?"