Can't remove the starter

[JettaCrasher]

Can I get help with the removal of my '89 Jetta starter? I can't seem to get it out. Is there any help, short of dynamite? This is nuts!!!! That is the short of it. Thanks
The Jetta Crasher....

[boschmann]

Automatic or manual?

[JettaCrasher]

automatic

[Fecal Extrusion]

If I'm not mistaken, you may have to jack the engine up
from underneath a little bit, and keep it propped up
with a bottle-jack or something, cause the starter
MAY be one of the mounting points of the engine itself. I HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE!

when you take the engine slack/weight off the starter
at that mounting point, it should come off easier.

[boschmann]

That's not a fun job. The car will have to be put on stands at lthe least. From the underside you need to remove the right axle, exhaust heat shield and vibration dampner weight just to see the starter. There are three bolts that hold it to the transmission. If this is for a no start when hot problem VW had a recall fix which involved putting in a remote relay under the hood to get more amperage to the starter solenoid. Unfortunately the position of the starter so close to the exhaust manifold also causes them to fail.

[JettaCrasher]

Thanks guys, I'll be working on it today... Thanks again

Jetta Crasher

[JettaCrasher]

I went and checked the starter by bypassing the ignition, and the motor turns, but can't do it with the ign. switch, what the hell...?

[sbrake]

I have the same car. The only way I know of to gat the starter out is to remove the exhaust manifold, although it is easier to just remove the head with the intake and exhaust manifolds still attached. But from what you are saying now it is not the starter. I have the same problem although mine is intermitent. On some ocassions moving the shifter out and back into park works or letting the car roll ahead a bit then back in will work. The problem is obviously somewhere in the wiring harness or the ignition switch(although I could not find a problem woth mine). Check the neutral/park switch as well. Since mine is intermittent I just carry a piece of wire and jump to the solinoid on the rare ocassions that it happens. Hope you find the problem. Then I will know where to look.

[JettaCrasher]

Well, I fixed the starter bug, it was the dissconnect for the starter solenoid, I replaced that, and I run into the same problem with the starter interlock on the shifter. I cleaned the contacts under the console, and seems to work good. I suggest using contact grease for it to work better.
Now onto bug #1: I get a low pressure buzzer after driving awhile at a low rpm. It seems that it goes away and comes back. Now is it a slowly dieing oil pump, or a bad connection? I do not know. Any ideas?

You have to realize that this car was sitting for a year before I got it running last week. I am suprised that the thing hasn't sprung a hundred leaks with seals and such.

[boschmann]

I would try the switches first as they're cheap & easy to replace. There are two, one on the cylinder head & another on the oil filter housing. Be carefull not to mix them up as one makes contact w/pressure & the other breaks contact with pressure.

[sbrake]

We must have twin cars. I had the same oil problem on my car a while ago. Going to a heavier weight oil solved it up until I rebuilt the engine. Aftrer the rebuild it was so bad I could not get the pump to take a suction at all. Before the rebuild it was a matter of wear in the pump and the bearings being such that the pump couldn'y keep up at low RPM. I changed the pump and it worked a treat. The sensors are pretty simple and not prone to failing intermittently as you describe. Ther Pump cost about $100 canadian and takes less than an hour to replace. Given the age of the car I would do that before changing the sensors.

[boschmann]

Alot of factors play into how long the oil pump will last. I've had several A2's with over 200K without any trouble, but I always kept the oil changes up to date. How many miles are on the engine and what brand & weight oil are you using?