starter help

[carlosm]

(this post)

The starter may be out, but im wondering if there could be any other problem that wont allow the car to start. The starter just makes a clicking sound when we try to start the car. Also is the starter solenoid part of the starter or will it have to be purchased seperatley. Or could just the starter solenoid be out? Thanks for any help, dont know what the heck to do.

[Dragon12880]

First off... what year is the car? As far as I know the solenoid should be part of the starter itself regardless. Just had to change mine last week, and it was a b***! There was a bolt I had to blindly install. Had to take a motor-mount off. Whoever replaced it before rigged two of the wires, so I had to figure out what the h*ll was goin on with that... Then they gave me the wrong starter at the parts store. Helluva day. Before you go p*ssing-away $60-$170 (that's the prices I got: $60 = rebuilt, $170 new), check the wires. After I put the new one on, I turned the key, and all it did was click. I thought they'd given me a bum part, and it was just that one of the wires wasn't clipped-on all the way.


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[carlosm]

Man you just made me feel sick. I just finished replacing the starter...before I replaced it, it just 'Clicked', But before that It was making a loud winding sound. Like it was sticking. I hope I didnt replace a perfectly good part for $168! Man this sucks, next time I will troubleshoot more. When I messed with it, it probably loosened the wire that may have not been connected right. So I guess I will never know. Thanks for the info.

[carlosm]

I forgot to mention its a 1997 jetta. Oh when it was making the winding sound it would also start just fine. After I shook it around a little it just clicked.

[Dragon12880]

Sorry, dude. Didn't mean to sicken you. I had the same feeling when I put mine on, but I checked it, and it actually was bad. I'm new to VWs, but I've been working on cars since before I was old enough to drive (about 12 yrs-old), and there are a lot of basics you learn, so a starter is a starter to me by now... I actually just got into imports less than two yrs ago, but I've learned a lot since then. Anyways... Take your old starter to a parts store (Advance & Auto Zone do free testing here), and have them check it out. If they say it's good, it was probably just a wire. Take the new one off, get a refund, and put old one back on. It'd be worth the $170! Unless you think it's worth $170 just to know how new the parts are that are on the car, but, being a '97, I'd doubt the starter would be bad. As you see, I have an EIGHTY-seven, so I've replaced quite a few parts; especially seeing as how no one drove the car for a yr and a half b4 I bought it. The prob I had (and I dunno if yours is hooked-up the same) is that the clip that told the starter to engage, and the wire that told it to turn (not the one that supplied the power) were rigged, and it would engage sometimes (making a clicking sound), and just spin other times (making a whining sound). So... You very-well may have replaced a good part. Like I said though... have it checked-out.... Good luck either way, and welcome to the club!




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