92 Jetta starter problem

[jmt8]

I am about ready to blow up my car. There is no pattern here - sometimes it starts, sometimes it doesn't. Okay, I lied. It refuses to start when I really need it to, that is the pattern.

My friend figured there might be a problem with the solonoid, so he attempted to arc it. No joy.

What happens is the key turns, but there is no sound. The only thing that happens with that turned key is the fan starts. It runs for a long time. This is with a cold engine. A friend was borrowing my car and had some trouble with the temperature light coming on. When he looked under the hood, he found the fan was unplugged. Some "helpful" mechanic did this "fix" and didn't tell me anything about it.

Is there some connection between the relay for the starter and the fan? Does anyone know of any mythical relationship between the two? Please let me know. It would probably save me from bursting a blood vessel in my brain.

Other details: gas, 5 speed. Do you need to know more? Thanks!!!

[Doug Tatham]

Park it on a hill next time you are able to start it and see if you can roll start it. If so, the problem is probably the starter, but not necessarily. If you take it to one of the autoparts chains they'll test your starter, alternator, and battery. It may just be a dead battery. The ignition switch could be the problem as well. If you look at the starter, there are two wires, one bolts on, the other is a a quick connector. Remove the quick connector and run a heavy gage wire from the positive battery to where the quick connection was hooked up. This is essentially hot wiring the car. One more possibility is that the car won't start if the shoulder belt isn't connected. Sometimes the wire that tells the igniition that the seatbelt is fastened gets messed up.

[jmt8]

Thanks for your quick reply, Doug. It bomb starts quite well. I don't think it's the starter, though it's hard to say. I had it replaced twice within a 4 month period (about a year ago, but I have barely driven the car in that time). The battery is fine, from what I can see. Do you think there could be any connection between the fan and the starter? I know it's unlikely, but one never knows with VW.

I'll definitely try the shoulder belt thing. I'm trying to sell this car (I have put a shocking amount of money into it) and I don't want to saddle some poor person with this issue. Do you want to buy it?

[ptcruiser12]

Where are you located?

[jmt8]

Fort St. John, BC.

[ke5in]

jmt8,

I hope you've got things fixed by now. If not and if you hav'nt blown up the car try the rotor cap and wires. At least that's the problem that I've had with my two jettas and not starting on damp/rainy days.

Oh, one other thing! The cable that clips onto the starter that comes directly from the ingition got corroded on my 92 jetta. Man, was that a bear to find. I relpaced my battery and battery cables before finding that all I had to do was pull the wire off the post on the starter, clean the post with an eraser, clean the actual wire clip and insert it back on. Yeah, that one did not have any patterns. I recall having to push start that thing a couple times in super market parking lots. one time i did it in reverse cuz i was parked facing up a hill. You can tell you have this problem if you turn the key and NOTHING happens except for the fuel pump turning on and a clicking in the dash.

[jmt8]

Hey Ke5in, thanks for your reply! I think there may be resolution to my lovely situation. I found a mechanic who may have come up with something. He said the alternator was overcharging. This was messing with the fan relay and he thinks it's the starter issue too. So we shall see how it pans out. Hopefully well as I need to sell the car in the next 4 days before I go back to school (possibly being a bit over-optimistic? heh).

I actually replaced my entire distributor not too long ago, so I think that is fine, but I will check into the wire clip and see how it looks. I took a look at the battery before and it didn't look like there was any corrosion, but who knows once you pull off the cables there can be a lot that wasn't initially visible.

I loved that car, but I have to say I'm going to be glad to see its tail lights glowing off in the distance.

[ke5in]

Hey jmt8,
Just to clarify, the corroded cable that I'm talking about is not the one that comes from the battery. It’s the smaller one next to the battery cable. (It’s the one that get the signal when you turn the key.)

Yeah, I know what you mean about loving that car. I bought mine used about 10 years ago and really love it. hoping I can keep it going for another year or so.