starting issues..

[ROB]

i have a 2008, when i turn the ignition quite often nothing happens, dash light come on but engine does not start , so i will try again & it is perfect , today it took 6 times before a response , since then starts first time, i have checked the battery terminals they seem ok ,
anyone got any ideas as i was bricking today when it wouldnt start!

 

[calikev]

Rob does the engine turn over :?:

 

[Freeley]

Sounds like another faulty starter motor!

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[jeff]

hi rob I have got a 2008 model sounds like the same problem I had ended up having a new starter motor hope this helps.

 

[Chris]

wow spooky. Mine started doing this at the weekend. i was going to raise this as a topic. Will be speaking to my mechanic (local dealer) tomorrow.
It may be a bad earth but i guess it will mean a new starter motor.

Anyone had theres replaced out of warranty. What was the damage (cost)?

 

[jeff]

mine was replaced out of warranty damage £300.00 inc vat.

 

[smgcowfoldparts]

Could be a faulty starter motor, is yours auto or manual?

Cheers

 

[Chris]

Mine is a manual.
Will try tonight to have a look and check the Starter motor wires and earth strap. Fingers crossed it could be a bad connection.
fingers crossed.

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

This may be a dumb coincidence, but I had this happen a couple of times in my 2008. After I topped up my oil with around 300-400 ml - just because I needed to, not to try to solve the problem - it didn't happen again. I just wonder if there is some sort of oil presence sensor?

Probably a completely wrong assumption about cause and effect, but may be worth a check. But don't overfill the oil as it's bad for all the anti crud gizmos in the exhaust system.

 

[ROB]

thanks for response , mine is manual & the engine does not turn over , then next try it starts ,
this is poor if it is starter , i dont do many miles either

 

[calikev]

Could be lack of use that has caused it. That's if it is the starter motor

 

[Chris]

I have had a look at the starter motor today. Took the belly shield off. Cleaned the earth strap with electrical conductive grease. Cleaned the battery terminals up. Then tried to start the van up.
First time it started.
Turned it off
Try to start again. This time it clicks but nothing happen.
tried to start again. it starts
5 attempts later the van started every time first time .

Does anyone have a how to replace the starter motor guide. Happy to have a go myself but can only see one bolt. The top one is buried. Wonder what trick I am missing to get access to that.

 

[ROB]

could one of you clever people advise me how a mechanic would diagnose a starter motor needed replacing, would they use a voltmeter?

 

[ROB]

diagnosed , i need a new starter motor, not even done 30k miles, so much for vw quality ,
or am i being unreasonable

 

[Freeley]

diagnosed , i need a new starter motor, not even done 30k miles, so much for vw quality ,
or am i being unreasonable

Count yourself lucky mine had only done 4000 miles when it started playing up!

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[John]

If anyone has a problem with their starter motor not working, like Rob, here are some ideas to help you diagnose the fault.

Intermittent faults are always the worst to work on.

If you have a voltmeter put it across the starter battery it should show around 12.5 V for a healthy battery. Old battery's that don't hold their charge or that have a high internal resistance can be a cause of starting problems. This is a problem that is especially common in the winter.

Check your Cali is not in gear and the handbrake is on.

Now get someone to turn the ignition switch to the starting position. When you have the fault (i.e. the engine is not turning over) does the starter solenoid click and does the voltage drop.

Another way of checking for the voltage drop, if you do not have a voltmeter, is to put your headlights on and check if they go dim.

If you get a voltage drop and the solenoid clicks but the starter does not turn over it is most likely the starter motor at fault, or its wiring, or connections.

If you get a voltage drop with no click it is most likely the starter solenoid or connections.

If you don't get a voltage drop the fault is in the starter circuit. In this case it could be various things like the ignition key switch, the immobilizer, the engine ECU, a loose damp or faulty plug or bad wiring in the circuit. The starter circuit can be temporarily bi passed by connecting a wire to the positive connection on the solenoid, then touching the the positive terminal of the starter battery with the other end of the wire. You should hear the solenoid click, then the starter motor turn over. If you need to start the engine just turn the ignition key switch on first, but do be careful make sure your Cali is out of gear and the handbrake is on.

Finally bad earth connections can also cause starter faults so check the condition of the earth connection to the starter battery and the earth connection to the engine. Check for corrosion and if necessary use a wire brush then petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to clean and grease the connections.

Hope this helps.

John

 

[ROB]

that is poor ! assume warranty sorted it for you

 

[Freeley]

that is poor ! assume warranty sorted it for you

If you mean me rob then yes it was.
Dealer I bought it from were useless and couldn't diagnose the fault - second dealer I went to were brilliant and sorted it straight away.

If you didn't mean me then ignore the above! :grin:

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[Lambeth Cali]

I was about to post a new thread “having trouble starting my 2008 T5” and this came up.
It seems very similar problems. Sometimes it starts fine, sometimes I turn the key and nothing seems to happen at all. I’m confident there’s nothing wrong with the 2 year old battery.
It happened as we were leaving a site on Sunday. Took about five goes. Then on sixth it starts as if nothing wrong. The next day I went to move the van after unpacking and wouldn’t start for 15 minutes. I plugged in my OBD reader and took various pictures of the dash.








I actually don’t think any of these have got anything to do with the problem. Just a hunch. I was curious about the foot light!?
Why is that on??

Well the similarities are so strong I guess I’ll have my garage look at the starter motor. Very odd we all have 2008 Californias??
When it does start all dash lights go off and everything returns to normal.

 

[Stu@rt]

Is the 02251 coolant pre heater related? I.e. is the poor starting only when ambient temp is below 5 degrees? When the pre heater would activate? I would clear the codes to start afresh and see which ones reoccur for a fresh baseline.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

It was warm and sunny when it wouldn’t start on Monday. Shorts weather both times.
I’ll reset the codes.
It’s due service and MOT in August but might bring forward to June and get them to check the starter motor. I can live with £300 after 14 years and don’t want it packing up on summer hols.

 

[Wrongford]

Could be something as simple as a poor connection on the energiser cable on the solenoid. Remove the small wire on the starter motor and re-attach it and hopefully a cost free fix?

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Could be something as simple as a poor connection on the energiser cable on the solenoid. Remove the small wire on the starter motor and re-attach it and hopefully a cost free fix?

Interesting. I’ve started to fix camping stuff recently but tend to stay away from mechanicals. Partly because I have a good garage for that. I don’t have a voltmeter and doubt I ever will! It was more the diagnosis I was after to point garage in right direction.
I might have a look though. Not sure I could tell a solenoid from my %#^* though.

 

[WelshGas]

Interesting. I’ve started to fix camping stuff recently but tend to stay away from mechanicals. Partly because I have a good garage for that. I don’t have a voltmeter and doubt I ever will! It was more the diagnosis I was after to point garage in right direction.
I might have a look though. Not sure I could tell a solenoid from my %#^* though.

The Solenoid is the module on top of the Starter. Can be purchased separately.

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Where would I find the starter motor? If I had a little time tomorrow and did want to check connections!?