1.4 tdi failure to start.

kp 115

kp 115

A2OC Donor
Hi ,
Well this morning my trusted work steed decided to fail to start not even a click at 05:15 this morning, tested battery with snap on battery tester & all good,I have scanned with full VCDS with no relavent faults logged, so I’ve removed the n/s headlight to gain access to the earth point & duly cleaned all contact faces , reassembled & retested to no avail tried the additional earth route recommended same result
Unfortunately my multimeter & test gear is at work so I’ve had to order a cheap one from Amazon
but it’s looking like the starter being the culprit at 285,000 miles.
Drove 90 miles home last night & then popped out to get a pizza locally without a problem
Am I missing something obvious?.
Thanks
Keith.
 
Last edited:
Hi Keith,

What happens when you put the ignition on?
Is it normal looking on the dash until you turn the key?
If the battery is okay and dash looks.okay it must be the final turn of the key in ignition or the starter motor burnt out. Is there a fuse for ignition\ starter?
How odd, do let us know what you find.
 
Have you tried to add a temporary earth cable between starter and chassis? You can just add a lenght of 2,5mm2 wire.

Do you have 12v at the starter when ignition on?

Easy to test the starter; take it out and use two lengths of 2,5mm2 wires to «jump» the starter directly from battery. If it works, the it is the wiring, if not working, it is the starter.

Had the same problem myself and thought it was the starter, but it was indeed the earth-connection even the earth-connection looked fine
 
CrispyEdd said:
Hi Keith,

What happens when you put the ignition on?
Is it normal looking on the dash until you turn the key?
If the battery is okay and dash looks.okay it must be the final turn of the key in ignition or the starter motor burnt out. Is there a fuse for ignition\ starter?
How odd, do let us know what you find.
Click to expand...
Hi CrispyEdd ,
Thanks for your reply, Everything is normal when you turn the key until the final turn when there is nothing!
Unable to see a fuse specifically for ignition , tried spare key which yields the same results
Main starter feed fuse at battery looks intact.
Cheers
Keith.
 
Olerype said:
Have you tried to add a temporary earth cable between starter and chassis? You can just add a lenght of 2,5mm2 wire.

Do you have 12v at the starter when ignition on?

Easy to test the starter; take it out and use two lengths of 2,5mm2 wires to «jump» the starter directly from battery. If it works, the it is the wiring, if not working, it is the starter.

Had the same problem myself and thought it was the starter, but it was indeed the earth-connection even the earth-connection looked fine
Click to expand...
Hi Olerype,
Tried temporary earth & made no difference so next step is starter removal after multimeter turns up from Amazon , may knock up a test lamp lead to prove 12volts to starter in the meantime.
Will try temp feed to starter as you suggest thanks.
Cheers
Keith
 
If you have a spare car battery and are very careful with jump leads you could also try this. Connect the positive lead onto the solenoid positive connection and with the ignition switch turned to on and the car in neutral with the hand brake firmly on touch the negative to the body of the starter. If the starter works and the engine runs it is now looking like an ignition switch issue, but if it fails to turn the starter then most likely the starter has jammed or internal problem. A jammed starter can usually be sorted by rocking the car in gear.

If you have the headlights on and try to start the engine do the lights dim?
 
audifan said:
If you have a spare car battery and are very careful with jump leads you could also try this. Connect the positive lead onto the solenoid positive connection and with the ignition switch turned to on and the car in neutral with the hand brake firmly on touch the negative to the body of the starter. If the starter works and the engine runs it is now looking like an ignition switch issue, but if it fails to turn the starter then most likely the starter has jammed or internal problem. A jammed starter can usually be sorted by rocking the car in gear.

If you have the headlights on and try to start the engine do the lights dim?
Click to expand...
kp 115 said:
Hi ,
Well this morning my trusted work steed decided to fail to start not even a click at 05:15 this morning, tested battery with snap on battery tester & all good,I have scanned with full VCDS with no relavent faults logged, so I’ve removed the n/s headlight to gain access to the earth point & duly cleaned all contact faces , reassembled & retested to no avail tried the additional earth route recommended same result
Unfortunately my multimeter & test gear is at work so I’ve had to order a cheap one from Amazon
but it’s looking like the starter being the culprit at 285,000 miles.
Drove 90 miles home last night & then popped out to get a pizza locally without a problem
Am I missing something obvious?.
Thanks
Keith.
Click to expand...
Starter checks carried out ok so removed starter to find this little
B***** lurking out of sight .
A fractured earth bond between the solenoid & starter circuit as a result of hitting a large pot hole in our village on Thursday evening which caused fog light to crack as well !!
image.jpg
image.jpg
image.jpg


Thanks for all of your replies

Keith.
 
Well at least you found the fault and not as serious as it could have been. Corrosion is often not considered with our aluminium chums. Unfortunately there are plenty of areas that are made of steel and the salt spray takes hold and can go unnoticed for a long period of time.

Can you fabricate a new earth lead for the solenoid and solder it on?
 
kp 115 said:
Starter checks carried out ok so removed starter to find this little
B***** lurking out of sight .
A fractured earth bond between the solenoid & starter circuit as a result of hitting a large pot hole in our village on Thursday evening which caused fog light to crack as well !!
View attachment 96721View attachment 96722View attachment 96723

Thanks for all of your replies

Keith.
Click to expand...
Gosh that must have been some pot hole?!

I would also advise checking whichever wheel and tyre it was that hit the pot hole and the suspension too as I hate to say it but will almost undoubtedly have damaged something in this area too!

Look for flat spots or hairline cracks on the inner rim and eggs in the tyre sidewalls.

All the best 👍
 
A2Z said:
Gosh that must have been some pot hole?!

I would also advise checking whichever wheel and tyre it was that hit the pot hole and the suspension too as I hate to say it but will almost undoubtedly have damaged something in this area too!

Look for flat spots or hairline cracks on the inner rim and eggs in the tyre sidewalls.

All the best 👍
Click to expand...
Only doing 5 mph !
 
audifan said:
Well at least you found the fault and not as serious as it could have been. Corrosion is often not considered with our aluminium chums. Unfortunately there are plenty of areas that are made of steel and the salt spray takes hold and can go unnoticed for a long period of time.

Can you fabricate a new earth lead for the solenoid and solder it on?
Click to expand...
E4275B3B-28E8-41BF-8AC8-F73AD7E8DB65.jpeg

Temporary repair for now & will treat it to a new Bosch one this week.
 
Great. I know the old starter was probably the original one it left the production line with and has lasted well, but a little protectant on that nice new braided earth and it will last for ever.
 
audifan said:
Great. I know the old starter was probably the original one it left the production line with and has lasted well, but a little protectant on that nice new braided earth and it will last for ever.
Click to expand...
Hi audifan,
Any suggestions?
it sits under the plastic cover.
Cheers
Keith
 
A thick silicone grease worked well into the braid would be my preferred choice. You could then cover it with suitable size heat shrink tubing to try to seal the water out and the grease in.
 
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