This can be caused by bad solenoid contacts, sticking solenoid, or bad brushes/commutator on the starter motor itself. A bad bushing in the trans case can also cause erratic starter operation but this will be more consistent. Dennis -----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of Todd Last Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2002 7:06 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Starting problems... My van is getting persnickety about starting. Usually when it is cold it refuses to engage the starter. However, if I whack the side of the starter and solenoid, it will usually start afterwards - but not always. (I remembered this trick from having two previous air-cooled VWs.) I'm assuming that the solenoid is sticking. If I turn the battery gauge on the camper panel on, I get a green light - just nothing happens when I turn the key. Can I just take the solenoid out and clean it? Or is this just the beginning of starter failure? battery failure?
Todd '88 Westy |
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