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Date:         Sun, 26 Jun 2016 19:25:22 +0000
Reply-To:     Michael McSwain <michaelmcswain@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Michael McSwain <michaelmcswain@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Is something killing my starters?
Comments: To: John Rodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CA+az7_6UP2mFCGw0KPeUdAb9Yx=9BPtN9oQge539EwTMmS9Yew@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

I did read somewhere that low voltage could ruin starters and I suspected my + cable from the battery. It doesn't look great either so that's probably a decent assumption. And by the way, I did have the battery tested under load with one of those fancy battery testing gadgets. Any way to test this thing more thoroughly to make sure I'm not just throwing parts at it? Any way to test the long battery cable?

On Sun, Jun 26, 2016 at 2:09 PM John Rodgers <jrodgers113@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hmmmm! Had the same problem on my 2.1 WBX a while back. Went thru two > REBUILT staeters fairly quickly. The third one got fried related to a > harness fire. I replaced it with an adapter available from VC and put a > late model high torque diesel starter on it. Works fine so far. BTW, that > diesel starter was brand new, in the box, and cost under $100 delivered to > my front door. Worth looking in to. But be sure the starter killing problem > is solved first! > > John > On Jun 26, 2016 13:10, "Michael McSwain" <michaelmcswain@gmail.com> wrote: > >> I replaced my unknown age starter on my 1.9 about a year ago with a brand >> new Bosch. Recently it started displaying the same symptoms as the >> previous one. Turning the engine over seemed to get more and more >> laborious and eventually it stopped doing anything at all. The last hand >> full of times it actually started, I turned the key and it turned over >> once, then a 2 second or so silent pause then it turned over again and >> cranked up. Pretty much the same exact symptoms as the previous starter. >> >> So far I've jumpered around my ignition switch. Nothing. I cleaned my >> battery/body and transmission grounds. Nothing. I bridged the starter >> and >> solenoid posts with a screw driver and got a little spark, but nothing at >> all from the starter motor. Silence on all counts except for the fuel >> pump >> priming which has been happening all along. Does this just sound like bad >> luck and it's a bad starter or is there something else that could be >> causing a premature failure of the starter? >> >> I also had my battery checked and it checked out fine. I have one of >> those >> cigarette lighter volt meters that consistently shows 13.9 volts at speed. >> If it weren't a 1 year old Bosch starter I would have immediately assumed >> that to be the problem. Am I just in denial? >> >> Any thoughts would be much appreciated >> >


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