Intermittent Starting Issue

[Ramigojag 19 1 Cars]

My 205 has had an intermittent starting issue since I've owned it.

 

One day you can jump in it turn the key and off you go, others I have to end up flicking the key backwards and forwards, can be up to 5 times before it will start cranking.

 

I have fitted a second hand slimline starter from the 306 and at first it was perfect, now it seems to be the same, possibly even worse. The battery is brand new so no problem there.

 

I know the wiring to the solenoid is very thin, but if this is the fault how far back do I need to trace it to fix this?

 

It is possible that I've just had a bad 2nd hand starter, but before I go and buy another one I'd like to try and rule out anything else to save wasting money.

 

Thanks

Callum

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

The brown multiplug on top of the gearbox would be the first place to start , the connection can be corroded .The wire close to the starter itself is exposed and the outer sheathing can harden crack and fall off exposing the copper . I was working on this part of my own 309 GTI loom recently and the ring terminal crimped on the end of the wire was oily and had worked loose .I dried out my cable and put shrink tube over the exposed wire then prised off the ring terminal and recrimped it onto the wire after cutting it back by 5mm .On another car it would only start by turning the ignition key then wobbling it side to side , a new ign lock and wiring fixed that .I would examine the other options first as changing the starter is a pain .Like all electrical problems its worth checking/cleaning all connections eg earth strap to gearbox and the spade or bolt on the starter .

[matty205xs 1 1 Cars]

I had a similar issue with my xs as it would sound like a nearly dead battery as the turn over speed was really slow and sometimes it would just make a clicking sound and not turn over at all but after a couple of attempts it would turn over at the proper speed again so I decided to get a new starter motor and that did the trick, I think now a days if you go to your local car parts dealer you exchange your old starter for a refurbed one and you have to pay I think it was 40 or 50 quid for me, but the starter look like a new one.

[Ramigojag 19 1 Cars]

The brown multiplug on top of the gearbox would be the first place to start , the connection can be corroded .The wire close to the starter itself is exposed and the outer sheathing can harden crack and fall off exposing the copper . I was working on this part of my own 309 GTI loom recently and the ring terminal crimped on the end of the wire was oily and had worked loose .I dried out my cable and put shrink tube over the exposed wire then prised off the ring terminal and recrimped it onto the wire after cutting it back by 5mm .On another car it would only start by turning the ignition key then wobbling it side to side , a new ign lock and wiring fixed that .I would examine the other options first as changing the starter is a pain .Like all electrical problems its worth checking/cleaning all connections eg earth strap to gearbox and the spade or bolt on the starter .

 

Thanks for that I'll get to it and inspect the wiring at the weekend aswell as the earth strap. The spade to the starter is new as I had to swap from a bolt to the spade when I fitted this second hand starter.

 

 

I had a similar issue with my xs as it would sound like a nearly dead battery as the turn over speed was really slow and sometimes it would just make a clicking sound and not turn over at all but after a couple of attempts it would turn over at the proper speed again so I decided to get a new starter motor and that did the trick, I think now a days if you go to your local car parts dealer you exchange your old starter for a refurbed one and you have to pay I think it was 40 or 50 quid for me, but the starter look like a new one.

I will try another brand new starter, but thought I would see what the other weak points are and check them out first because I thought it was abit odd that both starters did the same.

[AlexRS2782 136 1 Cars]

Sounds exactly like the problem I had with mine for a few years on & off - it only went away after I got Miles @ Pug Racing to strip back the wiring / connections, etc on the loom & brown multi plug, etc, and tidy it up with new connections. Since then the car has started first time every time with no complaints at all

[2-Pugs 57]

Fit a relay with high current contacts to the starter wire to boost the current to the starter motor. All the connections you need are right there. Existing thin wire goes to one side of the coil, the other side goes to earth. Then connect the 12v supply from the thick wire on the starter to one relay contact, and connect the other relay contact to the starter motor small terminal.

[deathbringer929 49 1 Cars]

i had very similar issues. i checked for voltage drop to ignition switch starter etc and it was a poor connection on the multiplug under the dash. just to left of lower steering column.

[mhyphenl 10 1 Cars]

I went through this and tried all the expensive things first New Starter motor, new ignition switch, re-doing the brown multi plug with a waterproof one! No Improvement. It always started eventually but very annoying. In the end we did it properly and searched for the voltage drop starting at the fuse board, through the ignition key and to the starter, the problem was a hashed connector hidden in the loom, once sorted it was perfect. It's one of those occasions where a proper auto electrician would have been much cheaper and quicker! 2-pugs sugestion works well as it bypasses known issues but you have to do it right as due to the way the starter solonoid is earthed, you can end up with your starter motor constantly engaged. I'd start with a methodical look at the wiring.