Passat starting - ignition switch again?

[Mark Rosenkrantz]

Unless you have some serious wiring corrosion, I'd suspect the battery.
That cranking voltage is too low.  Go to a shop with a load tester (or
better yet, a Midtronics tester which is what I have) and have it checked.
Some of the chain stores check batteries for free.  I think you'll find a
new battery is in order.

Mark Rosenkrantz

On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 6:27 PM, Peter Orban <orbanp1 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hello Everyone,
>
> The starting gremlins are back. The car is a '03 Passat, V6, 5-SPM.
> Last year the car gradually became hard to start, I turned the ignition and
> nothing (dash lit up, but no cranking). Then after a couple of tries the car
> started up all right. At the end I had to try about 4 - 5 times, though the
> required number of tries was random. This spring I replaced the ignition
> switch with one from the dealer, as suggested here. Starting improved,
> though a number of occasions it did not start at the first try. Now it is
> getting worse again.
> The car has the original battery, but I do not think that is the cause.
> When cranking the battery voltage drops to about 10.5V - 10.7V. When the
> engine cranks, it always turns over quite lively, and the engine catches
> right away, nothing like a dying battery.
> I do not think that it is the clutch lockout. I keep the clutch depressed,
> the engine does not crank, and then the engine starts up fine after a number
> of tries.
> Just like a failing ignition switch!
> Are those switches that bad?
> The switch that I took out looks pristine, no discoloration, burns, or
> anything...
> Any other reasons for not starting? Could a flaky immobilizer cause things
> like this? I do not think that I have water in the driver's side footwell
> (the other side is a different story).
>
> Obligatory Audi content: I just sent my '83 4k to car heaven recently :-(
>
> Thanks, Peter
>
>
>
>
>
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