[Vwdiesel] starter issue in Diesel Vanagon

Andrew .Libby libbybapa at gmail.com
Mon Jun 11 09:27:38 PDT 2012


The nose of the casing of the diesel vanagon starter extends around the end
of the starter shaft and has the bushing inside it so there is not a
bushing in the bell housing.  If there were a problem with the starter
bushing it would almost certainly be obvious when bench testing.  If the
starter will not crank the engine over, then there are three possible
causes:

1. the starter is not functioning properly
2. the engine will not rotate properly
3. the wiring to or from the starter is at fault

As mentioned, the next step would be to put a wrench on the crank and make
sure it rotates by hand.  Assuming that it does, I would then assume that
the repair place bench tested the starter and move on from there to
wiring.  They certainly should have and I'd be surprised if they didn't.
Did you personally bench test it with a set of jumper cables?  Negative
clamps on the case and with the positive, you need to touch both the outer
lug and the spade connection. On to wiring...

I recently worked on an '82 vanagon that had a no crank situation.  The
battery cables looked passable.  I cleaned all the connections at the
battery and starter and could not get it to turn over at all.  Meter should
battery voltage at the spade terminal and at the lug/end of the positive
cable and showed zero resistance on the ground path.  I pulled the starter
and it tested fine.  I put it back in and there was still no crank.  I
bought two new battery cables and it went from no cranking to a whirr so
fast you couldn't distinguish compression pulses.

Long story short, if the engine cranks over by hand, the starter tests o.k.
on the bench and yet it won't turn over when you bridge the solenoid
positive lug and the spade sense terminal then replace the battery cables.


On Mon, Jun 11, 2012 at 7:08 AM, Bryan Belman <dieselwesty at yahoo.com> wrote:

> yeap, most likely going to have to get another starter, but I was hoping
> the starter repair place could have told me this, that is why I gave it to
> them.  I am sure they bench tested it and it worked fine before giving it
> back to me??
> I am sure it will work on the bench after I take it out this evening, but
> in the van it is not working???? arggg.  thanks Sandy.  If you want to send
> me the stuff you have on the internal workings of the VW starter, I will
> read it over, thanks.
>
>
> Bryan Belman, Pt. Pleasant, NJ
> 04 Jetta Wagon TDI PD, 100hp, 5sp -- running :<)
> 92 Jetta 1.6 Eco-Turbo Diesel, 5sp -- running :<)
> 82 Diesel Westy 1.9NA -- running :<)
> 70 Type 1 stock Elm Green Beetle -- Under Restoration :-)
>
> From: Sandy Cameron <scameron at storm.ca>
> To: Bryan Belman <dieselwesty at yahoo.com>; vwdiesel at audifans.com
> Sent: Monday, June 11, 2012 9:44 AM
> Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] starter issue in Diesel Vanagon
>
> Did you try running it on the bench?
>
> OLD PM starters sometimes develop magnet problems.
>
> I had one on a mercury outboard (same kind of internal ceramic magnets)
> where the magnets started to disintegrate, and along with loosing their
> magnetisim, started to come apart and eventually jammed the rotor.
>
> I've never seen a vanagon setup naked, so don't know how that starter is
> built. The car starters have a planetary gearset inside the motor caged in
> that infernal white plastic the Germans love so much.
>
> All plastics continue to outgas their softeners over the years and grow
> brittle, and eventually crumble. Yours may have grenaded and jammed the
> armature inside.
>
> If your engine is not locked, bench run ( jog) the starter to prove it's
> actually trying to turn.
>
> The fact that your solenoid slams in strongly shows the current is passing
> thru the motor, brushes, etc, which is how the solenoid gets it's pull-in
> current.
>
> I have a description of the 1.6 diesel car starter, and dismantle/assemble
> instructions I can send if you need it.
>
> Sandy
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