Re: Will the car start? No one knows...

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

Jeff;

    The click you are hearing is the starter solenoid engaging, but there is
not enough power to turn the starter.
    If your battery is in good shape, check the connections on the battery,
the starter and the solenoid to make sure they are clean and tight. These
connections often get corroded with time and result in poor starter
performance.
    A common problem with Audi starters is corrosion of the braided copper
wire connecting the lower solenoid terminal to the field windings in the
starter. If this looks corroded, grab it and give it a gentle tug. If it
falls apart in your fingers, you have found your problem. The cure for this
one is a new starter, unless you want to try to cobble up a new cable - it
has been done.
    If all this looks OK, check the ground straps connecting the engine to
the car body. If these are OK and the starter still doesn't work, pull the
starter and field test the solenoid for action and the starter for rotation.
If the starter runs when 12v is applied directly, replace the solenoid. If
the starter doesn't run, repair or replace it.

HTH

Fred Munro
'91 200q  263k km

Jeff O'Brien wrote:


>I own an '84 5000S.
>
>Sometimes when I turn the key to start the car, it just clicks, like I have
>a dead battery, and the vacuum pump or whatever it is stops.... I then
>unhook the + connection and rehook it up, and it'll be the same thing, or
>sometimes it will go click-click-click-click really fast and the tach will
>begin to move up--- but still no noise from the engine. So I'll get out of
>the car, swear a bit, maybe even kick the tires, I dunno, then I'll get
back
>in, try hooking the battery up again, and presto-- it starts.
>
>I don't think that this is a bad connection on the battery, it seems fairly
>secure.
>
>So...............
>
>
>
>Jeff O'Brien