Car wont start...
 

So, lets set the scene.....

Its 5am. You have a 3 week old son, who wakes regularly, a 20 month old daughter who wakes randomly and due to IT related disasters the night before bedtime was the wrong side of 11pm.

I'm due with Ben at AVP between 7 and 8, and then onto Birmingham around 10am for meetings.

Its hurling it down with good old fashioned Yorkshire rain, and despite the change in clocks, at 5am its still pitch black.

So, with best shoes, trousers and all kitted out to look professional I hop into my A8 with slightly bleary eyes and turn the key.

Confused by the lashing rain, some poor taste in music blaring and the blowers taking off at supersonic speed after turning the key I cant quite comprehend the rev counter failing to lift.....

... so, back her off and recrank....

Nothing. :Confused:

ok, music off, blowers off, rub sleep from eye, key out, back in, check we're in park and crank..... but nothing. Worked last night at 22:30...

Ar5e.

No cranking but no dipping of instrument cluster, battery looks good, everything else is alive. Wiggled the gear shifter through the gears and back to Neutral. Still no start. Back into Park, still no start. Put it in Drive and same effect - Still no start. hmm.

Clock ticking.

I rule out battery as cause as everything else is lit up fine, and no dip in lighting suggests power isnt even been drawn, so I guess a problem with either inhibitor or the power supply block to the starter motor, the latter of which is a common problem.

05:30

So, quickly get changed... Ssshh... (kids all asleep now I'm not trying to sleep) and out with the Jack. Front drivers wheel off, lining off, check connection.

05:45

Nope, rock solid.

Try to start again, stood outside the car, and there is a slight clicking noise, like the starter is trying to move, but cant ?

This is where having a manual D2 would be a real bonus.... :(

Running out of time now, and certainly cant do anything if the starter or solenoid are failed - Last ditch attempt was to pop the battery booster on and see if it did make any more attempt to spring into life.

It didnt spring into life, but the single click definitely sounded more like a electrical spark...:Confused:

Now, I really dont know what it is, and its heading towards 6am. I cant get my car to AVP (double ar5e) and so will have to get the chuffin train to Birmingham... oh joy.

Its sat on my drive now, and it will sit there till Friday when I have a chance to look at it I guess..... Ggrrrrr... :rolleyes:

Sounds a little like what happened to my A8, Ben sorted that out. Can't remember what exactly was wrong with it now burnt out ignition switch maybe? Thread on it is here somewhere, I will have a dig for it.

Edit:

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1023

Bad Earth? :mad:

I had this with my V6 was a dead starter motor.... no warning started it after work @ 2am turned off tried to start 5 mins later nuttin....grrrr had to get lorry home.....

Issue with Amar's was starter inhibitor relay in pass' footwell. Hope you get it sorted mate! +++

Thanks Ben - Well, Im not sure I could be so lucky for a simple fix like that but I have been in the electrics box a few times recently... :rolleyes:

I'll check it out +++

I have a standby starter motor arriving at my house any time now just in case its nothing simple... ;)

Earths look good, inhibitor relay is good, changed it anyway and still same symptoms. Defo looking like a starter fault, so changing the starter here we go....

got my fingers cross.............

Not hard enough it seems.... :(

The starter motor is effectively trapped in place by one of the left hand side engine brackets. Both Elsawin and Mikes efforts changing his starter say that this engine mount needs removing to gain access, which I totally see as being the case after some investigation....

Unfortunately at some point someone has rounded off the allen head of the least accessible bolt making it impossible for me to take this any further forward without ramps and proper support for the engine, which I I don't have ready access to. I can only blame the guys who changed the A8 engine for an S8 engine before I got it, I cant see any reason any one else would have been in there really....

To add insult to all my injury, after fannying around for a few hours and eventually loosely putting everything back together for transit on a trailer, the dam thing now starts.... :rolleyes:

I don't trust it though, I guess either the solenoid or motor itself enjoyed having their bolts loosened but without actually changing the part out I don't think I could trust it enough to rely on it daily.

I'm hoping Ben at AVP might be able to fit it in for a remedial session, otherwise I'll have to hire a car... I aint going on the bloody train again !!!!

I'll post some piccies of my efforts once I've warmed up, cleaned up and got a nice cold beer inside me +++

Hope you get it sorted and this doesn't turn into a nightmare, I may be at Ben's tomorrow picking up my S8 so let me know if I can help in anyway with a lift to the train station etc... +++

roflmao :rofl:

Okay, to Hertz then... :ROFL:

Lift back to Harrogate would be lurvly +++

Bens a busy chap, I've no idea if and when he might be able to squeeze me in, so I doubt our paths are going to cross this time, great news you're getting your S8 back though, and thanks for the offer +++

I know its a different car/ engine...but... they reckon you have to take the engine mount off the Passat engine too but i managed without... I had to take the wires off the starter motor first and put a jack under the engine mount to give me that extra few mill of clearance then by turning it and getting it at just the right angle i could just get it clear of the gearbox and take it out through the wheelarch took about 2 hours the first time but was easier the second time, second time because having bolted it all up i realised i couldnt refit the wires with it in place grrrrrr...was a bitch of a job but easier than taking the engine mount off... just saying...

Well, my baby is with Ben now for the starting problem sorting out.... annoyingly, it started perfectly loads of times recently, but every time I had it booked in with Ben, it wouldnt start the morning of the journey.... :mad:

So, took no chances and booked a trailer ride for her, and to further pee me off it started fine to drive onto the trailer, and started fine to drive it off.... It then started fine several times outside Bens place.... :hammer:

Anyway, lets hope it fails at least once whilst its with Ben and I'll feel slightly better.....:rolleyes:

The damn thing has started perfectly with no fault at all so far. As discussed earlier mate, the starter is no on it's way out and will be done later. I'll call later to discuss any other issues etc and then get gearbox seal done etc.

The only issue was the batt went flat this morning for the first time and that invertor mounted above the battery is HUGE!! Proper piece of kit that!+++

well, I guess you can see why I was so confident I would just 'drive it down' to you :rolleyes:

.... only it wont ever start when its dark apparently... :D

Its a good job I love her, or she'd be queued up for the chop by now +++

Please don't ever chop that beauty, you can px an chop mine in instead. +++

Mmmmmmmmm chops! Time for dinner............

Well, picked her up from Bens last Friday morning, and *touch wood* shes started every time since, including this morning when it was both (a) Cold and (b) critical that she started +++

.... and I've fallen in love all over again .... :love:

Defo worth the wait to get her right, she needs a few minor service items sorting but it didnt stop me wafting along at circa 70 this morning in total comfort and luxury, that is, compared to the torrent of mid-sized rep-mobiles that were drifing down the motorway with me....

I'm getting on better with the RNS-E now too - Singh originally showed some frustrations about it, which I shared, given that you lose the DIS, and it does some other things we RNS-D users arent used to, but now I'm certainly converted fully...

Oh no, I have to drive from Birmingham to Heathrow tonight... How ever will I cope....

I guess I'll manage.... :ROFL:

Good to hear all is well with the car Ian, I've come around to the RNS E way of thinking now too after fiddling around with the settings the nav is now much easier to read. +++