Went out to the car, turned the key, and nothing. All lights, etc work, but the starter does not turn at all.

I've had this happen twice before, leading to the new battery and starter and relay. Each time I replaced something, it began to work again and would be fine for a few months.

Here's what I've checked so far:

1. New battery
2. 12v at starter
3. New starter
4. Ground straps and connectors in spare wheel area cleaned
5. New starter relay (XIV)
6. Measurements on relay:
12v at location 30 with ignition on
attempted to bypass 30 to 87 - no starter action
good grounds at relay
7. Attempted the "wiggle the ignition key" trick - unsuccessful

So, I climbed under the car and jumped the solenoid with a wire, getting a quick surge to the starter. Got back in the car, turned the key, and voila, the starter turns right over, as if nothing was ever wrong! Seems that the sudden surge corrected the problem (temporarily, I'm sure).

Is the problem along the wires that go/come from the multiconnector in the front passenger side (near the jump start terminal)?

Anyone ever rig a "bypass" switch to jump the solenoid in these situations (so that you don't have to climb under the car - naturally this happens when you have nice clothes on)? If so, let me know the details!

 

As you did not indicate the conditions under which it does not start, this may or may not be a solution to your problem:

http://www.928oc.org/tip/hotstart.jpg

 

Thanks, Randy. But unfortunately, the engine was not hot. And I couldn't get it to start for a day.

 

Two possible areas are the engine to chassis ground cable is bad/dirty and/or the starter solenoid internal contacts are burnt.

Dennis

 

Thanks, Dennis.

I'm assuming that the solenoid internals are ok in the new starter (as the solenoid is part of the Bosch starter, and, therefore new as well).

Last I looked at the engine to chassis ground, it looked fine.

Any other thoughts?

 

Another possible problem area could be the positive battery cable itself. I've had 2 that the ends looked good but were corroded under the insulation. May want to resistance test yours and compare the readings to a known good cable.

Dennis

 

Just reread your reply. The engine to chassis ground cable may "look good" but did you remove and clean the contact surfaces? If you check the archives you will see that most intermittant electrical problems are caused by bad grounds.

Dennis

 

Thanks, Dennis. I'll double check on both of those.

 

Last night I checked on the 14-pin connector and I think I found the problem. The ceramic connector was broken and falling apart!

Of course, the connectors were somewhat corroded, so I cleaned all of them. And will order a new connector from 928 Specialists Monday.

I also discovered that if you jump pin 12 (light green, always has 12v on) to pin 14 (large yellow wire to starter) the starter engages. Might be a quick fix if the starter's not working and you're stuck somewhere. (ie carry some extra wire around)