Starter failure

[MadaRS180]

Hello, recently i changed the car battery after 5 years. Of course i took first the negative and then the positive terminal I secured them to not touch any metal, and i installed the new battery by first placing the positive terminal and then the negative.

Everything was fine the first three days, this morning i tried to start the car, it cranked and then stopped.

I tried to start it again and it didn’t crank at all, nothing happened.

There was white smoke coming out of the hood.

I assume the starter motor got burned.

Anyone experienced the same?

[PVRS]

Hello, could be the starter? 

 

First just check your battery cables are tight still? And put a multimeter across the new battery aswell just to check its at least 12.6V.

 

What engine do you have? Mine is the 2.0TDi and if you remove the air filter housing you can inspect the starter. Could be a lot of corrision, perished braided cable or faulty starter? Either way its not too hard to get to and test. 

 

If you have a multimeter and are reasonably competant you can test for voltage at the starter (at least 12V) and voltage from the signal wire (5V if I remember right) when turning the key. If you have both and the starter does nothing then you'll need a new one.

 

 

[MadaRS180]

Tomorrow i’ll check the battery and the starter. The cables are tight on the battery, I have a 2010 TDI CR CEGA.

If i remember right i’ve seen a lot of corrosion on the starter but i don’t remember if it was the starter or the alternator. 

Thanks for answering, I’ll come back with news, hopefully.

[J.R.]

3 hours ago, MadaRS180 said:

There was white smoke coming out of the hood.

Not an encouraging sign and unlikely to be from a loose or corroded terminal.

 

OTOH I cranked my MK1 several times for up to 10 minutes trying to purge the system when I had fuel sensor problems and ran out a few times (before I learned how to bleed injectors and the pump), one time the starter was smoking so I stopped and it carried on functioning for years in the future so the factory fitted starters can be remarkably robust.

[J.R.]

2 hours ago, PVRS said:

If you have a multimeter and are reasonably competant you can test for voltage at the starter (at least 12V) and voltage from the signal wire (5V if I remember right) when turning the key. If you have both and the starter does nothing then you'll need a new one.

 

Given the requirement to be reasonably competent I am surprised you say a new starter is required, there are several possible faults all of which could be resolved with zero expense by said reasonably competent person.

 

 

[StevesTruck]

I'd start by giving things a thorough inspection first for signs of being the source of the smoke, was there a little or a lot? Any wiring looking crispy?

 

Check voltage and load test the battery, even if it's just as far as sticking the headlights on and see if they go dim over 30 seconds/1 min. 

 

Once that's done, get a helper to turn the car over and see if you can hear the starter solenoid click. 

 

Check fuses, clean connections, see if there's a voltage at the solenoid/exciter wire. I believe this is meant to be 12v, someone else said 5v though, so verify. Then if it is 12v, and it's easy to get to, bodge a test wire to it to see if it drops the solenoid and turns over. 

 

If everything else is good, get someone to turn the key and give the starter motor a smack 

[MadaRS180]

The cables are looking good there is not even a sign of crispy cables.

With the old battery everything was fine. If there was a relay or a fuse I should get something on VCDS right?

I’ll try to see tomorrow if I can do something.

As i said the battery is brand new, i drove the car and the next morning this happened.

By the way there was a small amount of smoke, and it came from the battery/relay box i think, giving the smoke position.

Edited 18 November, 2023 by MadaRS180

[MadaRS180]

I think i have found the problem.

Anyone knows what it’s the power of the starter, is it 2.0kW? 

I can’t read the part number as it’s corroded, and it’s unreadable 

[Breezy_Pete]

Yes, I think 2kW. And yes, that looks very much like the problem. 

[J.R.]

2nd one in as many weeks with corroded braid, easily repairable if you have the tools, material and inclination.

[MadaRS180]

Done, after i replaced the starter. Everything went back to normal.