Start problem

[Dee]

Garage can't seem to find starting fault ,not battery not starter,don't want to throw anymore money at it .

So if no joy today I will be selling it .

2007 A6 2.0 TDI s line.auto.  drives spot on ,just had new flywheel and gearbox oil change .mot till aug, loads of new parts on it ,bills to prove.looking for best offers .

[Magnet]

Hello Dee,

I think there are too many variables here and not enough detail to to be able to offer meaningful advice. It now appears that the car is at a repair garage and it would be reasonable to suggest that if they are competent and can't source the issue with the car at hand, then it doesn't give the rest of us much hope of diagnosing it at a distance.

Some questions I would ask:- Checks carried out to confirm the starter motor is getting power? Earths OK? Was the original starter checked for serviceability prior to replacing it? Has the new motor been checked off the car to ensure it is serviceable? ( you can't seem to simply accept that new equals serviceable anymore).When you say it isn't turning over, do you mean the starter motor is not spinning? Flywheel changed - why? Did this non turning over issue coincide with this change?  Any possibility the wrong flywheel has been fitted, and the starter is spinning but not engaging?

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Dee]

Hi Gareth, the garage said it could be crankshaft sensor, waiting to hear from them today,probktwas there before flywheel started to go ,rattle on start up .

They took old starter motor out and tested it on bench ,said it was turning but maybe not fast enough to turn engine, fitted new starter but same problem. When you turn key engine turns breifly then stops just the same as if you had a flat battery,the dashboard lights flicker same time . battery been checked it's good . problem is just spent £700 on flywheel and gearbox oil change and can't really afford to be spending a lot more on diagnostic ,I'm a taxi driver and been off road for a week already.

[Trevor]

Hi Dee

I think Gareth has already mentioned the earth connections.
If it was me diagnosing it in my workshop and I knew the battery was 100% then I would definitely be placing supplementary earth leads onto the engine to ensure the current has a good chance of flowing through the starter motor and reaching the ancillary components at the same time.

Sometimes when you remove and refit gearboxes, earth cables can go back on but not make sufficient effective electrical contact, hence the reason for supplementary cables (jump leads will do) to enhance the chassis earth return. Equally, corrosion can set into loose cables (noticeable by green corrosion (verdigris) deposits around the earth connection points).

[niedzial1983]

Most common issue is the ignition barrel failure 

When you put in thr key in does the car dash lights up ?