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On 23 Jun 2002, at 21:17, Mark Healey wrote: > I turn the key and hear the starter whirring without the motor > turning. I get out and tap it with a hammer and it works. I assume > it is the solenoid. The solenoid does 2 things: It pulls the drive gear into engagement with the flywheel ring gear, and it closes the contacts that send power to the starter. These contacts only close after the drive gear is mostly engaged with the ring gear. The fact that you can hear the starter spinning means that the solenoid is working and that it is engaged with the ring gear. The only reason why it is spinning "freely" is that overrunning clutch, also called the Bendix, is slipping. I think this is rare in Bosch starters, but anything is possible. The solution is to do anything that will result in replacing the Bendix. The easiest way is to exchange for a used or rebuilt one. You can also buy a new Bendix, but this is almost as expensive and then you have to take the starter completely apart to install it. Don't be fooled by the fact that the Bendix seems fine when you take it out. The torque you can exert by hand is almost always insufficient to make it slip. - Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711-3054 USA ------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <type3-off@vwtype3.org> For more help, see http://vwtype3.org/list/