Re: [T3] Quick Story and Starter Solenoid

["Dave Hall" <dave@hallvw.clara.co.uk>]

> Question:  Is it practical for me to just rebuild the solenoid myself?  Or
> should I just get a new (rebuilt) one and turn the old one in as a core?

Stop!   It's almost certainly not the solenoid.
Before you spend dollars on a replacement, take a look at the page on my website
dealing with this problem.  It's one of the most baffling perennial problems
suffered by all air-cooled VWs, but it is usually fairly simple to sort out, at
least with a few years respite.  I first had this happen to me in the mid-70s
(year!) in a 6V '64 Variant.  It becomes bad after long hot journeys, but can
then be fine for months after, until the next long journey.  In most cases a
good clean of the starter motor brush/commutator area will solve the problem for
several years.  Hitting (tapping) with a hammer shakes the brushes in their
holders and makes a better contact.  Since the brushes are part of the initial
circuit to make the starter motor pre-engage, a bad contact in that circuit
stops anything happening.

You may find doing a quick restart immediately after stopping will be enough to
re-set the brushes and ensure it starts next time.  Jim found that worked coming
back from Parma, but then so did Russe shorting the terminals with a quarter!

http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/starter.htm

Dave.
UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club
http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/
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