VW Golf TDI issue - not the starter motor... will it be the fly wheel?

[JohnGolfTDI]

Hi,

First post so apologies if in correct forum.. but

I own a VW Golf TDI mk5 and for about a month it was struggling to start. Then it stopped completley and since has not started at all - there is a clicking sound but nothing else. The AA came out and said it was the starter motor, checked the battery and although low said that was the likely cause.

Got someone out to fix it - they fixed a new starter motor, but nothing happened. They tested old and new, and both worked. The guy (after taking the money off me) said it was likely to be the fly wheel but couldnt view it without taking the clutch and fly wheel out.

Is it likely to be the fly wheel - is it possible that the mechanic who came out to fix it was trying a fast one?

Any help appreciated!

[zollaf]

welcome to the forum.
with the starter motor removed you can see and feel the ring gear where it will engage. no need to remove anything else. you may need a torch and a mirror to see well enough.

[turpal]

welcome to the forum.
with the starter motor removed you can see and feel the ring gear where it will engage. no need to remove anything else. you may need a torch and a mirror to see well enough.

like zolaf said mirror and tourch,he should`ve done the inspection prior to fitting a new one.The starter motor is not engaging because the bendex is not travelling far enough to bridge the starter rotor.I had a case where I fitted 2nd starter motor because the 1st one was causing intermittent failure to start.Inspect the flywheel 1st before you do anything else.By the way if its a Universal starter motor I`ve had a few faulty ones and used AC delco with 24months warranty and better quality.

[Teflon]

A test of a starter motor off the car won't tell you much - they will happily spin away when thy don't have enough power to stir a cup of coffee.

If the battery is low this also isn't going to help a fat lot. Try with some hefty jump leads and an additional battery for support. It has to be low for a reason. You also need to check leads and connections and a good clean up with emery does no harm.

When you come to inspect the flywheel you can pick up a boroscope camera for not many beer vouchers from places like CPC or else can hire them. It's better than using mirrors. You can also take the flywheel out of the equation by manually turning the engine by 1/4 turn. The ring gear tends to get chewed up most at two positions 180 degrees apart where the engine naturally stops most often.

Personally, I'd be amazed if it's the flywheel. Your symptoms of struggling for a month then failure point to something simpler. If by "struggling" you mean it sounded slow and laboured then it's very likely starter, battery, the copper between them or some combination of all three.

.