96 jetta will not start all the time

I have a 1996 VW Jetta 2.0 automatic, when I first got the car everything was working just fine then about 3 months latter I went out to start it and the car was tottaly dead. I jump started it and it ran just fine. About a month latter it did it to me again so I went and bought a new battery thinking that was the problem. It was running perfict for over a year and then it just started doing it again. I could jump start it and it would run fine for a few weeks then I would need to jump it again. Then it just got progresivly worse to the point now I have to jump start it every time I get in it. I had the battery checked and it is working just fine. Also it takes nothing to jump start the Jetta as soon as i connect the cables it takes right off. What is really getting under my skin is that the battery is not dead at all I never lose memory on my clock or radio presets.

I was thinking it might be a short in the starter/silinoid or something, am i going down the right path? I dont want to keep taking off good parts to have them tested getting me no where.

If anyone could help I will be very greatful

Reply to
dentdoc
Loading thread data ...

I'm sorry it is not an automatic it is a manual also it is gas and not diesel

Reply to
dentdoc

If the alternator is operating correctly................ It could be the trunk light is on and it drains the battery down over time.

Check for drains on the battery when the ignition is OFF.

Reply to
dave AKA vwdoc1

In article , wrote: #I have a 1996 VW Jetta 2.0 automatic, when I first got the car #everything was working just fine then about 3 months latter I went out #to start it and the car was tottaly dead. I jump started it and it ran #just fine. About a month latter it did it to me again so I went and #bought a new battery thinking that was the problem. It was running #perfict for over a year and then it just started doing it again. I #could jump start it and it would run fine for a few weeks then I would #need to jump it again. Then it just got progresivly worse to the point #now I have to jump start it every time I get in it. I had the battery #checked and it is working just fine. Also it takes nothing to jump #start the Jetta as soon as i connect the cables it takes right off. #What is really getting under my skin is that the battery is not dead at #all I never lose memory on my clock or radio presets. # #I was thinking it might be a short in the starter/silinoid or #something, am i going down the right path? I dont want to keep taking #off good parts to have them tested getting me no where. # #If anyone could help I will be very greatful

How do you jump the car? Do you do it "properly" with the red to the battery's positive and the black to a chassis ground?

Check the condition of the "big three" cables: Engine ground to chassis, Alternator to battery positive, and Battery ground to chassis.

/herb

Reply to
Herb Leong

"Battery is not dead" Did you load test it? How?

If not, it could be the battery. They can go bad slowly after only a year. You DO have electrolyte in it?

The other stuff is good advice. Just wanting to make sure you checked it properly.

Mark '95 Jetta GLS

Reply to
Mark Randol

I have a 1996 VW Jetta 2.0 automatic, when I first got the ca

everything was working just fine then about 3 months latter I went ou to start it and the car was tottaly dead. I jump started it and it ra just fine. About a month latter it did it to me again so I went an bought a new battery thinking that was the problem. It was runnin perfict for over a year and then it just started doing it again. could jump start it and it would run fine for a few weeks then I woul need to jump it again. Then it just got progresivly worse to the poin now I have to jump start it every time I get in it. I had the batter checked and it is working just fine. Also it takes nothing to jum start the Jetta as soon as i connect the cables it takes right off What is really getting under my skin is that the battery is not dead a all I never lose memory on my clock or radio presets

I was thinking it might be a short in the starter/silinoid o

something, am i going down the right path? I dont want to keep takin off good parts to have them tested getting me no where

If anyone could help I will be very greatfu

That sure sounds like you have a bad connection at your battery wires somewhere along the line. or a bad ground on the negative wire thats grounded to the body follow the negative cable to the ground on the body take it off and clean up the end of the wire and the contact patch where it screws into the body. do the same on the positive cable clean up the terminals on both wires using a battery post cleaner and see if that makes a difference if not. since there inexpensive i would change them both. makeing sure you closely match your new wires with the same gauge thickness of your old ones. a lot of times they could be coroded on the inside where you cant see it and lot of guys will waiste a bunch of money on different parts all to find out in the end that they had bad battery cables.! thats where i would star

-- johnin

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

View this thread:

formatting link
Send from
formatting link

Reply to
johnin

You could do a load test of the battery, Disconnect the the -ve cable and put a digital ammeter that has a capacity of at least 10 amps in series with the -ve battery cable. Of course this is with the engine off and all accessories turned and no key in the ignition. When you get this setup connected you should be drawing no more than 1 amp with all the doors closed, accessories off etc. If its more than 1 amp you have a drain on the battery. If this is the case then pull the fuses one at a time until the meter reading drops below 1 amp. Then look up what the fuse does and then you have the cause of your drain.

Reply to
wolfsburgnut

When it doesn't start how do you jump start it? Does it make any noise at all? My daughter's 97 Cabrio sometimes wouldn't start when the key was turned and it made no noises whatsoever. I diagnosed it to be the ignition switch and after replacing it there has been no problems.

If you think this is the problem........(MAKE SURE YOUR CAR IS IN NEUTRAL) Unplug the small wire from the starter solenoid and temporarily hold a piece of wire between the positive post of the battery and the solenoid (where you removed the plug) it will engage the starter. BE CAREFUL and make sure the transmission is in neutral or the car will run over you. If you do this and have the key in the run position it should start. If it starts using this method I would guess you need a new ignition switch but it could be other things including the switch that senses the clutch pedal being depressed. If it is the ignition switch you either need to a puller to remove the assembly under the steering wheel or you need to remove the steering column. The switch is held in by one small screw but to get at the head of the screw the assembly has to be pulled or the column removed. I opted to remove the column. Had it out in about 5 minutes but had a hard time getting it back in. Would have probably been easier had I used the proper puller and did it from the top but without the puller this method does work. For details on this procedure see:

formatting link
a great post. Hope this helps. (FYI: The ignition switch cost about $20 bucks. )

Reply to
Ron Rathburn

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.