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2000 VW Beetle - Ring Gear Condition? Starter won't stay engaged.
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psteichen
New User
Jan 29, 2014, 10:00 AM
Post #1 of 6
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2000 VW Beetle - Ring Gear Condition? Starter won't stay engaged.
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Okay, I have a problem I've been dealing with for a few winters now on my 2000 Beetle TDI. When it gets cold (like below 10 deg F, -12 deg C) the starter turns over quickly, but refuses to stay engaged. It will turn the engine over a few times, but will then disengage from the ring gear and spool up to high RPMs, grinding the bendix into the gear but not turning over the engine. The colder it is the worse this gets. Several times now I've not been able to get it started at all because of this.
So a few weeks back I decided to include a new starter in a long list of maintenance items I had time to work on. I changed the starter, the timing belt/water pump, burned out the intake, new EGR, new MAF, fuel filter, etc.
I bought a rebuilt Duralast starter from Autozone.com. When it showed up at my door one of the two screws that hold the retaining cap on the back of the motor was broken off. Not wanting to resort to easyouts on a newly purchased item, I exchanged it for another Duralast rebuilt. This one looked good on initial inspection, so I installed it.
Now the problem is even worse than before! Where the old one would turn the engine over a few times before kicking back out, this new one won't even turn it over half a revolution when its cold. I got stuck an hour and a half away from home with a car that wouldn't start because it got a little chilly outside.
So I need some advice. Is it possible that this rebuilt starter has the same problem as my old one? I'm thinking a week solenoid... Or can anyone think of another reason this would happen when a starter/engine is cold?
Or is my ring gear shot? I've changed a bad ring gear on an old tractor once and it was in pretty bad shape....like the teeth were half worn off....and it still started okay, but we changed it anyway. The ring gear on this TDI looks almost perfect. I had my kid slowly turn the engine over with a wrench while I inspected the teeth through the starter hole while the starter was out. It looks pretty darned good in my opinion, but then again I've never diagnosed a ring gear on an engine this small before. I am attaching a photo I took with my phone of a representative section of teeth on the ring gear. Could some of you folks please take a look at it and give me your thoughts on it? I'd sure hate to have to change the ring gear, but I can't think of any other causes for this, besides a crappy rebuild on the starter I bought....which is certainly possible.
Thanks for any advice you folks can offer me. I also wouldn't mind a few comments from those who have replaced a ring gear on this engine in a Beetle, as to how hard it was, etc.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
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Jan 29, 2014, 10:52 AM
Post #2 of 6
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Re: 2000 VW Beetle - Ring Gear Condition? Starter won't stay engaged.
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Up front problem is the ring gear. It has to go. Some are separate or not but has to go. Hope it didn't wreck starter too,
T
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jan 29, 2014, 6:48 PM
Post #3 of 6
(1839 views)
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Re: 2000 VW Beetle - Ring Gear Condition? Starter won't stay engaged.
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I'm looking at the picture. To me the ring gear doesn't look bad, at least in that section.
I'd do a voltage drop test on the battery cables while cranking the engine, just be be sure you don't have any excessive resistance after making sure the battery tests good and it has good clean connections.
It would also be a good idea to monitor the solenoid trigger wire to make sure you have a steady supply of voltage. Don't know if you will be able to see it dropping off with a volt meter though. You may have to stick a 12 volt test light on it and watch it while someone cranks the engine. You could also run a hot jumper to the solenoid trigger terminal just to see if the starter doesn't bounce the starter drive off the flywheel.
You never know what you'll get with a reman starter. The one you got may be worse off than the one that was on there....LOL
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Jan 29, 2014, 6:53 PM)
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
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Jan 30, 2014, 5:04 AM
Post #4 of 6
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Re: 2000 VW Beetle - Ring Gear Condition? Starter won't stay engaged.
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DS? I dunno what happened to that pic. First view it was several scrolls wide showing about 5 teeth completely missing and now it doesn't show that???? No indication that the post was fussed with either but I saw it early?? Tom
Edit - not the same pic but as bad as this one.............
(This post was edited by Tom Greenleaf on Jan 30, 2014, 5:08 AM)
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
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Jan 30, 2014, 5:45 AM
Post #5 of 6
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Re: 2000 VW Beetle - Ring Gear Condition? Starter won't stay engaged.
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If the OP's VW's ring gear looks anything like the picture you posted Tom, it is going to have to go see the dentist.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Jan 30, 2014, 5:46 AM)
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
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Jan 30, 2014, 6:06 AM
Post #6 of 6
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Re: 2000 VW Beetle - Ring Gear Condition? Starter won't stay engaged.
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Perhaps I messed up but my first reply to it showed it was hopeless. Worn IMO such that on that spot it wouldn't even let starter touch and screech in too long an area hence my reply that it must go whatever it takes.
Was going to comment that the problem is usually from engaging starter while engines are already running but not always.
OP, can you post just the spot with the missing teeth again or if I mess up from what I saw I apologize, Tom
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