300 TDi Auto random no starter motor action...g

**Nomad9** · 15th January 2012, 08:20 PM

Hi Forumites,
A minor problem......... I hope. I recently got the vehicle but judging by things I've found I suspect this was and now is an on going problem. When I first bought the car started first go every time, more or less.
Took the vehicle for some body repairs and on picking the vehicle up the engine wouldn't start, wouldn't turn. Then after a few flicks of the key, some button pushing and some choice words the engine burst into life.
Engine out to fix oil leaks, general rebuild fitted a spare starter that I know works. Came to turn the engine over to circulate oil not a whisper, oh..... new battery fitted as part of the major o/haul. Again flicked a few buttons, moved the auto shift nothing. Holding / moving slightly the transfer stick with the key in the go position the engine suddenly starts turning, and did do for the rest of the day as as when I needed it to.
Today, finished off fitting the auxiliary parts, plus the glow plugs came to actually start the engine nothing, doesn't turn.
The dash lights stay at their normal brightness after they have been through the start cycle, when the key is turned into the go position the lights stay as bright as normal.
What I do notice is that all the auxiliary lights go dim to off, these are the radio, the gearbox shift centre console lights and the plug pushed into the cigarette lighter.
Could this be an auto box inhibitor switch fault? Is this a common fault? Is there anything else that can be causing this? What I have noticed is that the brown lead coming off the positive terminal is quite warm to the touch, so warm that the past owner has had to replace the insulation with new insulation tape, hence the reason I think this has been an ongoing problem for a while before I got the vehicle.
Anybody got anything else I can check with out having to carry out open heart surgery one either the engine or the gearbox...........
All constructive comments and assistance gratefully accepted.

Yours Marty

**bigcarle** · 16th January 2012, 07:14 AM

sound like inhibitor to me, the clue being if you jiggle the shift lever it will kick in, but more knowledgeable minds should be along shortly

**Blknight.aus** · 16th January 2012, 07:50 AM

I'll back that as a likely suspect.

**Nomad9** · 16th January 2012, 11:20 AM

Hi Guys,
No amount of jiggling or rooting around with the auto shift or the transfer case shift resulted in the engine turning over.
I spoke to TRS this morning and apprently there is a relay associated with the alarm system that inhibits the starter motor circuit which displays similar sorts of sysmtoms, the relay is behind the radio so I'm going into the dash board tonight. This alarm system relay apprently is quite troublesome, so much so there is a standard bypass plug for the unit which I have duly purchased.
I'll now wait for that to arrive and see what happens.......... I'll let you know.

Yours Marty

**Blknight.aus** · 16th January 2012, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Nomad9

Hi Guys,
No amount of jiggling or rooting around with the auto shift or the transfer case shift resulted in the engine turning over.
I spoke to TRS this morning and apprently there is a relay associated with the alarm system that inhibits the starter motor circuit which displays similar sorts of sysmtoms, the relay is behind the radio so I'm going into the dash board tonight. This alarm system relay apprently is quite troublesome, so much so there is a standard bypass plug for the unit which I have duly purchased.
I'll now wait for that to arrive and see what happens.......... I'll let you know.

Yours Marty

yep the dreaded spider, PITA, plenty of info out there on how to bypass it.

**Nomad9** · 16th January 2012, 08:59 PM

Hi Forumites,
Just as closure on this problem, I took the dashboard apart tonight and extracted the spider from within the bowels of the dashboard, no mean feat getting to this either. Anyway as long as the thumbnail works you can see the failed soldered connection. The tip of the screw driver points to the failed connection.
I now await the bypass part from TRS, hopefully back on the road again then.

**Blknight.aus** · 16th January 2012, 10:19 PM

since you're handy enough to get that far....

I have a challange (you can use the interporn and google if you need) for you...

see if you cant work out how to make your own bypass with the existing unit, 4 bits of wire, your soldering iron and a pair of fine nose side cutters.

**Nomad9** · 17th January 2012, 11:28 AM

Hi Dave,
See what you think, look OK?

**loanrangie** · 17th January 2012, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Nomad9

Hi Forumites,
Just as closure on this problem, I took the dashboard apart tonight and extracted the spider from within the bowels of the dashboard, no mean feat getting to this either. Anyway as long as the thumbnail works you can see the failed soldered connection. The tip of the screw driver points to the failed connection.
I now await the bypass part from TRS, hopefully back on the road again then.

Why not just resolder it ? i wired in a bypass but will be pulling mine out to repair in the next week.

**Blknight.aus** · 17th January 2012, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by Nomad9

Hi Dave,
See what you think, look OK?

looks about right to me...

BONUS points.

can you now do it using 2 SPDT or one DPDT relay(s) so it can have either normal operation or bypassed?

(I'll settle for a schematic drawing of it if you dont actually want to do it)

Thread: 300 TDi Auto random no starter motor action...g

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300 TDi Auto random no starter motor action...g

The jiggle didn't fix it.

Found it!!! Spider problem.........

So how did I go?

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