Engine won't crank

If it won't "bump" start as you did the first time, I would imediately check the battery cable connection at the starter....  If that is clean and tight, it may be in the ignition switch...

My .02...  

How old is this strong battery that spins the fuel pump just fine?

I suspect that you have a dead spot on the starter armature - this is reasonably common and usually gives the symptoms you describe (the starter is left in a position where no electrical contact is made inside of the starter housing when the key is turned.  This can sometimes be temporarily "cured" by rapping the side of the starter with a hammer or "bump starting" the engine, but not always).

Find a local starter rebuild shop (check your yellow pages under "automotive electric") and see if they'll pull it for you, rebuild it that day and put it back.  Some shops will, some won't.   If they won't, get a mechanic to pull the starter, then get it over to the starter shop to get it rebuilt.  Replace it once done and you should be good to go.  

I would try the easiest potential solutions prior to pulling the starter off.  Check battery voltage with a volt/ohm meter.  A good battery will show 13.2-14V or so at the terminals.  You may have enough voltage to turn the fuel pump, but not enoght for the starter.  Meters are cheap if you don't have one, and necessary for a variety of small fixes you can learn to do.  Whatever the solution. please let others know so that we all learn.  Best of luck!

I am going to go with the dead spot on the starter, I recall I had one that by rocking the car in gear and then, it would crank start.

Im with Alan on this. Same problem with my old bug and my van.

Its Not a big deal to pull and service a starter.  you can sand a amature  and if the brushes are worn down  you can unsolder and replace them  many autopart store do carry the brushes     you can even adjust the solenoid and   but to clean and service and adjust the solenod contact you have to unsolder the 2 wires on the battery cable cap .  I've done it a few times with excelent results every single time for me and a few other people.

Its  not hard to save a bunch of mooolaa  on a vw starter  by reconditioning it.

Making some progress , her is what I did.

1) Not sure on battery age, was in car when I bought it in October.

2) Got the the starter and solenoid, seems tight to engine and all connections tight and dry  but ooks older (not rebuilt)

3) Sprayed connections with electric contact protector

4) wrapped the soenoid with a wrench be the good books instructions.

5) still would not crank

6) continued to rock in gear but still would not crank

7) put charger on battery for about 5 minutes, continued to rock and it finally cranked. (was it the charge or the rocking that did it?)

8) cranked 3-4 more times never letting it start on purpose (garage is closed) then it stopped cranking (it got hung up again it seemed)

9) rocked it again a few more times and then it cranked again.

I think Gordon and Alan are right. It seems by continuing to crank it found the dead spot again and I had to rock it off of it.

Now that I can start it I think I will go with having it looked at and either rebuild or replaced as I do not have a lift to get completely under it.

Thanks all for your timely input!

It's time to invest in a carmercial grade floor jack.. oh i do replace try to get a heavy duty versonit has 4 brushes in it that or the new reduction drive jobs

If you find that it is the starter, Advance Auto Parts has decent inexpensive rebuilts. I recommend that you get a starter for an "VW Auto Stick" trans, these are more durable and also have a nose cone that self supports the bendix shaft and do not need a bushing replaced in the bell housing.

Robert Bosch versions of the type 3 are always the heavyduty ones    but  I'd ask and see what they offer

I just installed a hard start kit in my buddys 6 volt 63 beetle.  What a difference that made!!!  They make them for 12 v also. You get more juice to the starter and makes hot starts a lot easier!  You can find them on The Samba sight.  Tom

conections&good cables are a must. I have a hot start kit on my bug, it wont work with out it.I also have an imi starter(gear reduction) it wouldnt work with out the hopt start kit either.all I can figure is the old wires&how long they are is just too much for the starter silonoid to pull in. could also be the contacts in the ig switch. I use a ford silonoin for my hot start kit, I had one of the small black icecube sized relays that comes with the"hot start kits " on there, but 1 day after washing the car&spraying under it the silonoid relay got water in it. and as we were washing my wifes car my bug started driving across the street into the woods by it's self, as it was in gear .WTF????the keys were in my pocket stearing was locked. car stoped when it was burryed in thickets&bushes.

Interesting comments about the hard start issue. Mechanic thinks a hard start kit will do it based on the length of the cable from front to back. Fingers crossed to see if that works.

As long as you have the correct gauge wiring going from front to back, it shouldn't make any difference at all, I've done 5m of cable in a truck once for an audio system and it worked just fine withe the stock charging/ starter system. 

My advice?...........just get the starter serviced. There's no need to be adding extra stuff to the system if it was working just fine before. Also have a look at your current wiring that goes from front to back.

You need to "start" at on end and go the the other to confirm a starter issue.

Starter cranks sometimes so rule out  the cable size unless it's visably undersized

Confirm 12v plus at the battery ( load test to confirm you donlt have a bad cell)

Confirm battery terminals are tight.

Check Ignition switch connections

Confirm connections on solenoid are tight

Check that starter is not loose in bell housing (this would crerate a bad ground)

When you run into a no start, jump the hot to start terminals on the ignition switch if it cranks = bad switch.

Lastly pull the starter and have it checked out

Thanks all I will follow this path and keep you posted

Scuz mya' spell'n... I was in a hurry ~

 It could also be that the starter brushes are worn way down..  A quick way to find out is to peck on the starter with a medium ball pin hammer while someone holds the switch over  . Dont  hit it real hard just jar it good..

To add to Alan Merklins list, check the battery ground cable(both ends, clean it!) and make sure you have at least two ground straps, I run from the engine to the frame and from the trans to the frame. Scrape the paint off and use a star washer to get good contact. You can paint over it after so it won't rust.

But, it sounds like starter to me. I had a stock starter that would heat soak on me. Never would start at a gas station after a summertime fillup. Embarassing! Switched to a IMI 101 and problem disappeared completely. 

Danny,

is the high torque IMI 101 a straight, no fuss, swap?

I put the imi 101 on my bug, almost straight swap, but the imi dosent have the flat to hold the bellhousing bolt from turning, you can either get a new bolt&hold it with a wrench or socket or If I remember corectly I mad a washer that would hold the oe bolt&the starter ,but it's been a few years so i dont remember exzactly what I did, I may of bent it &knotched the washer or I may of welded it to the bolt&added a flat so it would hole the starter.if you have a spair trans you could do it a lot easyer mocking it up getting it right befor going downunder.

Yes, Carl, it was on my Spyder. But, on a Spyder we get to see the entire engine and trans from above and below. So I can use two wrenches. You could weld a triangle on the bolt and/or nut(I forget how it is configured) to hold it in from spinning while you tighten from the other side. 

I put one on while doing my conversion last winter, Carl...no big deal. There's always something there to lean or jamb a wrench against. You'll need one with the Soob, the autostick VW unit won't cut it.

All of the reduction drive Vw starters will bolt right on.   and have a supported bendix like the type 3 .. the IMI is a good one..

 Triange on the bolt head and it goes in from the starter side making you fight the nut and washer on behind the fan shroud like al lolder bugs are done.