If You Start Me Up, Start Me Up I'll Never Stop...

71 Ghia, SOMETIMES cranks and starts on the 1st or 2nd turn of the key; USUALLY by the 4th or 5th turn... and sometimes takes 11 or twelve. But it always starts, eventually.

What could cause something like that? Drives me crazy and I'm scared of getting stranded somewhere one of these days.

New-ish battery, cables are clean, car's always garaged. The key gets a little tricky in the ignition switch, sometimes.

Pat, Losing What's Left of his Mind, here. 57Horses@gmail.com

I had a similar problem that turned out to be in the ignition switch. I could spin the starter but there was no 12 volts at the coil during the start cycle. The 12 volts was there in the run position but went away when I turned the key to start.

Took a while to figure that one out............so learn from my misshaps.

Get a meter and stick it on the positive of the coil and have someone start the motor.

Sounds like you might have a weak spark? Look and see if your points are pitted, or if there's some junk between the contacts.

Do you mean, that the car will crank and crank and crank, and the motor just won't fire, or do you mean, you can turn the key and nothing happens, as if the battery isn't there?

can turn the key and nothing happens, as if the battery isn't there. Radio, lights and clock work with the key turned, but the engine does nothing until the 3rd-4th-10th turn. Then, it starts fine! Weird.

Looking for advice, opinions, or six lucky numbers for tonight's lottery!

sound like the ignition switch itself. to make sure, go to the starter and find the small wire to the starter. stick a volt meter on it, and have someone turn the key, and see if you get voltage. if you get voltage, and it doesn't start, its the starter (bad solenoid). if you don't get voltage, its most likely the ignition switch (tho it could be the wiring or bad connections).

Thank you! I just got a new $$$$tarter in$talled at a local $hop, so my sinking feeling is, the ignition switch.

If I can talk Billy up in Cumming to work on it for me, that mey be my next step.

Thanks again - always fun to bounce ideas off another aircooled fan! Pat Out

no problem. I had the same problem as you. But instead of replacing the ignition switch, i just installed a hidden pushbutton starter switch. That way if anyone tries to steal the car, hot wiring the key will do nothing. I mean, to hot wire a dub, you just need 2 paper clips. just yank the connection out from behind the ignition switch, i believe you stick one end of the paper clip into the fat red wire, and then to one of the others, till the idiot lights come one, then from that paper clip to another contact, till the starter cranks the motor. Really easy. took me like 30 seconds, just sticking paper clips in random holes till i figured it out, lol.

Anyhoo, if you wanted to make a hidden pushbutton starter switch, all you need is a good pushbutton switch from autozone, or advance auto, run a wire from the small connection on the starter (or just find the one that runs to the ignition switch), and the red wire on the fuse box (there are extra terminals, just use an empty one). So from the starter to the switch to the fusebox. very easy. I actually ran mine from the starter, to the switch to the battery. Made life much easier. and i doubt anyone will ever be able to hot wire my bug, unless they know VW's. Of course, you can always just run a wire from the alternator wire (which always has power), to the + on the coil, and bumpstart it, but hopefully any thieves that may come my way, won't know that

hey i just read this and i run in to a problem with this a lot an you are probably not getting enough volts to the starter or there is a bad connection under the back seat there is a plug that is next to the tunnel on the drivers side under the back seat pull it apart it could be rusty another thing i do just because old wiring harness tend to have voltage drops is i install a ford starter solenoid next to the voltage reg this only works if you have some fire coming from the switch and you might only have volts or7 usely is what the ones i check have at the plug under the seat you take the wire coming from the switch and hook it up on the small post and run a 10 gauge wire from the bat to one of the big post an then the wire hat you unplugged next to the tunnel you will have to add on to it an hook to the other big post an you will get a full 12-13 volts to your starter i hope this helps and doesn't confuse you to bad the solenoid will be for a 8 f-150 you want the flat one with the studs pointing the same direction

AND all fixed thanks to the good folks at Stockornaut!

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WTF?

pandora0816 wrote:To remind you to note that, you pay attention to the diamond weight at the same time, we must note that the diamonds color, clarity, cut, that is, comprehensive consideration "4c" Standard.
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Brace for impact, I think we've been spammed.
KC