Hello stooges, after quite a bit of reading I found a very good
description of your problem. You are not alone with your problem. I
found many references, but only one explanation:
http://www.epinions.com/content_11870572164
Problem 1. The automatic has much more wiring from the battery to the
starter. This is because the wiring not only has to go through the
ignition but also through the gear shifter (so you can only start the
car in "Park".) Furthermore, to satisfy American insurance companies,
VW also send the wiring through the seat belt buckles (so you have to
buckle up before driving). All this caused one big problem -- the
starter just barely receives enough juice to start. Over time this
inevitably causes the starter to wear out and fail. Some cars were
later equipped with a starter relay which was supposed to cure the
problem, but it didn't always, due to Problem 2. I would only consider
buying manual a Golf that was built before 1993 if I was sure it was
upgraded with a relay but probably not even then.
Problem 2. The starter is located right behind the engine, cradled
tightly between the engine block and the exhaust manifold. Receiving
little cooling wind but tons of heat, it is slowly but surely fried to
death, as a VW mechanic explained it to me. This engineering mistake
couldn't be higher up on the knuckle-head scale. VW realized this
mistake and redesigned all models after 1993.
If you add problem one to problem two you get a big mess. We have been
to the shop 10 or more times in the last 10 months. We had two new
starters put in before we became aware of the wiring problem. Even
after we had the starter relay put in, we still don't dare take the
car on longer trips, because the starter tends to overheat, and we
have to let the car cool down for an hour before it can start again.
Ergo, we are a little peeved with our little car. I would definitely
stay away from any pre-1993 VW with automatic transmission. Or
probably any VW built before 1993 for that matter. But as I said, the
problems described were all cured in 1993.
I would guess that the reason that you can restart quicker after your
mechanic installed the new wires to the starter is that the new wires
are probably heavier gauge. They would have less voltage drop and thus
help with the low voltage problem. I see no reason that plastic covers
would help.
If it were my car I would make some sort of an air deflector to direct
air on the starter while driving. I have experience with old VW
Beetles and there was one cylinder that ran hot. VW installed a sheet
metal deflector to solve the problem. If someone worked on an engine
and left off the deflector, the engine didn't last long before that
cylinder fried.
The starter relay refered to in the article might help by increasing
voltage available at the starter, but I am afraid that unless you
solve the heat problem you won't get much improvement.
Good luck, Redhoss |
