1995 Volkswagen Passat 1995 Passat VR6 Engine Won't Crank

PONY08

MEMBER
1995 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT
6 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
122,000 MILES

I am getting no voltage at the small black/red wire at the starter (terminal 50) when the key is turned ( I saw ~8 volts once out of 30 key turns - all the way off, then all the way on). Is there a fuse and/or relay in the circuit or might I have a bad ignition switch? Also, is the clutch switch in the starter circuit on a 1995 Passat? I have also heard that the security system could cause the car not to start?

2 Replies

DUBTECH

MECHANIC
159 POSTS

The clutch pedal switch is incorporated into the starting system, so you'll need to test or bypass it for further diagnosis.
Try testing the voltage at the starter again while turning the key harder and wiggling it. Sometimes this technique can verify that the ignition switch is bad.

If it is bad, the electrical portion of the ignition switch can be changed without having replace the mechanical portion.

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Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 AT 11:40 AM

PONY08

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I verified that the clutch switch works fine. Last weekend I tried turning the ignition switch hard and got the car to start 3 times out of about 100 tries. So, I figured the problem was isolated to the ignition switch. Today I pulled the cable harness from the ignition switch and shorted the red/black wire to 12V (red wire) to see if the starter would fire. It diid not, There is no continuity from this end of the wire to the starter (terminal 50). My question is does this wire go straight to the starter soleniod or does it travel somewhere else. If it goes straight to the solenoid then this wire must have a break in it?

Thanks for any additional help.

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Saturday, September 26th, 2009 AT 6:06 PM