Former VWDieselParts.com Forum

I would suggest that before you spend all that time removing the tranny, get a pair of dial calipers and measure all the distances from the machined surfaces of the tranny to flywheel, starter to gear when fully extended, etc., and determine that amount of gear engagement. Either the gear is fully e...

I replaced the clutch about 6 months ago Well that is some new info, did the problem only start soon after that? Did you take off the pressure plate when you did the clutch? if yes, did you replace the shims between the P-plate and crank? When you replaced the flywheel, did you locate it properly w...

Wow, three starters doing the same thing? I guess its pretty safe to say its the ring gear. That sucks

The gear turns easily in the direction it's suppose to. It turns harder the opposite way. Just to make sure we are speaking the same language, I'm referring to the starter gear spinning on the shaft that it is mounted on. If that is what you are describing above, that is the cause of your problem. ...

Again, did u check for play in starter shaft and spinning starter gear? In the video it is obvious that the starter gear is just barely engaging the flywheel ring gear. When you first turn the key, it turns the engine a bit, and then the gear is pushed out of engagement. This can only be one of the ...

cant view the video, youtube says it is "private"

Yes I tried that. It's got to be a wiring problem somewhere. Just finding it will be a bear. You did the jumper trick with the starter installed? So what happened? There are only two wires to the starter. If the engine turned fast with the jumper, then you know its your battery cables If the engine...

I don't have bad compression, but marginal compression: 350 or above in all cylinders, all about the same except for one at 390. I replaced the head gasket because I started to have pressure buildup in the coolant system when the temp went over 200degF (which it hadn't done before). No new rings or...

wait, is the starter spinning fast or not? Your descriptions are confusing me..... When the starter is NOT engaged with an engine and power is applied, it should spin fast and make a "whine" noise like you first described. If it is engaged with the engine and simply not turning, that impli...

So the starter spins at full speed and the solenoid is popping the gear out correctly, but the engine doesn't turn? Is the starter gear locked to the shaft, or can you spin it by hand? Did you replace the starter bushing with the new starter? Is there a lot of play in the starter shaft? My old start...

About a year ago bought a new starter for my jetta, used it for about a week and then it just started spinning full speed without turning the engine. The gear on the starter was spinning on the starter shaft. Maybe you got one from the same batch. Try turning the engine by hand to a few different sp...

Wait, let's back up a bit..... You said you had low compression and then changed the head gasket. Did you do a compression test after the new head gasket? A bad head gasket usually shows up in one or two cylinders, not all four. Did you put new rings in when you had the head off? I would verify comp...

Yes I still have the water separator.

No, there are not more bubbles when I accelerate.

Yes, probably the best thing you can do is put a clear fuel line on the output. This will tell you if air is coming into the pump. If there are no bubbles in the input line, then you'll know its getting in elsewhere....either the banjo fittings, return lines, or shaft seals. I prefer the real VW bra...

I doubt you'll find a new harness, but there are plenty of diesel pickups and rabbits that are rusted away and being parted out. That's where I would be looking for one.
....actually just noticed there is a guy parting out an 81 rabbit in the for sale section.