The old direct-drive starters

[sgnimj96]

The starter in the 1.6D was good but not great for a long time.
I had good cables and grounds and even a 1000 CCA battery
and that thing did fine to start the engine, with glow plug help.
Then it got slower and slower until I got it fixed at a auto-electrico.
He put a new bosch brush pack in and fixed some shorting out that
was going on. (where the hot wire from the solenoid goes through the case).

I can't believe how fast it turns over now, sounds like a gas starter but cool.

It's so fast now I'm thinking I should check the compression.

H6? battery, Biggest battery that would fit, in AGM (13V)

I'm thinking those old starters are not as bad as people say
and that they just need a tune up, bigger cables and good 13V power.
That's probably how they cranked new, hence manuals saying they don't
need glow plugs in warm weather. Those heavy direct-drive starters seem
to last forever, too.


...that or my engine is worn out early...
but it seems to run fine.

[Fatmobile]

What usually wore out on them was the solenoid.
And they were kind of expensive.
I've used a solenoid from a gasser starter and it worked well.

When they are cranking slow I'll turn the key and hold it on start for a while.
Then feel the cable ends, a hot cable end means resistance.
If it's the solenoid post the battery connects to,
the "washer" at the base of it can be unscrewed and the post can be pushed in and turned so a new contact point it used.
Sometimes this will make a fresh contact that doesn't get hot, and speeds the starter back up.

A starter from a MK4 automatic is considered to be the best upgrade for these.
They fit great, but grab the ignition wire plug that connects to them too because the connector is different than the old MK1 connector.
And since the automatics don't last long in the MK4s, used starters are pretty easy to find.

A starter that is running a bit slow can keep the engine from starting.
Commonly shows itself when the car will start cold but not when it's warmed up.
If this happens, a workaround is to disconnect the glow plug sensor wire so the glow plugs come on even when warm.

[sgnimj96]

I swapped out the solenoid with 2 different ones, confirming it wasn't the solenoid.
That's a great trick to know about loosening the terminal post and rotating it!
but this was a case of worn brushes and one was about to fall out.

I didn't take note of the part number for that bosch brush pack but he charged like $18
for it so they're not that expensive. I believe the wires that are soldered to the
case are just cut and the new brush wires are soldered to the cut wires.

I had a used ebay mk4 auto starter for a spare but it had problems, I won't
get into that debacle but ended up getting new one from the electrico. It is a small mk4 auto starter,
probably 1.1kw but it works. With it's gear reduction and my 13V battery it
also cranks the engine really fast. Makes for a great spare for it's size
and weight.

As far as a daily driver starter though, I like the old direct drive.
Maybe if I lived somewhere cold I might want the gear reduction style
but I really like how the old style has the bushing in the trans case
that holds the nose of the starter fixed. The mk4 starter bendix is
held in with just a clip at the front end of the shaft. Btw, my old
spare starter was somehow damaged where that clip attaches.
I imagine if the end of the shaft cracks like mine was, the clip fails, the bendix gear can fall out and just go
flying around inside the bell housing.
The direct-drive starters don't have that problem.

[Fatmobile]

Good point about the MK4 starters weak spots.
There was just a post on tdiclub.com about what you described:
https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?th ... st-5832988

[sgnimj96]

Looks like the valeo starter 438075 is the wholy grail.
Not so easy to find and they are expensive.
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/va ... atic&pos=3
O'reallys also sells just a solenoid for $200

Still, for me, I feel luck to have the lightweight 1.1kw cheap version for a spare.
Any starter can go out, usually the solenoid as you said.
Changing the whole starter is easier than messing with the solenoid.

I know most people don't drive around with spare parts and a toolbox
but it's helped me out many times on these journeys. Even when I'm close to home
finding correct parts in-stock is pretty rare, and these cars kinda
scare the average mechanic because many have never
seen one before.

[Fatmobile]

I guess mozambiquer (or something like that) over on TDI club is the MK4 starter and alternator guy.
He can get you parts or the whole thing and has written up a couple DIY for people to rebuild their own.
He loves the valeo starters. I'm not sure he would be any cheaper but he is a good person/business to support.