Start Issue

[TomDoherty]

I'm not much of an electrical guy.
Car has a 123 Ignition (getting rid of it as there are some odd skips @4000).
Went to start today after 2 weeks of sitting. Always on a tender so full battery. Didn't fire right up the first 2 attempts but close. Did to quick of a restart attempt on the 3rd try. Heard a few Loud clicks, then nothing. Turned the ignition switch on again and there was nothing, no lights or power. Waited 5 minutes and tried again, same loud clicks. Tried again and no power at all. I waited another 5 minutes and the same thing happened again with some loud clicks. Now there is no power at all when I turn the ignition switch on.
As I said, I'm good with mechanicals, not so much on electrical. Fuses are all OK. Where do I start?

[David Jones]

Start at the battery. Check ground connection is clean and tight. The check that the red positive connection is clean and tight especially the smaller cable that is attached to the positive clamp terminal. That one supplies the power to the light switch, fuses and the ignition warning lights.

[Doug McDonnell]

As an idiot on electrical issues I use this: http://www.cyberwerkstatt.com/Members_O ... ooting.htm

[James Learmonth]

Tom
Check all the electrical problems you have and resolve them before you make the move to loose the 123 distributor. I've been running one foe over five years and 40,000 miles and wouldn't part with mine. I do, however, carry an 050 in the car for luck. When you do decide to part with the 123please let me know. I have a lightly used Don Marks BR-18 that is excess. We should talk.

Jim Learmonth
Houston, TX

[Jim Alton]

It's definitely good to make sure all your connections are clean and tight (no loose grounds). Your problem could also be a bad battery (they don't last forever) or Volkswagen Starter Disease (bad solenoid).

Bad Battery

Batteries don't last forever. Your statements "Turned the ignition switch on again and there was nothing, no lights or power." and "Now there is no power at all when I turn the ignition switch on." imply your battery might be well past its prime.

If you have an old-fashioned wet battery do you have water/acid filling the cells?

The definitive test would be to take the battery to an auto parts store or battery store for a load test.

A home test:

Keep your trickle charger/battery maintainer across the battery for long enough to get it fully charged. Check the voltage across the battery with no load (ignition and everything off). It should be a little over 6 volts. If it's significantly less you have a very dead battery.

If it is 6V+ apply a load (lights on, maybe try the starter). If it drops significantly it's probably a bad battery. If that battery is several years old or it's had some low water episodes (which can damage it) it could be time for a new battery.

Volkswagen Starter Disease

Those Bosch solenoids do go bad and they can require more power and voltage than can get back and forth through the ignition switch in the front and all that wire.

In the old days, VW owners would start their bugs and buses by crawling underneath and using a screwdriver to short the battery cable terminal to the solenoid actuator terminal on the solenoid. If you don't want big sparks in your face when you're stuck under the car you can get a Remote Starter Switch.

I actually have started my VW with a Remote Starter Switch.

If that starts your car, you may have Volkswagen Starter Disease. You can cure that with:

1. A new starter,
2. A new solenoid,
3. A hard start relay.

The hard start relay is a pretty good idea no matter what your current problem proves to be.

[TomDoherty]

Thanks all - Bad battery it is. 12V Optima that I installed 8/13. If I knew I was going to driving the car every weekend, I wouldn't plug in the tender. If I knew it was going to sit a while I did. Guess I need to always have plugged in with the new one.

[Mike Ruddy]

I remember reading here that the Optima doesn't need to be plugged into a battery tender and can be damaged if it is ?

[TomDoherty]

I remember reading here that the Optima doesn't need to be plugged into a battery tender and can be damaged if it is ?

Optima's web site says it's recommended.
https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/s ... ery-tender

[Mike Ruddy]

A quick search reveals I might have misremembered that.