Starter question...

[djs]

If the starter solenoid in my '75 914 2.0 works sporadically or not at all when cold, but when fully warmed up works fine, what is most likey the problem?

I tried switching the relays around on the relay board, thinking a bad starter relay, but to no avail.

[Brister]

Have you tried using a remote starter switch? I was having problems with my '73.. the solinoid would work only occasionally. It worked every time with the switch connected to the solinoid. A little reading led me to the starter/ignition switch itself. Replacement solved the problem.

[wjdunn3]

hmm...usually starter problems manifest themselves when the thing is hot. I would check/do several things before I bought a new/rebuilt starter.
1) Check the battery connections for tightness and/or corrosion.
2) Check the trans to body ground strap. is it tight? is it frayed or half broken? If so, get a new one. Clean the contact area where it attaches to the body. use electric contact cleaner or brake cleaner (this area is right in the line of fire for grease leaking out of the CV joints). Use some fine sand paper to remove any corrosion and oxidation from the contact area. Reattach the ground strap. Do the same for where the strap connects to the trans.
3) Jack up the both rear wheels and jack stand it safely. Remove the drivers side rear wheel so that you can access the starter easily. Make sure the car is in neutral. Disconnect the HT lead from the Dist to the coil so that the engine cannot fire. Remove the ignition/starter tigger wire that connects to the starter (mine is a yellow wire, 12ga, with a spade connector). attach a volt meter to it and ground then have some one turn the key to the start position and see if you have any voltage (when the whole thing is cold of course). If not, then your problem is likely the ignition switch. Fairly easy to replace. I beleive there is a tech article on the very subject on this site. If you have voltage then....
4) undo and clean all the connectors attched to the starter just as described for the ground strap. Reattach the battery lead to the starter using either a lock washer or lock nut so that it cannot loosen from vibration.

If you are still having problems, then either take the car to an automotive electric shop and let them test the starter or go ahead and replace your starter with a new/rebuilt one.
oh...do you have any accessory that could be draining the battery when sitting for a period of time? Check the battery (or have it checked) for charge potential.
Hope this helps!

[Doug M]

If you read the voltage at the solenoid with the wire off and you have 12vdc then hook it up and have less tha 12vdc, this would indicate a bad ignition switch.As a quick fix I installed a relay which puts 12vdc to the solenoid until I got a new ignition switch.Its been about 6 month since the ign switch came in but its working so good I hate to mess with it but sometimes it wants to keep running until I turn the lights off

[Bobbitt]

Sounds to me like a battery problem. Does the car start OK if you hook up jumper cables to another car? If so, it probably is the battery not holding a charge either because of a drain or just a bad battery.

If it is the starter soleniod though, they do make a replacement solenoid. I had been told that you had to replace the entire starter/solenoid assembly, but found a good autoparts store that found me a replacement solenoid. I don't have any details here, but email me if you are interested and I will see if I can find the part number and manufacturer.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Check Jim Thorusen's starter troubleshooting article, available elsewhere on this site.

That should at least help isolate the problem.

--DD