Mystery problem

[capnkel]

A couple weeks ago i bought a 95 Volkswagon Passat,VR6,AUTO,it had not been used in almost a year,owner purchased a newer toyota.After getting it home without any trouble,the next day i tried to start it,all kinds of electrical power,but the starter would not crank,i tried everything,checked fuses,battery power,even disconnected the battery and tried later,still would not start.
The next day i go out,stick the key in,starts just fine,tried it several times,works perfectly.A couple days later back to the no crank again,tryed everything and give up.Wait a few days to try it again,still no go,last night no go,this afternoon,starts just fine,beats me.
I should add this car has a factory anti theft system,and a window sticker saying it also has an aftermarket alarm too,although the previous owner never had either key chain remotes for the alarms,there are 4-5 wires tied into the fuse box,but untill i can dismantle the dash to find out where and what they are going to,im guessing they are for the aftermarket alarm.
Not being overly familiar with alarm systems,it acts to me as is there is a starting circuit cutout preventing starting the engine,if i can eliminate the alarms ,maybe that will cure the no start trouble????.
There could be also something else i may not have noticed that might be causing all the trouble.
Any ideas anyone?????

[wyldman]

Clean the starter solenoid feed wire,they are bad for corroding and causing a no start.

[capnkel]

Would the starter solinoid feed wire normally cause unpredictable start,or no start trouble??

[wyldman]

Yes,it would cause a no crank,as that is what triggers the starter itself.

I bet you will find it is very loose (it's just a female spade),and probably badly corroded.

[gordyo]

Hmmmmmm I have the same exact no start one minute, two hours later it will start, then it won't start for 3 days, then it will problem on a 1996 Isuzu Trooper with a factory alarm system. I was blaming the alarm system but maybe it's what Wyldman says, stand by!!!

[cat320]

Jeff is that the one that was in the garage that day i was up there? I thought you guys had it all figured out .

[gordyo]

Jeff is that the one that was in the garage that day i was up there? I thought you guys had it all figured out .

That would be the one. I thought I had it figured out too!! It ran for about 2 weeks after that with no problems and then all of a sudden the no start showed up again. It won't start for a few days, then they call me, I go up with the remote starter deally hit the buttons a few time and it beeps and honks and still won't go. Go back a few hours later and it starts right up and will run for a few days and then same ole thing again. One of these days there might be a call to the dive team because this vehilce may all of a sudden develop a serious pull to the right when I drive by the pond.:haha

[John DiMartino]

Sounds like the starter is on its way out.If the wiring checks out ok,Id remove and clean connections anyway,.Id try check the voltage at the starter,then jumping the sol right at the starter,and see what happens,if it fires up jumping it,but not from the key,you have another problem,possibly PRNDL switch or ign switch.

[Pickering Snow]

Iam gonna go out on limb here and say since you hear no click from the sol and i assume you checked power at the starter sol trigger wire while someone else held the key that the aftermarket alarm is probley the cause.

If it is a DEI electronics unit go to the ing switch and pair the wires were they spliced the box in back to orginal system wiring Another thing you can do is look for a small toggle switch and a red led light probley stuffed under the hush panel. When the car doesnt start the red light will flash press and hold button or toggle which ever it has that allows reset.

Honestly i would ditch the aftermarket system has its gonna be a problem down the road plus it may be interfering with the passkey system VW and Audi and Merc all use.

Another thing also Kel that i almost forgot is make sure the starter relay is latching has well , if the test light lights on the trigger for the starter sol while somones holding it in the crank postion then i would say starter pretty stright foward diag.

[capnkel]

Well after finally getting a day without rain to look at the VW,i started tearing the dash out to trace the extra wires,turns out 2 of the 3 were going to an old cell phone module,theres a sticker on the door saying protected by a maine wireless alarm system,im guessing that where the phone module came from,but i wasnt aware that cell phone had car alarms built into them.
I still have 1 wire i havent fully traced out just yet,its spliced into a wire going to the headlight swich,then into an inline 20amp fuse holder,and connected to 2 wires which have been clipped of of a plug on the forward lower corner of the fuse box,1 wire is solid yellow,the other yellow with a black stripe.I cant recall for sure ,but i think the wire is tapped into a blue wire at the headlight switch.
The whole problem seems to be related to the original alarm,if the blinking light on the stereo is on,it wont start,if its out it starts fine.