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The dreaded click

DavidL

DavidL

Active member
Jumped in the car this morning turned the key - click. Tried again - click, and again, you get the picture.
I have had this once or twice in the last month but it has always fired, but not today.
When the car starts it turns well, battery is a year old.
I think (hope) something is just dirty so tomorrows job is to clean things. Did a search earth leads come high on the list. This I will check. I don't really suspect the starter as it is never tardy, sort of all or nothing.
Just thought I would ask for any other pearls of wisodom.
Er and does anyone have a pic of where to find the starter and the solenoid....
 
David,
Toyota make a very good cure for this.....[8|]
3 weeks is an old battery on a 944 with the original alarm working (it draws a stupid current) and the elec cables from the rear are a bit longer than is ideal.
The starter is on the bellhousing, 2 bolts, but disconnect the battery first.
Is the car used regularly - say every 2 days at the least?
I replaced my starter but the new one (genuine porsche) made no difference.
I am told if you disconnect the alarm there is no problem with battery drain.
Loads of people use trickle chargers
One other thing, the "post" under the bonnet on the O/S of the scuttle area is for the + jump lead to power up the Hatch Release...[:)] could be useful
Good Luck
George
944t
964

 
David, are you saying the battery is losing charge? or once it starts to turn over there is plenty of power in the battery (prior to firing)?
If the latter, sounds like the starter contacts to me.
 
Are you saying it starts sometimes and not others? And once it starts it runs fine? If that is the case it could be your reference sensor. This happened to mine and it turned out the reference sensor bracket was loose. Once I'd tightened it up again all was well with the world.

You can find the reference sensor on the top of the bell housing behind the cam cover. There are two identical sensors - the reference and speed sensor. Make sure both are tight. The sensors bolt into a bracket which in turn bolts onto the bell housing.

 
Thanks for the replies.
Usually it is absolutely fine. When the key is tuned and all is well it starts almost immediately, I have had the sluggish start with an old battery but this is not it. Currently there is nothing just a click. I'm sure it is just a poor connection somewhere.
 
We had a similar problem on my partner's S2. Not only would it sometimes give 'the dreaded click' but the Cobra alarm/ immobiliser was slow/reluctant to switch off. I disconnected the battery and jacked the car up and, after supporting it, crawled underneath. I undid the terminal at the base of the starter solenoid (three wires, including the main, heavy, battery supply) cleaned them all with emery (although in fact they didn't seem too dirty/corroded) smeared them and the threaded post and nut with vaseline and reassembled them. Hey presto! not only has the dreaded click not occurred since, it's been about 4 months now, but the alarm responds much more readily. Hope this helps, Tony.
 
Thanks Tony.
I have had a look for loose things generally but I have to say I'm not entirely sure where the starter motor and solenoid are. Could I have some directions please........
 
Well sadly its not just the 3 big connections. Had them all off and given a good clean (they were filthy) but it hasn't made a jot of difference.
So any other bright ideas?
 
check the ignition switch ?
do you have a imobiliser ? might check that too .you really need to do some circuit tracing with a multimeter
 

From Clarkes garage site
Introduction Bad ignition switches are becoming a more common cause of starting problems on 944s. So, take a look at your ignition switch and if it's cracked, it's likely the source of your problem This procedure is used for testing purposes to determine the condition of the cranking portion of the ignition switch and the wiring from the ignition switch to the starter. Tools
  • Wire jumpers
  • Multimeter
Testing Procedure
  1. Disconnect the battery positive lead.
  2. Disconnect the electrical plug from the ignition switch.
  3. Check the operation of the cranking contacts on the ignition switch as follows:
  4. Connect an ohmmeter between Terminals 30 and 50 on the ignition switch. If you are unsure which terminals those are, look at the electrical connector for the wires that attach to the ignition switch. If the wires were still connected to the ignition switch, Terminal 30 would be connected to the large diameter Red Wire and Terminal 50 would be connected to the large diameter Red Wire with Black Stripe.
  5. Turn the ignition switch to the start position as if cranking the engine and read the resistance.
  6. The resistance should go from and infinite resistance to approximately 0 ohms when the switch is turned.
  7. If the correct resistance is not obtained the ignition switch is bad and should be replaced.
[*]If the ignition switch checks okay, check the ignition wiring as follows: [*]Disconnect the wire from the switch terminal on the starter solenoid (bendix).
[*]Make up a jumper to reach from the starter to the ignition switch.
[*]Attach the jumper from the switch lead at the starter solenoid (Red Wire/Black Stripe) to the Terminal on the ignition switch electrical connector with the Red Wire/Black Stripe.
[*]Check the wire resistance with and ohmmeter. It should be approximately 0 ohms (less than 5 ohms). If not, the wire is broken and should be replaced. [/LIST] Clark's Garage © 1998[/LIST]
 

Another possibility to eliminate maybe
Introduction Sometimes engine starting and running problems can be caused by a faulty alarm module (if the car is equipped with an alarm system). Since testing the alarm module is difficult at best, bypassing the alarm system to see if the car will start is the next best thing. This requires disconnecting the alarm module and installing two jumpers in the electrical connector plug. Tools
  • Two wire jumpers with spade connectors
Procedure
  1. First, locate the alarm module. It's a black box approximately the size of a pack of cigarettes. On early 944s (pre-1985.5), it's located behind the radio in the back of the center console. On late model 944s, it's located behind the kick panel in the passenger's footwell near above the DME computer.
  2. Disconnect the electrical plug from the alarm module.
  3. Connect one jumper from Pin 1 to Pin 4 on the large module connector. Connect the second jumper from Pin 7 to Pin 8 on the large module connector. Alarm Module Connector Pins
    alarm-module-plug-pins.jpg
    Late 944 Alarm Module - 911.637.104.02 Plug Terminal # Wire Color Control Unit Terminal # 1 Black / White (0.5 mm) 15 2 Brown / Yellow (0.5 mm) T 3 Brown (0.5 mm) 31 4 Green (0.5 mm) 87a 5 Yellow (0.5 mm) E/A 6 Brown / Black (0.5 mm) MK 7 Yellow / Red (0.5 mm) 61 8 Blue (0.5 mm) 61 1 (small plug) Black / Red (1.0 mm) HN 2 (small plug) Red (1.5 mm) 30 Early 944 Alarm Module - 911.637.104.00 Plug Terminal # Wire Color Control Unit Terminal # 1 Green 15 2 Brown (2 wires) T 3 Brown / White 31 4 Black K1 5 Blue E/A 6 Blue / White MK 7 Brown / Black 61 8 Brown / Red 61 1 Red / Yellow HN 2 Red 30 Late Alarm Module Wiring Diagram
    alarm-module-jumper.jpg
    alarm-jumper-1.jpg
    alarm-jumper-2.jpg
    alarm-jumper-3.jpg
  4. Attempt to start the vehicle to verify that the alarm bypass was successful. If the jumpers were installed to troubleshoot a "no start" condition and the car still does not start, the alarm module is not the problem.
Clark's Garage © 1998
 
It turned out to be the expensive option. Blown armature in the starter - being rebuilt as we speak.
Thanks for everyone's help.
Out of interest is this going to be the same starter as on later turbo models?
 
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