New starting problem

[dyoungen]

I posted a question a few months ago about a 1985 Jetta  Diesel. I now own the Jetta and it has developed a problem after I got it home after a 15 mile drive. Ok, I started it and drove it for a short distance with no problem to see how it drove out. On my way home the temp gage started going up and the little red light started flashing so I stopped and asked the wife to go home to get some water as I thought it was runnning hot. I finally figured out there wasn't a radiator cap on the radiator, just the over flow tank. I put the water in the overflow tank, about a quart and made it home without any problems. After I got home I noticed one of the small wires was broken off of the alternator. I fixed the wire and attached the wire to where I think it went and tried to start the Jetta. It sounds like it's running when the starter is turning but as soon as I release the  key, the motor stops. I did this a number of times with the same results. I noticed the starter always seemed to turn the motor slow but I figured the battery was about run down with the wire on the alternator broken. Right now I have the Jetta on the battery charger, trickel charger. When I was running it down the road, it was running fine without a miss.

[lovinthedeez]

I hate to say it, but I think your headgasket is blown. mine was doing the same thing.  overheating soooo fast.  the only way to drive it was to have the cap off.  combustion was getting into the coolant, which is why it overheated so fast. I bet its a headgasket at the least, and maybe a cracked head or block at the worst.  hope you got a good deal on it. 

and i'm no expert, but this is what I JUST went through.  45 bucks in parts, and five hours of work later though, she runs great again....
good luck

[Rabbit TD]

It's almost always the head gasket and it happens to every one of us.  Get the ARP studs when you change it also, we all end up with them too.

[dyoungen]

Ok, good news and a question. I jumped the shutoff switch on the IP to the battery and she started right up. I filled the water tank on the fender well and no blow-by from a blown head gasket. I"m still trying to figure out where the extra wire goes. It is connected to a switch on the IP that has a plunger that goes to another plug but I don't see anything to plug it into.

[FoXBoXRaCiNG]

Pics?

[dyoungen]

Thank you, I didn't think of pictures. I have some pictures and will try to post them after I get off work tonight.

[dyoungen]

Here are the pictures of the wire I'm talking about. In the first picture the wire/plug is laying on the valve cover.
In the second picture the end of the unkown wire/plug is almost off the left side of the picture. In both pictures the brown wire is in a black cover up to the plug that I'm trying to figure where it goes.

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn107/dyoungen/P1010101.jpg


http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn107/dyoungen/P1010100.jpg

[Rabbit on Roids]

see that idle switch on the injection pump? theres supposed to be another switch like that for full throttle. and that wire hooks up to it.

[dyoungen]

I checked for full throttle and there is a switch that gets depressed at full throttle and has the wire hooked up. Where does the other plug go? Also if it's missing what is it called so I can buy one?