starter solenoid terminal snapped, almost stranded

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

After lunch, turned the key, nothing, not even a click. Popped the hood, saw the starter solenoid wire disconnected, and the spade from solenoid broken off completely and is now sitting in the harness terminal. The sky is turning dark and I hear thunder from a distance and it is beginning to drizzle. I frantically searched through my bag of tricks and found a piece of wire long enough to jump the solenoid. Stripped both ends, shoved one end into the broken terminal, the other to batt +. It cranks and started just before it started pouring!

Has this happened to anyone else? That broken solenoid spade looks pretty thin. Maybe that's why it broke? I don't want to pull the starter.  Gotta figure a way to make a connection to the broken spade in situ.

[8v-of-fury]

what caused it to just randomly break though??

[R.O.R-2.0]

pop the hood, and get a jumper wire ready..

turn the key on, run to the front of the car.. wait for the glow plug relay to cycle off, you should hear it..

once the plugs cycle off, touch one end of the jumper wire to the pos terminal of the battery, and touch the other end to where the starter solenoid wire from the key switch used to hook up..

that will get you started, and get you home..

DO NOT KILL IT.. otherwise you gotta pop the hood and do it over again..

[8v-of-fury]

DO NOT KILL IT.. otherwise you gotta pop the hood and do it over again..

Park on a hill, bump starts are key when having starter issues! I went a week without a starter, of daily driving to and from work lol.

[Gizmoman]

Could a loose motor mount cause a "jerk" or two?
Is that what it looks like happened? it got jerked off, or does they it fried off?

I recently removed my motor form the Vanagon and the RH (facing rear of van) motor mount was just "floating" on the stud - the nut had been gone for who knows.

Anyhoo - just a thought.

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

what caused it to just randomly break though??

Probably because the spade is very thin and the wire is very stiff and vibration caused it to fracture?

Anyway I fixed it, will post a pic on how later. It sux having to pop the hood everytime I have to start it. I can't always find a hill to park or keep it idling.

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

Drilled a hole in the solenoid spade housing. sheet metal screw makes elec contact to the broken spade.

[8v-of-fury]

Goddamn, that there is some ingenuity if I ever did saw.

[R.O.R-2.0]

Drilled a hole in the solenoid spade housing. sheet metal screw makes elec contact to the broken spade.

oh wow, it was even the later style unit with the clip on wire..

mine is the early style, with an exposed spade terminal, and its doing good soo far.. *knock on wood*

thats some fine macgyver skills there boys!!

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

Goddamn, that there is some ingenuity if I ever did saw.

 They don't call me Mcgyver for nuttin. NFW was I going to pull the starter lol.

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

Drilled a hole in the solenoid spade housing. sheet metal screw makes elec contact to the broken spade.

oh wow, it was even the later style unit with the clip on wire..

mine is the early style, with an exposed spade terminal, and its doing good soo far.. *knock on wood*

thats some fine macgyver skills there boys!!

The female spade (harness end) is just a spade lug with no housing. It is unsupported. Maybe that's why it broke? What's going on? Has the starter been changed or the housing broke on the harness end?

[theman53]

That is good old hillbilly right there. If I ever sold my jetta I would not only have a list of things not typically seen or found in a bentley manual, but I would also have a list of parts from various VW cars newer and older than mine...so they could find that the front wheel bearings are NOT from an 86 before they went to replace them.

Good fix sir.

[R.O.R-2.0]

That is good old hillbilly right there. If I ever sold my jetta I would not only have a list of things not typically seen or found in a bentley manual, but I would also have a list of parts from various VW cars newer and older than mine...so they could find that the front wheel bearings are NOT from an 86 before they went to replace them.

Good fix sir.

lol, same here..

both of my cars have LOTS of options that didnt come standard on GL model cars..

[Dakotakid]

Lucas, tell 'em about the time the tail on that coonskin cap of yours got caught in the fan belt and almost costed you your life......

[CRSMP5]

your missing the important item to prevent that... a zip tie holding the actual wire to the solenoid... the wire will vibrate if not... viration killed the terminal..