Hey it is me again with a follow up question to my previous post about the VW Cabrio that was sitting for almost a year.
Here is what we know;
My friend has a cabrio that she wants to lend me that she let set for almost a year.
Before taking it off the road it ran perfect.
We thought that perhaps the only thing wrong with it was that it needed a new battery as we checked the voltage of the old one.
We replaced the old battery with a brand new one. The lights/radio/ wipers all work
The car still wont start.
When we try to turn it over, I hear power going somewhere and a “CLICK” thats it. There is not even a stutter.
What should our next step be? could it need a new starter? A wire ?
Remove the spark plugs. Get a socket on the center bolt on the crankshaft, and see if the engine turns over at all. It's possible the engine has seized. Don't force it, as you don't want to break that bolt.
If it has seized, I've been successful getting them unlocked by putting 1/2 cup of kerosene in each cylinder, letting it sit overnight, then bumping the starter a few times.
If you use this process, you're going to need to spin it over several times with no plugs to blow out the kerosene, and then also do an oil change. If it were me, I'd blow out as much of the kerosene as you can, put the plugs in it, and see if it will fire. Don't run it for more than a 10-30 seconds, as the oil will be very, very diluted...you only want to see if the fuel and spark are working...and do NOT race it. If it starts, you know it's good, so change the oil. Even if it doesn't start, you should be careful about getting any kerosene out.
Wow thanks again for the quick reply! I’ll let you know if it works!
Thanks,
Kerry
Although it’s not the most likely explanation, it wouldn’t hurt to look under the engine to see if critters have eaten any of the wiring.
Be aware that, unless fuel stabilizer was used, your gas is probably of questionable quality at this point. It may or may not run well once you get it to start.
Thanks, that too could be a possibility!