HELP!! Golf 4, new battery, now starter won't turn at all!

[thegoose]

I have a 2002 GT TDi that had a weak battery, would hardly turn the engine over but it did try. I fitted a brand new (096) battery last night, now everything works except the starter doesn't turn - no lights go dim etc, there is just no effort to trigger the starter motor, like it's immobilised.

The remote locking is all fine, there's plenty of oomph in the battery (even tried with a jump pack too), the big fuses by the battery are fine.

I've tried:
1) leaving it locked overnight
2) pressing the unlock key button whilst trying to start it
3) locking and unlocking with the key in the lock in the door
4) disconnecting the battery and re-connecting it again
5) as above, but with the ignition key turned to position 1
6) as above, but with the ignition key turned to position 2

I've had the car 3 years, never any electrical issues with it at all, alarm has always worked fine and locked/unlocked no problem. I haven't used it for a few months after I put it in for a service then a cosmetic tidy up and it kept getting put to the back of the queue. Consequently the battery had gone completely dead, but it always fired up with a jump start no problem, it's only after actually changing it that I've had this problem. Before swapping it there was an effort from the starter motor, now there's nothing.

I only have one key (but as above there's nothing to suggest there's a problem with it).


Any suggestions please?

[Rich_W]

Get a glamorous assistant to turn the key to cranking. At the same time hit the starter motor with something LIKE a Hammer.

If it starts the problem was not originally the battery, the slow cranking at least. (The flatness was as you say due to lack of use) but a sticky starter.

[AGK]

Checked the earth strap to the starter?

[thegoose]

I appreciate your replies but given there were no issues the starter before, except the low battery (noted as being weak when it was tested at the service - I did nothing about that as it had never showed any signs of weakness in 30 months of use in all weathers) and that simply by swapping to a new battery it now fails to do anything at all (no solenoid click, nothing) I am still thinking it's vastly more likely that something is immobilising the trigger to the starter - stands to reason, no?

[oakdale]

Check the fusible links on the battery + terminal and also check you haven't left a small cable off at the terminal.

[thegoose]

Thanks I did check the fusible links as per my original post, all are ok. I did check for any small wires too, I was pretty sure there weren't any when I'd taken the leads off and indeed found none when I searched.

[Rich_W]

thegoose said:

... I am still thinking it's vastly more likely that something is immobilising the trigger to the starter - stands to reason, no?

Why do people do this? Ask for help then discount advice given before trying it?

Take a pic of the battery in the car for us. Willing to bet this is a fitting error now.


btw. Given the immobilsers don't work like that. It isn't "vastly more likely"