TheSamba.com :: View topic - Beetle won't start after disconnecting battery for an hour

Sat May 26, 2012 2:40 pm

Hello

I disconnected the negative terminal on my car's battery before installing new headlights. After the lights were installed I reconnected the battery and when I turn the key both red lights on the dash come on, the headlights and indicators work fine, but when I try to start the car, I only hear a couple of quick clicks and everything dies (including the lights on the dash etc). If I disconnect and reconnect the negative terminal the process above repeats, but I can't get the car to start. Nothing else has changed and the car battery was disconnected for less than an hour.

The only other thing that I can think is an issue, is that the previous owner had some sort of switch installed to start the car (so you turn the key and then pull the switch to start the engine). Perhaps something needs to be reset because the battery was disconnected?

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Sat May 26, 2012 3:06 pm

I think you just have a dead battery
can you put a trickle charger on it over night and try it again ?

Jerry

Sat May 26, 2012 4:06 pm

In my experience most times you hear a click then everything goes dead it is either a bad, loose or corroded connection at the battery post

Sat May 26, 2012 5:51 pm

Also check the conections at the starter.

Sat May 26, 2012 6:23 pm

I have a kill switch on mine, actually it is the old rear window defroster switch with it's own in line fuse, maybe yours has a fuse or breaker too.

Sat May 26, 2012 6:24 pm

dead battery..

Sat May 26, 2012 6:40 pm

Clean BOTH connections at the battery. Look at the condition of the terminals. Mine looked just fine from the top, but when I took it off to look at the contact surface... there WAS NONE!! The acid had eroded the contact surface to almost zero. It acted almost the same.

WARNING: If the weak contact is INSIDE the battery, multiple attempts at starting could cause a spark which could ignite the hydrogen in the battery... BOOM! Acid all over the place. Wear safety goggles.

Sat May 26, 2012 8:58 pm

Charge up battery and/or try a jump start. And don't have the headlight switch on when you try to start it.

Sat May 26, 2012 9:16 pm

I did a tune up once and disconnected the battery. When I reconnected... Nothing. After triple checking all my work, I called a buddy to come look at it. He showed up, pulled the battery out of his car and boom. Everythig started up. Took my battery to the shop and it had coincidentally died while I was doing the tune up.

But chances are something is corroded and everything was corroded together, but the second you seperated it you found a problem.

Sat May 26, 2012 10:38 pm

Thanks for the advice! Will let you know how I get on.

Sun May 27, 2012 6:46 am

you can guess and do all that.
sure try clean battery connections.
sure.
and a jump
and spare known good battery , these acts are all simple. and SOP.

but... with a voltmeter, you can stop guessing.
i add that.

if the battery voltage drops like a rock key to START position, the battery is toast.
touching posts not lugs... actual battery.
my starter draws 100amps cranking (room temps to 100f)
and drops to 11v.cranking... from 12.8V rested.

if the battery stays high, its NOT the battery.
if that happens. then check the voltage on the starter solenoid wire.
it's under the rear seat for each test.

SET T1 connector here.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/wiring/bug_68_69_usa.jpg

if that T1 wire drops to less than 8v the solenoid goes, INOP (dead er.clicks)
if the voltage is above 11v, it must start. crank is the word.
if it (T1) stays high cranking. the starter is toast or the power to it is bad
power to it, is the Ground (x2) strap and the main battery cable.

Ground 1, battery minus to frame head. no rust.
Ground 2, on transaxle snout. to frame .