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My first Corrado!!!....died on the way home and is currently on the side of the highway...

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#21 ·
FskJester said:
Idk how it spins without turning over the engine. I connected the two terminals and could here a noise that's a little hard to describe. assumed it was spinning. I talked to the kid I bought it from the other day he said he wiggled the starter wire to get it started. maybe a short? Also the fact that you have to turn the key so far, and like turn it really hard when it gets to the end of where it would normally turn in order to start it. Wouldn't that be an ignition switch?
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Its very common for the ignition switches to go bad. They are cheap but a little bit of a pita to replace. It does sound like yours is going bad. But that would not explain the wiggling of the starter wire. It would not be a short. A short there would either blow of fuse or start melting some wires quickly followed by some nasty smelling smoke. Wiggling it to make it work could be a bad connection in the starter plug and/or corrosion on the pins. Unplug the red/black starter connector and check the pins. Make sure they aren't opened up too much to be getting good contact.

So the starter spins and you don't even here any compression with the motor?

The starter or flywheel would have to be missing all teeth for it to spin freely. If either had a few teeth still they would catch. I doubt that is the case. The starter can also spin the motor and sound much different when a valve or valves are stuck open. I know this all too well.
 
#23 ·
dogger said:
How does a starter spin but not turn the engine over?
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skaterazn said:
can't it just spin but not kick out to hit the starter ring gear thing?
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^ Thats exactly what it does if you jump the two M8 terminals on the back which I assume is what the OP has done.

If you jump the terminals it provides power to the motor windings so it spins, but doing that bypasses the solenoid which is what engages the bendix with the ring gear using the bit called shift fork below.

Image
 
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#24 ·
FV-QR

For the OP, this pic shows the two m8 terminals. If you jump these the starter will do exactly what you describe. You must provide power to the terminal shown as ignition wire connection as I said in my first post - this has a black and red wire on it which goes to the ignition switch.

Image
 
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#25 ·
FskJester said:
Im out of town today but I'll be back tomorrow. I may just make a video of what is going on and toss it on YouTube. What should I do in the video to possibly help diagnose this?
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Show us a video of you replacing the ignition switch first :p

Pull the plug off the back of the ignition barrel and use a bit of heavy gauge wire to jump the thick red and red/black together. I bet you a :beer: the motor will turn over ;)
 
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#28 ·
I thought he was jumping the starter wire from the ignition switch to from the battery terminal at the starter. That would be the logical way to do it. I see what you are talking about Mikki. I would never have done that since jumping the two posts doesn't make any sense so I didn't realize it doesn't engage the starter properly. Its not a good idea to jumper wires like that anyways since you can easily cook things. Just ask McNoob... :laugh:
 
#29 ·
Tk2g60 said:
Get a vr6 not a g60:thumbup:
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He is trying to learn how to work on cars dude. I think G60 is easier to get into since you can see everything and get to stuff without being stretch armstrong or pulling to motor. I don't think he bought it to be the baddest car on the road, just something neat that he can say he worked on. I can relate to that. ;)
 
#30 ·
FskJester said:
Thanks a ton. I'm gonna try this as soon as I get home. If the car does start that means I need the new ignition switch?
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It won't start like that - only turn over. It'll prove the ignition switch though yes :thumbup:

If you want to start it also jump the thick red to the black and black/yellow with a couple of paperclips.

Oh, wait... did I just tell you how to hotwire a Corrado? :sly:
 
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Discussion starter · #31 ·
Haha can I touch this wires together near the steering column to start it. It would be great if I could drive this car a little to check out other issues.

Also what is the best repair manual? I wanna order one.
 
#34 ·
FskJester said:
Anyone? Which wires do I touch together at the steering column to start the car untill I replace the switch? Much appreciated :)
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Did you even bother to read my post where I told you EXACTLY which wires to jump???? :banghead:
 
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#38 ·
skaterazn said:
BAN
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I love this guy. ^

OP, google "rules of corrado" to get a slightly comedic idea of what you are in for.

Also, search for the threads on ignition switch replacement to find those wires. Actually, you may have more luck looking at the threads dealing with push button start, as that is a classic shortcut to bypassing the ignition switch problem.
 
#39 ·
Just a heads up, i have a 90 g60 and this exact same thing happened to me and there is a trick to get it to work. It's definately worth a try on yours as well. Basically what you do is turn the key so all the electronics come on (you'll hear/see the electric seat belts moving). Do this for like about a second or less and then turn the key all the way back to off and immediately turn the whole way to start. It should fire right up if you do it right. Sounds ridiculous but it always works for me and sounds like the same issure you're having.

so yea once again
1.turn key to on position
2. quickly turn to off and then crank it the whole way down to start
 
#40 ·
Some people claim to have luck holding the key up or down wile they turn. However, I would invite you to re-read the OP's postings. He got the car to start, but it died. So, his problem is not just getting it started, but keeping it running. I doubt your "trick" will help much.
 
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