Hot start issue

[philstar]

Hey guys my scirocco starts perfectly, even in freezing cold weather, but if it has just been on a run and the engine has warmed up, when I try to start it I get a really horrible grinding noise which is clearly the cogs slipping on the starting dog and flywheel. It will eventually start if I keep turning it over for 5 or 6 seconds, but things clearly arent right.

Has anybody experienced this before? My suspicion is that it is a voltage drop due to the heat which doesn't throw the starting dog out far enough into the starting position, because, as I say, it starts PERFECTLY in the morning and again when I leave work in the evening.

Any ideas?

[mark1gls]

Not had this happen to me, but I would take the starter motor off and clean the staft to see if that helps.

[roccoGTX]

I agree, but I would clean the 'shaft'. and put a little grease on the bendix.

John

[Matty-Boy]

I used to get this same fault on my triumph spitfire.

Found it was caused by wear on the main shaft in the starter. I had tried wd40, oil, grease and graphite oil to no availe.

Eventualy decided to take the starter out and fix it rather than perform a short term cure.

Found traces of metal swarf/fillings around the main shaft and bendix and also wear on the shaft.

Smoothed off with emery cloth, then used a metal polish such as 'autosol' to give it a smooth, sleak, mirror finish... Reassemled with a small wipe of hight temperature grease. Span up perfectly every turn of the key for the next two years until i sold it.

Saved so much grief each time i was trying to start it and having to get some stranger to hit my starter with a mallet to make the damn thing work...!