Hello, forgive me if this question has been thoroughly covered elsewhere, but after searching the forums I'm still pretty confused. My '90 S5 NA manual has the so-called click-click vroom starting issue. To be specific, there is no clicking from the starter when I turn the ignition, I just have to keep turning the ignition switch until it starts, it usually takes three or four attempts. There is no hesitation once it does start; it fires right up and runs great. However, I'm worried the day will come when whatever fault is happening will leave me stranded. Turn the key, nothing, turn the key, nothing, turn the key starts right up like a champ.

So far I have:

Replaced the starter

Checked the battery (it's only a year old, it's good)

Replaced the clutch safety switch

Cleaned the contacts inside the ignition switch (that was pretty hilarious, the plastic tumbler opened and tiny metal plates springs and ball bearings went all over, but I got it back together)

Read Aaron Cake's grounding procedure, cleaned all the contacts for the grounds, replaced bolts and sealed all the contacts liberally with dialectric grease

The spark plugs and wires were replaced when I purchased the car; they have less than 5K miles on them and as I mentioned the car has no other issues running or idling


So, my research has led me to the starter cutoff relay. I want to try to bypass it with a jumper wire, but am terrified of doing it incorrectly. The other forum posts talk about wires with colors I do not have in the plug by the trailing coil pack. My plug has four wires: a large black wire with a green stripe, a large black wire with a blue stripe, a small green wire with a black stripe, and a small bright green wire. Does anyone else have an S5 with this configuration?


I suppose that it could still be a faulty ignition switch as well, but I'd like to nail down the starter cutoff relay bypass first before I purchase a new one. Thanks in advance.

 

Have you taken the relay out to check for corrosion? The bypass is very easy. I can't remember off hand... I'll look into it.

 

You can jump 12v to the B/W wire and it should turn the engine over. Thats how I do it when I'm under the hood and dont have anyone to help me.

 

Jump B/L to B/G. Also worth mentioning -there are two B/G on that connector. Only one will test 0V with key ON. That is the wire you want.

 

It's the two thicker wires that you need to jump in order to bypass the relay.

 

Thanks! You know, it's the damnedest thing; after all the work I did I took the car out for a beer run (I hadn't driven it more than around the block since this problem started), and ever since then it's started right up on the first try with no issues. Hopefully I won't run into the issue again, but if I do I really appreciate the info on singling out the starter cut relay.

 

Clean all the oil off of your starter and all of the connections.