Starter motor burns up after key is removed from ignition

Hi everyone, I've got a 2000 TDI Jetta that's been keeping me on my toes. The latest is that one day I tried to start the car, and it wouldn't start. Not too unusual. What did seem unusual to me was that after I removed the key from the ignition, the starter motor kept right on hissing, for a good 20 minutes or so. This was accompanied by a small amount of smoke and a burning plastic smell. Eventually it petered out.

I got the car towed to the mechanic, where they replaced the starter motor. Drove it for a week or ten days, and yesterday the very same thing happened over again. Started the car, shut it off, tried to start it again, wouldn't start, but starter motor kept right on hissing, got hot, created smoke and burning plastic smell. Went for 15 minutes or so before it finally quit. Needless to say, the car won't start now. Any thoughts on where to start chasing this issue down would be greatly appreciated.

Get a wiring diagram of the starting circuit to make following the wiring easier. The usual culprits are the starter relay or ignition switch.
If it happens again disconnect one of the battery cables and you will save the starter. Don't waste time doing this, heat kills starters.

When you noticed the problem, why didn't you disconnect the battery? Having a problem and waiting for the car to go into total meltdown is completely ridiculous.

Having the problem you describe is not helped by allowing the starter to continue to draw current when it should not.

Your mechanic may have install a total garbage local parts house starter. Buying a part should not be a crap shoot on weather it works right or not and that is what you get with places like AutoZone.

Take this to someone competent.

There's a posting on the local CL in which someone is selling what was once a really nice TDI Jetta that some stupid mechanic installed the wrong fuse in and it ended up burning up ton of wiring in the car- it was totaled (being sold as parts).

This type of problem has been 9/10 the starter relay. Not specifically in these cars, just generally every time the starter gets stuck cranking. Other causes can be the starter, ignition switch, starter shimming/ clearances/tolerances, " stupid overcomplicated...." or "double u tee f, never seen...."


If you are unclear how to diagnose the cause, I would take it somewhere. I would myself start with the relay (not replacing, testing, likely would use the power probe)and move from there wherever that takes me. This could be a make your own adventure book.