are you sure your starter is good? Based on what you've said, I doubt it.

 

Bad starter wouldn't cause the car to die once running. Wish I could say for certainty what it is but I'm betting it's not the starter. I'd check the voltage regulator, then check the belts, make sure they're in good shape, no slipping.

 

A clicking sound when the car is starting (or trying to start) usually indicates a dying or faulty starter.

However, if the car randomly died while it was already running then it is an electrical issue.

 

Get a second opinion on the battery. Sometimes they test "ok" but don't have the cranking amps to start the car.

 

@5hadow have you checked all of the main power and ground connections? One of them could be corroded, broken or even just loose.

 

I am with @bluedevil6 on this one as well. The Mk1 is somewhat notorious for corroded grounds and I believe there are 4 or 5 depending on which year/month specifically.


A poor performing battery can give you a click when starting (solenoid actuating) but not have enough to turn the starter motor (I have experienced this personally). A battery with an intermittent internal short can also do this and it could account for the engine suddenly dying. Do your interior lights dim significantly when starting?



I cannot however see how this would contribute to the other issues you describe.


When you say the front wheels turn when starting on a lift in neutral do you mean rotate or does the steering wheel turn with the wheels?


Your shut-down symptom of rough with a sudden jerk stop and the wheels turning(rotating?) sound to me like you have a mechanical drag within the drive-line. If I had to guess I would say something with the transmission (input shaft bearing?}. This does not however explain how a wheel would rotate when out of gear. If you do really mean turn then I suppose it could be a result of pressure variation within the steering rack (say an internal seal leak maybe?) and possibly unrelated.



Have you replaced the transmission fluid recently?



Have you noticed any changes in how the car shifts? Harder to get into gear or through your shift gates? I suppose it is possible for an older starter and battery combined with a marginal grounding system to not have the needed strength to adequately overcome the resistance imposed by the motor and transmission input shaft being turned when starting the car (especially if you have a bearing going bad).


If you are talking about wheel rotation (while in neutral) then I would imagine when the engine does start they also start spinning?



This is a brain burner.

 

Same problem....

This was me...this week. Everything sounds near identical to what I was experiencing. I don't know what the outcome was for you, but my positive cable looked a bit corroded and a little...melted, so I took it off, cleaned it up, and had just enough play in it to strip back to clean metal and reattach the terminal. Hooked everything back up and the car has never started better. On demand, like it was new. I may be looking at replacing the wiring harness, but hey, at least I think I found the problem.


2004 6s

 

Could be the wiring harness too. Or a cam is slipping out of time.

 

I vote bad battery connections/cables