Yay on holiday tomorrow morning when we leave for the tunnel at 7 am! Only this morning I suspect the starter motor packed up.
Can anyone tell me if they fail by sluggishly starting the engine before they die or is it a sudden in planned thing?

Generally they either work or dont. Sounds more like a battery issue if its just being sluggish

Sluggish starting sounds more like the battery. More common problem and easier/cheaper to fix (unless it’s a symptom of something else wrong)

starters tend to just click when broken as they have not spun back but it depends on the type

Slow turning over is almost certainly the battery being flat/not fully charged/not holding a charge etc.

Or a bad earth

It does click. Loads when you turn the key, no spinning. Changed the last one 5 years ago. It span but didn’t engage. Battery was suspected but I’ve invested in a starter as the mechanic will be round at 7 tonight. Once the shops shut!

Option 1) Try a new battery
Option 2) Hire a car

Which is what my problem turned out to be when I had similar symptoms.

Buy a battery now, return if you don’t use. Saves a major faff tonight, tomorrow or on hols

Can’t hire a car, it’s a camper van and we’d be sleeping in the boot.
If I can get it on the drive I can charge the battery, claims 12.9v on a meter. Then we can get a new battery on route.

Assuming the battery is providing enough power. If it’s clicking but not turning the engine over then it’s usually the starter motor solenoid sticking.

Hitting the solenoid with a hammer shaft or such while turning the engine over can get you out of jail for a while!

You can just replace the solenoid instead of the whole starter motor, although few mechanics will offer you this option.

Another thing worth doing is putting it in 4th gear and rocking it forward to turn the starter. Sometimes works (or sometime worked on my Mk 1 Transit back in the day). If it does work change it before it gets worse.

Do as Chester says, will get you through the holiday, and try to park on a hill if you can!.

It’s the battery get a new one and all will be well.

If the cor starts tomorrow go via a garage or Halfords and get one fitted.

VW camper? Is there a bronze bush that should be replaced with the starter, my T3 has a very sluggish starter caused by a combination of the bush being worn and allowing the shaft to bind and the internal solenoid terminals being worn.
Some T4’s have a similar setup as well.

It’s probably not the battery then, and certainly no point in trying to charge it – 12.9V suggests a fully charged battery. My battery voltage was rather less than that when I was having problems (and doubtless is less than that now), but it still wasn’t the battery which was the problem (as above it was an earth problem).

when you say camper… is it air cooled? fuel lines/ filter clogged or gunk in the carb will make it sluggish to start and it a mechanical fuel pump so it doesn’t take much to upset it

If I can get it on the drive I can charge the battery, claims 12.9v on a meter.

if the battery is goosed, then it may still show a reasonable voltage, but will have little charge or ability to take charge.

chech the voltage at the battery when cranking, if it plummets then the battery is goosed

aye cranking am matter here not surface voltage

Dont hit the solenoid you can short across but tbh if you dont know how to do this DONT and the clicking noise you hear[ if the starter does not turn] is almost certainly the solenoid working and the starter not spinning

might be corrosion on the wires not carrying enough currant to the solenoid check that with multi meter,
. change the battery , if that doesnt help.short between the solenoid and starter if that works it will probably be starter motor,

what van do you have

It does click. Loads when you turn the key, no spinning.

Almost certainly a battery fault. If not the battery then a wiring fault between it and the solenoid/starter.

Its clicking the solenoid, trying to turn the engine, voltage drops, solenoid opens again, repeat rapidly.

Had similar issues with our car, sluggish starting and sometimes nothing when the key was turned. Turn it again and the car would start, but not as instantly as normal. Battery showed good voltage when tested and also getting 14v or so when the engine was running, but it was failing under load.

A new battery and we’re back to instant starting.

And the answer was… starter motor! Too a chance and Bought one today hoping it would be a strap if the battery. No luck as it was stuck firm. The vary nice AA guy changed it.
Bastards bastard van!
Better dead on the drive than stuck firm on the euro tunnel in Calais I suppose.
Thanks for your help.

At least you got it sorted. There’s some relative simple diagnostic tests you can run through to determine the source of the problem, so not always too difficult to fix. In my limited experience, they do play up a bit before dying. Either spin without engaging, or just chug to a halt before seizing up.

Glad you got it sorted. Hope you have a good journey!