Starting trouble, can't find the problem.

2nd January 2012, 12:47

I've been having a trouble with my car starting. Haven't passed my test yet and I stupidly left my car without running for about 2-3 months and when I tried I couldn't get it to even start to rollover although my car audio worked fine. I push started the car and it was driven/kept running for a few hours but when stop it started to try to rollover. Later that night I just tried to start it and it started fine. It's been driven since and 9/10 times started unless it was stalled or turned off while just driving and then it would need to be push started(friend got insured on it for a day). This lead him to stalling it on a major roundabout and then having to push start it which really wasn't fun

Either way has been started every few days since but I'm started to have more and more trouble getting it to rollover until now when it's stopped even trying again.

I'm temped to just get another battery and hopefully its due to it not holding the power? Anyone have any ideas? Hoping its not something like the alternator..

Cheers!

2nd January 2012, 23:27

not being funny mate but id start it at least once a week if you dont use it, its winter, the oil will be thick as fuck, try giving it a good run first before thinking a bout batteries. what do you mean it stalls? as in whoever drove it stalled it or it happened itself?

3rd January 2012, 17:35

Well since I got it working most times i've started it every other day but over the last month is been getting harder to turn over until now when it won't even attempt it but it make a "donk/hiss" noise which sound normal 2bh.

And when we could get it to start first time my mate got insured on it and did lifts to a funeral(in which we had trouble getting it started afterwards which really wasn't fun!) as he wasn't use to the car he stalled it a couple of times and every time he did we had to push start it to get it started or you would have to leave it for an hour or so before it would start by itself.

I cleaned the battery terminals today which were crusty with acid but still no luck :/

3rd January 2012, 17:54

starter motor solenoid, i will put money on it

3rd January 2012, 18:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matts-VTR

starter motor solenoid, i will put money on it

How come mate? and i've been looking around and i'm guessing it would just be easier to replace the whole starter motor? but cheers!

Just ordered a multimeter to make sure 100% that it ain't the battery!

3rd January 2012, 18:26

I think your battery has had it hence the acid leaking around the terminals,won`t be a starter motor problem.

4th January 2012, 00:07

if it starts fine sometimes and not others then do a simple test.

turn all your lights (headlights) on while the car is stationary with the engine OFF

try starting the car (if this fault is present at the time) if the lights dont dim but are good and healthy (nice and bright as they should be) then the starter has had it, if the battery had copped it then the lights would dim / go out completely.

My mk1 clio 16v and mk1 vtr both suffered the same problem, from cold they would start fine, once warm they wouldnt crank and it would be as if the battery was flat but would start with a push.

By all means inspect the battery and if need be replace it, hope you find the cause of the problem but if it starts fine sometimes and not when warm i would check the starter myself OR the wiring that goes too it, may be an earthing problem?

Matt.

4th January 2012, 21:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matts-VTR

if it starts fine sometimes and not others then do a simple test.

turn all your lights (headlights) on while the car is stationary with the engine OFF

try starting the car (if this fault is present at the time) if the lights dont dim but are good and healthy (nice and bright as they should be) then the starter has had it, if the battery had copped it then the lights would dim / go out completely.

My mk1 clio 16v and mk1 vtr both suffered the same problem, from cold they would start fine, once warm they wouldnt crank and it would be as if the battery was flat but would start with a push.

By all means inspect the battery and if need be replace it, hope you find the cause of the problem but if it starts fine sometimes and not when warm i would check the starter myself OR the wiring that goes too it, may be an earthing problem?

Matt.

Cheers mate! Tried this and it shows that it's the battery although it's basically dead now. I don't know why it has slowly died as the cars been running for at least 10 mins every other day. Which worries me is that the battery is barely over a year old(as the seller says anyway) which could lead to a broken alternator? Although the battery is halfords which takes about half the worry away that it is the alternator

5th January 2012, 11:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by FullyLoadedChief

Cheers mate! Tried this and it shows that it's the battery although it's basically dead now. I don't know why it has slowly died as the cars been running for at least 10 mins every other day. Which worries me is that the battery is barely over a year old(as the seller says anyway) which could lead to a broken alternator? Although the battery is halfords which takes about half the worry away that it is the alternator

10 mins of running every other day is knowhere near long enough to keep a battery fully charged mate.

5th January 2012, 14:31

Got a new battery today and installed it, used a multimeter to test the voltage on it which was about 12.14-12.2v. Which should just be enough to get it going right? Now it attempts to turn over again but fails to do so. So it's not the alternator or battery, which leaves the starter motor/starter motor solenoid as matt said before

but would it attempt to roll over and have worked before if it is one those two things?

Just glad I haven't passed my test yet!

6th January 2012, 12:04

Anyoneeee?