Starter motor power drain ?
Discussion
Following the starter motor fire during MOT back in April, replacement of burnt out wiring and the disconnected alarm immobiliser coming mysteriously back to life and making warm starts very difficult, I bit the bullet and got the alarm immobiliser removed. Problem solved? No chance! Round two to the S.
Today - cold start fine, stopped for fuel about 10 mins later, restarted no problem.
40 min blast down the motorway to home so the battery should have been nicely charged.
I tried to restart the car an hour later, she gave a couple of half-hearted coughs, lots of clicks and whirrs, and then the starter motor wouldn't turn and all the signs were that the battery had gone flat (in about 5 minutes!). it appears that something is draining the power. Our mechanic suspects the key barrel on the steering wheel. Has anyone experienced something similar? Does anyone have any ideas? Until I get the starting sorted I'm very reluctant to go anywhere as the "little madam" has embarrassed me on several occassions over the last month.
Today - cold start fine, stopped for fuel about 10 mins later, restarted no problem.
40 min blast down the motorway to home so the battery should have been nicely charged.
I tried to restart the car an hour later, she gave a couple of half-hearted coughs, lots of clicks and whirrs, and then the starter motor wouldn't turn and all the signs were that the battery had gone flat (in about 5 minutes!). it appears that something is draining the power. Our mechanic suspects the key barrel on the steering wheel. Has anyone experienced something similar? Does anyone have any ideas? Until I get the starting sorted I'm very reluctant to go anywhere as the "little madam" has embarrassed me on several occassions over the last month.
I'd go for the "hot start mod" before anything else, although checking ALL earths as Barry suggested is always a good idea. Just requires a relay and a bit of wiring.
basically rather than the ignition switch operating the starter solenoid (fairly high current draw) it only has to operate a solenoid (very low current) and a "good!" live is taken from the main battery live through the relay to feed the solenoid.... got it?
Any half competent auto sparky should be able to jig that up no problem. if he is confused I can muster a little wiring diagram probably.
have a read of this old thread
basically rather than the ignition switch operating the starter solenoid (fairly high current draw) it only has to operate a solenoid (very low current) and a "good!" live is taken from the main battery live through the relay to feed the solenoid.... got it?
Any half competent auto sparky should be able to jig that up no problem. if he is confused I can muster a little wiring diagram probably.
have a read of this old thread
Edited by phillpot on Friday 17th June 21:49
It's very unlikely that the battery has gone flat that quickly without setting the car on fire, and much more likely that you have a wiring fault or starter motor / solenoid fault. That should be relatively simple for somebody with a volt meter and knowledge of basic car electrics to track down.
If you're worried about a current leak, disconnect the earth cable from the battery and connect a multimeter (set to DC amps) in series between the earth cable and the negative battery terminal. If there is a leak when the ignition is switched off, you could try removing fuses one by one to see which circuit is causing the drain.
However, and as GreenV8S has already indicated, a current draw capable of draining even a half-charged battery in just 5 minutes would not only be off the scale of most meters, it'd also be popping fuses or melting wires / setting the car alight.
Far more likely you've got a poor earth connection somewhere.
However, and as GreenV8S has already indicated, a current draw capable of draining even a half-charged battery in just 5 minutes would not only be off the scale of most meters, it'd also be popping fuses or melting wires / setting the car alight.
Far more likely you've got a poor earth connection somewhere.
SS2. said:
If you're worried about a current leak, disconnect the earth cable from the battery and connect a multimeter (set to DC amps) in series between the earth cable and the negative battery terminal.
If you do try this it's worth keeping the multimeter shorted out while you reconnect the circuit so that the inrush current doesn't fry your multimeter.
Gassing Station | S Series | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff