Oh oh....
Author
Discussion

NiceCupOfTea

Original Poster:

25,586 posts

280 months

Saturday 27th October 2012
quotequote all
Just decided to go for a quick blast to warm the fluids, jumped into the car, turned the key, and...

Slow turn over frown Kept the key on for 10 secs or so hoping it would catch as it kept turning slowly, but nothing. It's been outside under a cover, but with a trickle charger attached. Big battery, not that old.

Attached my booster pack, but all I got after that was a solenoid click. Repositioned the cables and tried again, but the same. Disconnected the booster, now just a click from the starter frown

Any thoughts other than a dead battery? I'm sure it's not that old, and it has been on a trickle charger...

SS2.

14,709 posts

267 months

Saturday 27th October 2012
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Bad earth ?

steve j

3,223 posts

257 months

Saturday 27th October 2012
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Sticking starter motor ? I saw these exact symptoms last week on a V6 Cosworth engine yes

BountyHunter

1,050 posts

223 months

Saturday 27th October 2012
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Sounds like it could be a bad earth to me.


NiceCupOfTea

Original Poster:

25,586 posts

280 months

Saturday 27th October 2012
quotequote all
Starter motor replaced at service 6 weeks ago!

The battery is at the very least flat - 9-10v, drops to 9v under load so either my trickle charger is broken (but if the battery was good it wouldn't have dropped that much in 2 weeks since its last run), there is a current draw somewhere, or the battery is knackered.

I am going to go for a replacement battery first and take it from there...

orange_dodo

694 posts

218 months

Monday 29th October 2012
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If your trickle charger turned into a trickle discharger it would kill the battery nicely. I'd suggest when you have your new battery you either get the charger tested or if it's cheap get another one.

On the starter motor front, you can have a perfectly good starter and solenoid but if the cables/earth are bad you'll get diddly squat out of them. I had the solenoid clicking issue and it turned out the copper ring connector on the end of the +ve supply wasn't really attached. Quick resolder with a blowtorch and I haven't had a problem since.

Griffinr

1,017 posts

203 months

Monday 29th October 2012
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Check the voltage accross the battery with the charger on, it should be 13.5 to 14.2 volts. If it remains below 12 the charger may be faulty. Having said that if the battery has a fault (for example dead cell) some of the modern chargers won't even try to charge them.
Rob.

GTRene

22,396 posts

253 months

Monday 29th October 2012
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some chargers you can see if the battery is good or not...
then the status will not go up and or complete I guess...

I have this type, works very good (when the rest is good biggrin)

http://www.ctek.com/Archive/ProductManualPdf/MXS%2...

ctek mxs 5.0

NiceCupOfTea

Original Poster:

25,586 posts

280 months

Monday 29th October 2012
quotequote all
My charger is a ctek too.

Just got a new batt - I am sure the old one was duff, it was still charging this morning (read 13v when it had just come off the charger, but as soon as I load tested it it fell to 9v and kept dropping. When I took the load off it went back to about 10.5. Guy in the shop tested it and his machine said dead cell.

So, I have hooked up a new battery, and.... click.

Given that the battery was knackered, and the car was turning over before I tried to jump it with a booster pack (connected the correct way round!) what else could it be? Is there a fuse I could have blown or something that needs reseting after a long crank?

Need the car moving as it is blocking another one in that has an MOT tomorrow!

NiceCupOfTea

Original Poster:

25,586 posts

280 months

Monday 29th October 2012
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Aha! 100A fuse has gone! I guess the extended cranking heated it up too much...

Are they a standard part? Halfords?

phillpot

17,509 posts

212 months

Monday 29th October 2012
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NiceCupOfTea said:
Aha! 100A fuse has gone!
Where is the fuse, in the main battery cable to starter?

Not standard to best of my knowledge?

Chimaeras have one but in the cable to alternator, will stop the car from charging but will still crank over if battery good I think.

NiceCupOfTea

Original Poster:

25,586 posts

280 months

Monday 29th October 2012
quotequote all
On one of the chassis rails in front of the engine - maybe it's an afterthought. It looks just like the Chim one.

I don't really like the idea of bridging it though, even just to move the car off the drive...

Not having any luck with autofactors at the mo...

Gerald-TVR

4,896 posts

226 months

Monday 29th October 2012
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NiceCupOfTea said:
On one of the chassis rails in front of the engine - maybe it's an afterthought. It looks just like the Chim one.

I don't really like the idea of bridging it though, even just to move the car off the drive...

Not having any luck with autofactors at the mo...
Fitted by Adrian Venn as a precaution against starter lead shorting out, I supplied some spares (I think) when the car was sold!

Here they are

just ask the Guru!!!

phillpot said:
Chimaeras have one but in the cable to alternator, will stop the car from charging but will still crank over if battery good I think.
Had one of those fitted too, look on the bulkhead by the brake bias valve!!!

Edited by Gerald-TVR on Monday 29th October 16:35

phillpot

17,509 posts

212 months

Monday 29th October 2012
quotequote all
100 amp fuse on main starter feed ? surprised it's lasted that long. I fitted one of these at 100 amp and it lasted about 3 starts, now have the 200amp fuse fitted.

NiceCupOfTea

Original Poster:

25,586 posts

280 months

Monday 29th October 2012
quotequote all
I should have asked you in the first place Norman! I did have a look in the spare bulb/fuse kit in the boot but there were no 100A ones. Hopefully sourced some at EuroCarParts..