Riddle me this - What is wrong?

[Riknos]

So my car wouldn't start on Saturday. Can hear the start motor ticking but nothing. Battery is a new Westco bought 2 months ago. Car is used once a week for a minimum of 24 mile round trip, should have enough power.

Mechanic tried charging it but it didn't do anything after about 30 minutes, due to being a gel battery? He reckons the reason why it's drained is because the negative terminal connector was snapped in half, meaning it's not got a good connection so is draining the battery. After market immobiliser probably doesn't help.

He bodged a jubilee clip on in place of the battery terminal, then we bump started it down the road, and it fired up. Left it running for 10 minutes, then turned off and tried to see if it would start on it's own, and it would. Which would rule out the 'lazy stater motor' that the 2nd breakdown guy who turned up thought it could be (I had two turn up and they took almost 2 hours between them to do all this)

After it had started I then did about a 1 hour + journey on Sat, then parked it up and left it. 24 hours later I come to start the car again and it doesn't work at all? So I had to try and reverse 3 point turn the sodding car up a hill on my own (and ran over my own foot! ) in the freezing cold last night before bump starting it down the hill, whilst my new gf looked on in disgust/shame and probably double thinking her recent commitment to me..

Anyway, basically I'm thinking I need to get a proper battery terminal bought, get a trickle charger hooked to the battery, and hope this sorts it out? I might try and find the immobiliser and rip it out and see if that stops it draining.

If this lot doesn't work then could it be the start motor? The breakdown guys checked the voltage on the battery before we tried starting it and they said it was 12.something which is apparently enough to start the car..

[Richyvrlimited]

It's the battery terminal. Replace with a quality clamp on one. I used one of these:


Remember to cover the exposed flex with dialetric grease (or Vaseline if you can't find any).

Had the exact same symptoms, BTDT.

[Jibberingloon]

Battery draining from something perhaps?

[MX-5 Lazza]

Sounds like the battery terminal to me. It's probably not that the battery is draining, more that it isn't getting charged.

[Richyvrlimited]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Sounds like the battery terminal to me. It's probably not that the battery is draining, more that it isn't getting charged.

This is exactly what's happening.

Once running the alternator is going like the clappers keeping everything ticking over. It'll also start whilst still warm, but leave for 4-5 hours and nada.

Replace clamp and be happy (I'd do both personally, the OEM clamps are crap and prone to cracking.

[gforceg]

Why didn't you just do a reverse roll start? That always impresses the ladies...

Good luck with the fix.

[Riknos]

Thanks for the help guys, if I'd known this before I would have replaced straight away rather than forking out £98 for a new battery

gforceg said:

Why didn't you just do a reverse roll start? That always impresses the ladies...

Good luck with the fix.

I would have loved to. But my car was facing downhill, and I struggled to push it up the hill the couple of feet I needed to, in order to do my 3 point turn to get out of the bay I was in.. and I ran over my foot

[PATTERNPART]

If she helped you that bodes well.

[Richyvrlimited]

Riknos said:

Thanks for the help guys, if I'd known this before I would have replaced straight away rather than forking out £98 for a new battery

If it helps I've done the exact same thing. The spare battery came in useful when my dad bought an MX5 with the incorrect battery type fitted though.

[Riknos]

PATTERNPART said:

If she helped you that bodes well.

No, she didn't But she did say if it had happened on a first date, she would either think I'm a complete loser and not bother again, or find it endearing. Luckily, she feels the latter

Richyvrlimited said:

If it helps I've done the exact same thing. The spare battery came in useful when my dad bought an MX5 with the incorrect battery type fitted though.

Unfortunately Richy, it's still not solved the issue! I'm getting a friend round with his multimeter tomorrow night to have a look, as battery terminals all changed and I took the car for a 2 hour drive on the weekend and 2 hours later it wouldn't even start. I'm suspecting it's a dodgy earth/solenoid connection or the starter motor is shagged.

I've spent several hours google/youtube/MX5OC/MX5NUTZ/Miata.net looking for a decent guide for changing the starter motor, but none with pictures

[Richyvrlimited]

Riknos said:

Unfortunately Richy, it's still not solved the issue! I'm getting a friend round with his multimeter tomorrow night to have a look, as battery terminals all changed and I took the car for a 2 hour drive on the weekend and 2 hours later it wouldn't even start. I'm suspecting it's a dodgy earth/solenoid connection or the starter motor is shagged.

I've spent several hours google/youtube/MX5OC/MX5NUTZ/Miata.net looking for a decent guide for changing the starter motor, but none with pictures

There's no pictures as it's a bloody swine of a job which you have to do half blind, you can't really get your head in there to actually see it.

Get the car in the air, remove the alternator and intake manifold brace and then proceed to struggle is what I found - I pulled mine thinking it was goosed, what'd actually happened was the retaining nut for it's earth was loose, only realised after I'd virtually removed the thing.

I'd highly recommend removing the intake manifold. It seems like a lot more work on the face of it (pulling injectors etc), but it really will make your life a lot easier.

[roverspeed]

Have you had a multimeter on the battery when the car is running.

If its being charged correctly you should be showing 13-15 volts.