Loose cable in engine bay & Cerb not starting

[CerbWill]

All, last weekend I bought a Cerbera and drove it 190 miles home without incident. Trying to start it a few days ago I found it wouldn't start. The fuel pump primes as expected at the first press of the ignition button, and on the second press there is a rapid clicking noise which seems to be coming from the starter motor. I've removed the starter motor and found the solenoid 12v connector was hanging on by a few strands of wire. I re-soldered that and checked the solenoid and main power connectors are providing 12V but theres still no life in the old beast. I'm guessing a weak starter motor?

Theres also the issue of the cable pictured below not being connected to anything. I've not disconnected it whilst disassembling the engine to get the starter motor out, and the other end is connected to the top of the clutch housing. Can anyone tell me what it is and where it should be connected to?

Edited by CerbWill on Friday 13th June 23:53

[pmessling]

Sounds like you should charge your battery first.

Even a week is long enough for a cerb to drain it enough to stop it starting

[Zeemax_Mini]

Clutch bleed pipe?

Dom

[CerbWill]

I've been using the battery from my daily driver to give it a jump start, still no joy. Zeemax, I'm assuming it should be loose if its a bleed pipe?

[FarmyardPants]

The braided hose is the clutch bleed as stated.
I would treat your car to a new battery. For the cost of a tank of fuel it's well worth changing every 3-5 years and keep it on a trickle charger in the meantime. Cerbs have a habit of running batteries down and a weak battery can cause a surprising diversity of problems

[Cerbieherts]

Farmy's spot on, it's the clutch bleed pipe, perfectly normal, and likely the battery. You could whip it off and have it drop-tested by a local garage..

[Jhonno]

Does sound like the battery..

[southendpier]

The rapid clicks was a sign of lack of battery juice in my old Cerb. they need a good chunk of amps to spin up.

[CerbWill]

Jhonno said:

Does sound like the battery..

Even if I've tried jump starting it with no success? I'd be happy if it was as batteries are cheaper than starter motors!

[Jhonno]

It is a big high comp lump.. Mine barely jumped off my running 320d, with a decent battery on both, and the Snap On cables got toasty!

Edited by Jhonno on Saturday 14th June 00:14

Edited by Jhonno on Saturday 14th June 00:15

[Byker28i]

Braided pipe is clutch bleed cable as stated. Just cable tie it to something on the bulkhead otherwise it flops around, can get near the throttle linkage and you don't want that.

On the Cerbera it's imperative that you keep the car on an optimiser when not using it. As these are rarely daily cars, the alarm/imobiliser/clock is enough to drain the battery in a week. Some people run leads from the battery, I just plug into my cigarette socket

[wiggycerb]

Defo battery, get a new one plenty of topics on which type on PH also replace the big fuse whilst you are down that way.

Matt

[CerbWill]

Ok, just tried a 720A starting current battery while the original one charges, still the same symptoms.

[N7GTX]

Use a good quality heavy duty jump lead and connect one end to a good metal part of the engine and the other to the battery earth. If still the same hat will rule out the engine earth strap.

If you can get access, use a heavy duty cable from the battery positive direct on to the starter BIG terminal - NOT the solenoid. If it turns now then its the solenoid not passing the current to the starter motor. If it does not turn then its the starter motor itself.

[CerbWill]

N7GTX, when removed from the car the starter motor spins when connected to a battery and 12v applied to the solenoid. I put it back in the car and ran a cable from the battery to the main 12V connector and the solenoid, it won't turn then. I used a jump lead connected directly to the motor as the earth. I've checked the solenoid actuator and main power connection and they're both providing 12v.

[Simonmiddleton]

You could try putting the car in gear and pushing it forward or back a foot or so to try and manually spin the flywheel round a bit, perhaps you have a couple of teeth missing from your flywheel?

[N7GTX]

Yes, can you actually turn the engine over? As said, put in 2nd gear, handbrake off and push it back and forward to ensure the crank is turning.
If that is good and with a good heavy duty lead on the big terminal on the starter (not the solenoid) to positive the motor should turn. If it does not then suspect the motor even if it spins on the bench where there is no load.
But check the cables to the motor carefully. Does the positive lead get hot when trying to start? That would indicate a bad connection, poor wiring or a faulty motor.

[CerbWill]

I can rock it back and forward in 2nd, takes quite a bit of effort but it moves and the engine turns. A new motor is on its way so we'll see how that works out.