V8V Starting Issue

[Percy Penguin]

Grateful for some advice on a starting issue with my 2006 V8V.

I went to start it yesterday and just got a 'click' from the solenoid. A few more presses of the button and eventually it fired into life as normal. I took it for a long drive and after that it restarted first time as normal. I put it on the trickle charger overnight, but then today it did the same thing. It seems to eventually start after four or five presses of the button when cold but first time when hot.

The starter button ring lights up red, and the battery is only a year old; the car has just completed a 400 mile round trip to Le Mans Classic with no issues so it should be fully charged - it's showing 12.3V at rest on my basic plug in battery tester, and 14.4V when running.

What do you think - starter motor sticking and on the way out ? Or is there something else I should check ?

[Nigel_O]

12.3 is a little bit low, but probably not enough to give problems. That said, it’s amps that starts the car, not volts, so it’s probably worth having the battery tested with a proper load tester.

Did the rest of the electrics dim when you pressed the start button? That would suggest the starter solenoid was engaging, but the starter motor pinion wasn’t connecting with the flywheel. If there was just a light click, but none of the other electrics dimmed, it was probably just a relay.

I’d still suspect the battery first - not uncommon for a new(ish) battery to fail.

[john ryan]

Poor connection to the starter motor, or poor earth from the engine to the body are both possibilities.

[Nigel_O]

john ryan said:

Poor connection to the starter motor, or poor earth from the engine to the body are both possibilities.

Good call - testing the second of these is a doddle - connect a jump lead from the block to the chassis - if the car starts more easily, or if the jump lead gets warm, you’ve found your culprit

[Calinours]

Checkout the earth strap from the battery to the body. The fixing can come loose creating a poor earth.

[flatfour]

Hey bud. A good car battery should show circa 13.8v when the engine is running so you know it's getting charged and circa 12.6-12.7 with the engine off

[Percy Penguin]

Thanks for all the help and advice.

It turned out to be a dodgy engine earth, which oddly is located at the back of the car on the gearbox. There's actually two earth straps there, and they were a bit crusty. Once cleaned up, car starts perfectly.