Help needed :)
Discussion
So.. having been back on the road for the princely period of a week.. the old girl has just got her dancing shoes back on, then decides to have a coronary on the dance floor!! lol
symptoms....
(bearing in mind that up to this point all was apparently well and no issues)
moved the car this morning to do a bit of car juggling on the drives... started first time.. moved no problem.. got back in to move again put the key in.. turned the ignition on, and hit the fob button... fuel pump primes
turn the key to start it... absolutely died outright. no lights on the dash, no sound from the starter. (Like something blew.. but i didn't hear it)
jiggled things around a bit... checked the fuses incl 100A all looked ok. tried again.
this time.. lights have returned to the dash, but i can't here the fuel pump prime.. and the starter just made a click
changed the relays for the fuel pump.. tried again.. now i can here the fuel pump .. starter.. still a click..(with some kind of faint noise, not a whirr like it spinning.. more like an electrical groan)
if i try it with the headlights on... it pretty much kills the headlights completely... and i have now reached the point where the windows are struggling and the doors barely have enough power to open.
so what do we think??? Starter motor dead?? took a relay with it?? or something a bit more sinister??
had the starter bypass done a couple of years back, so would expect it to turn even if the immobilser was acting up, but the pump priming suggests that is ok.
only other thing of note is the indicators kept starting to flash whilst trying to diagnose... i suspect this is the alarm letting me know i have set it off as i'm pretty sure i don't have an actual siren
love owning this car... not sure what i'd do with all that cash if i didn't lol
symptoms....
(bearing in mind that up to this point all was apparently well and no issues)
moved the car this morning to do a bit of car juggling on the drives... started first time.. moved no problem.. got back in to move again put the key in.. turned the ignition on, and hit the fob button... fuel pump primes
turn the key to start it... absolutely died outright. no lights on the dash, no sound from the starter. (Like something blew.. but i didn't hear it)
jiggled things around a bit... checked the fuses incl 100A all looked ok. tried again.
this time.. lights have returned to the dash, but i can't here the fuel pump prime.. and the starter just made a click
changed the relays for the fuel pump.. tried again.. now i can here the fuel pump .. starter.. still a click..(with some kind of faint noise, not a whirr like it spinning.. more like an electrical groan)
if i try it with the headlights on... it pretty much kills the headlights completely... and i have now reached the point where the windows are struggling and the doors barely have enough power to open.
so what do we think??? Starter motor dead?? took a relay with it?? or something a bit more sinister??
had the starter bypass done a couple of years back, so would expect it to turn even if the immobilser was acting up, but the pump priming suggests that is ok.
only other thing of note is the indicators kept starting to flash whilst trying to diagnose... i suspect this is the alarm letting me know i have set it off as i'm pretty sure i don't have an actual siren
love owning this car... not sure what i'd do with all that cash if i didn't lol
That sounds like a flat battery or dodgy battery terminal connection - the "groan" suggests flat battery.
When was it last replaced? They only have about a 6 year life, less if you have let it go flat.
You can waste heaps of time on this when all you need is a new battery, so get that checked first. A good auto spares indie will have a proper battery tester.
By the way, the two main fuses are 100 amp under the car and 80 amp near the battery on all but the earliest cars.
100 amp is directly below the alternator, accessed by removing the off front wheel, it's in a black fuse holder.
80 amp is in a black fuse holder too, in a thick wire in the footwell. I found mine tucked behind the top right of the fuse board.
100 amp protects the car from alternator spikes, so is electrically between the alternator and battery. If it blows the car still runs......on battery. When the battery runs out, about 40 miles later, it dies.
80 amp protects most circuits, so if it fails it is virtually as if you have disconnected the battery. Nowt works.
When checking them, actually unbolt them - a fracked fuse can still work intermittently.
When was it last replaced? They only have about a 6 year life, less if you have let it go flat.
You can waste heaps of time on this when all you need is a new battery, so get that checked first. A good auto spares indie will have a proper battery tester.
By the way, the two main fuses are 100 amp under the car and 80 amp near the battery on all but the earliest cars.
100 amp is directly below the alternator, accessed by removing the off front wheel, it's in a black fuse holder.
80 amp is in a black fuse holder too, in a thick wire in the footwell. I found mine tucked behind the top right of the fuse board.
100 amp protects the car from alternator spikes, so is electrically between the alternator and battery. If it blows the car still runs......on battery. When the battery runs out, about 40 miles later, it dies.
80 amp protects most circuits, so if it fails it is virtually as if you have disconnected the battery. Nowt works.
When checking them, actually unbolt them - a fracked fuse can still work intermittently.
battery is about 3yrs old, and although not used very much at all the car lives on a battery conditioner and when started always fires into live immediately with no sign of sluggish behaviour. the only reason i think the battery is struggling with the door and windows now is because i drained it all trying to diagnose the fault earlier.
it was like something blew.. as i turned the key to start the engine after the pump had primed it literally died.. nothing at all.
now, i get ignition lights, and sluggish windows and doors etc... (80A ok?) but starter makes a single click and then nowt excepth obvious power drain as the lights dim.
tried jumping from another battery (known good) but it didn't make any difference
it was like something blew.. as i turned the key to start the engine after the pump had primed it literally died.. nothing at all.
now, i get ignition lights, and sluggish windows and doors etc... (80A ok?) but starter makes a single click and then nowt excepth obvious power drain as the lights dim.
tried jumping from another battery (known good) but it didn't make any difference
Battery conditioners make a knackered battery appear good. All appears well then suddenly, without any warning the battery is finished. The battery conditioner will be keeping the battery at full charge, this can cause the battery to lose the ability to crank for longer periods. Once the battery starts to fail there's nothing in reserve.
Also a cheap conditioner may slowly destroy the battery
Also a cheap conditioner may slowly destroy the battery
Rebelmatic said:
agreed... but it is showing 12.9v
What does it show when you turn the key to crank/start the engine? Does it drop from 12.9v? Are the jump leads the cheap skinny type from Halfords? - they don't carry a good current. Better to connect to another car with the engine running and leave it for 10 mins then try again.so, to update...
new battery... starts straight away.. so definitely the battery was the problem. no idea why it screwed the relay.. but they were due a change anyways!! old battery still showing 12.9v, but oddly seems to supply literally no power!! can't even heat a wire!! weird!!!
currently up on axle stands to apply some tlc to the wishbones, check for flakey powdercoat and treat surface rust on the chassis. Very pleasing to find the outriggers seem solid all round with nothing worse than a little pitting and flakey powder.. proper result!!! even the corner plates are solid despite some enthusiastic poking with a screwdriver and hooks along the rails!!!
Rust treatment now done, Dinitrol chassis paint currently curing, then a nice coat of underseal and she should last a few more years before I have to think about changing the riggers.. which is excellent news. Even the MOT guys commented on how solid the chassis was for a TVR!!
another day or so and I can get back to driving rather than fixing
new battery... starts straight away.. so definitely the battery was the problem. no idea why it screwed the relay.. but they were due a change anyways!! old battery still showing 12.9v, but oddly seems to supply literally no power!! can't even heat a wire!! weird!!!
currently up on axle stands to apply some tlc to the wishbones, check for flakey powdercoat and treat surface rust on the chassis. Very pleasing to find the outriggers seem solid all round with nothing worse than a little pitting and flakey powder.. proper result!!! even the corner plates are solid despite some enthusiastic poking with a screwdriver and hooks along the rails!!!
Rust treatment now done, Dinitrol chassis paint currently curing, then a nice coat of underseal and she should last a few more years before I have to think about changing the riggers.. which is excellent news. Even the MOT guys commented on how solid the chassis was for a TVR!!
another day or so and I can get back to driving rather than fixing
Well done for listening, and for your enthusiasm.
You are not alone - I didn't believe that an apparently healthy battery could be the reason for all my woes, but it was, and now it's the first thing I check.
Another useful toy when someone asks "what do you want for your birthday/Christmas" is one of these.
Needs charging regularly, but is an absolute boon, and starts a Rover V8 with ease.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/heavy-duty-jump-starter-...
Just make sure you get one like this with plenty of starting power.
The built in compressor is good for tyre inflation/paddling pools/footballs too.
You are not alone - I didn't believe that an apparently healthy battery could be the reason for all my woes, but it was, and now it's the first thing I check.
Another useful toy when someone asks "what do you want for your birthday/Christmas" is one of these.
Needs charging regularly, but is an absolute boon, and starts a Rover V8 with ease.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/heavy-duty-jump-starter-...
Just make sure you get one like this with plenty of starting power.
The built in compressor is good for tyre inflation/paddling pools/footballs too.
more likely 30 months is pushing it even for accumate lolGassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff