Starting Problem, please help!

[loudpedal]

After a week and a half out of the country, I got back into my chimaera last night to blow the cobwebs away. Took my seat, disarmed immobiliser and turned key... fuel pump made usual noise, usual lights lit up, but no loud rumbly noise from front bit of car (as you can tell, I'm no mechanic). I've had hot start problems before (solved by letting the engine cool down!) but never a cold start prob; given the length of the lay-off, is it likely to be a flat battery or should I suspect something more sinister (starter motor/solenoid)?? Any help very welcome....

[Tony Hall]

Sounds like battery to me. I spent a weekend refitting exhaust manifold gaskets and when i had finished, the car wouldn't start, the immobiliser was erratic but the horn, lights, fuel pump etc all worked. I obviously assumed that what i had done had disturbed something or the immobiliser was faulty. Hexham Horseless said it was battery, it took a few days of mucking around before i believe them but new battery, instant start. the battery has a lot of work to do and if it starts to fail i think it must just go. When you check it, see if its the proper one for the job as my car was fitted withan inferior one. Halfords do a 4 year guarantee job for about £60, cheaper than the 3 year guarantee one! See Steves book for the rating, around 600 i believe. good luck. Battery down passenger footwell, not as difficult to get at as the book would have you believe.

[loudpedal]

cheers Tony, was thinking about nipping to Halfords to get a charger at lunchtime, is this worthwhile or is it a new battery?

[cutmonster]

Loudpedal - could be you've cooked the starter motor (probably the cause of hot start problems you've had before) and it's completely fried and died! Check battery though first.

[tvradict]

Same problem was had by someone else on here week before easter.

Check the connection between the battery and the starter, could be the connection in the wire has come undone, I'll see if i can find the other thread! I doubt it would be the battery if your fuel pump and all the bells and whistles are working!!!

[tvradict]

check out this thread

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=8246&f=8&h=0

sounds like the same problem...

[sybaseian]

quote:After a week and a half out of the country, I got back into my chimaera last night to blow the cobwebs away. Took my seat, disarmed immobiliser and turned key... fuel pump made usual noise, usual lights lit up, but no loud rumbly noise from front bit of car (as you can tell, I'm no mechanic). I've had hot start problems before (solved by letting the engine cool down!) but never a cold start prob; given the length of the lay-off, is it likely to be a flat battery or should I suspect something more sinister (starter motor/solenoid)?? Any help very welcome....

Same thing happened to me last week - thought it was the battery not having enough power to turn the starter motor, but the rest of the electrics were ok. Turned out to be a knackered solenoid on the starter motor - it can get very hot if it's not heat shielded (TVR don't shield them by the way) and eventually fail.

I got the starter motor replaced at Tower View Racing and it's now heat shielded. They charged £110 for a reconditioned motor, plus fitting. A new motor would have been over £300.

[paulu]

where can u get good heat sheilding for this job?

[ChrisCh]

As Addict states, twas I who had the problem with the same symptoms you describe. Try crawling under where the "loud Rumble" shoould come from & check the connection to the starter. With my problem it was the crimped end of the cable from the battery that had severed. Not easy to replace on Easter Sunday!!
I think the cable needed more slack between the starter & where it is fastened to the chassis to allow for the engine movement.

Hope this helps

[loudpedal]

cheers guys... thankfully, the problem was as simple as a flat battery... now charged. another question though, now the battery's gone flat once, is it basically curtains or should it be ok? how long a run should i give it to properly restore charge? The battery is a bitch to get at, and it looks damn near impossible to remove and replace (well for me anyway!)

[david beer]

Check out mod-wise.com for a heat shield.

[Jason F]

quote:
cheers guys... thankfully, the problem was as simple as a flat battery... now charged. another question though, now the battery's gone flat once, is it basically curtains or should it be ok? how long a run should i give it to properly restore charge?

Invest in a Trickle Charger.. They are really really really honestly I'm not kidding Guv worth it.
The battery should be able to be recharged once at least, but it is worth checking the fluid levels (not easy). To charge it up I have been told 100 miles or so, dunno how accurate that is..

[Paul Chapman]

Been having a similar problem myself, as yet unresolved. I get the immobilser beep, warning lights, pump etc. but sometimes no action when I turn the key. Ignition and oil lights dim so some power is being sapped somewhere when the key is turned. Usually if I keep trying, after a few seconds it's all systems go, but recently I've been stranded a couple of times, requiring an embarrasing push start on one occasion with instant results. As it's intermittent and usually cures itself, I reckon its probably a sticky starter solenoid. Any other ideas?

[L10 TVR]

Hi guys,

Starting problems!!!!

I've owned my Chim for over 3 years now and the number of starting problems that I have had include.

Things to check.

1. Battery power strength.
Check with windows to see how fast they move, should give you an indication of the power in the battery.

2. Battery to engine bay power.
The connectors that connect the battery through the fibre glass wall in the footwell. These can some times come lose or fail to give a good connection. Try putting copper grease on connections for a better join. Or do as I did and get rid of them totally.

3. Flat battery, biggest mystery for TVR's. Who knows were these guys use up the power. I would suspect the alarm. If you lock your car away in the garage a battery cut off switch can be an excellent idea. And it also works as an extra security device. I would recommend try to find the fault of the power drain, it could take you months and lots of money replacing unnecessary parts.

4. Fuel pump relay not working
Replace the relay, by taking the old one into your local Auto Factors and matching it up.

Now she's starts wonderfully.


Alex

[shpub]

quote:
If you lock your car away in the garage a battery cut off switch can be an excellent idea. And it also works as an extra security device.

Not quite such a good idea as this can reset the alarm/immobiliser when you power back up and put it into "I am ignoring the blippers and you are not going to start the car mode"...

And before you ask... there is nothing you can then do except call out the professionals.

It can also reset the ECU back into default mode but that is less of a hassle. It can also invalidate your insurance as well as it could be deemed as disarming your alarm.

A battery conditioner really is the best solution for leaving the car any length of time.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[Darrens]

quote:
how long a run should i give it to properly restore charge? The battery is a bitch to get at, and it looks damn near impossible to remove and replace (well for me anyway!)

Most charging rates of alternators/Bat size require about 500miles travel to recharge the battery, I THINK!!. Obviously this depends on size of battery and alternator

Regards
Darren

[manek]

I'd have thought an hour or so should have done it, though I've had that poo-poo'ed by Those Who Know...