Cold GTR
Author
Discussion

ultimarobert

Original Poster:

110 posts

280 months

Saturday 27th December 2003
quotequote all
Any ideas? The car is in a semi-heated garage, but it is below freezing outside. Only a strong click, click, click of the starter happens. Seems like there is battery, but nothing happens but strong clicks. Novice here, but should I just recharge the battery?

Steve_D

13,801 posts

287 months

Saturday 27th December 2003
quotequote all
Can you bring another battery close enough to use jump leads?
That will prove whether the battery needs charging.
Steve

ultimapaul

3,949 posts

293 months

Saturday 27th December 2003
quotequote all
Sounds like a ceased starter. Try puting the car in gear, ignition off! And rock the car back and forth. Then try and start it again on the key.


Where is your starter mounted?


You may want to try giving the starter a tap with a hammer!


Could also be the relay, although it sounds like that is the clicking you can hear.


Good luck

Paul.

USCANAM

514 posts

288 months

Saturday 27th December 2003
quotequote all
Put a charger on the battery for a couple of hours (using about a 6 amp charger),then try it.
Then check EVERY battery connection to make sure it's tight, including all grounds, and the leads going on the starter and starter solenoid even if it starts. Don't forget to check every connection to the alternator too!
This is the easiest way to start the troubleshooting.
Happy New Year All
Jack

bigmack

553 posts

289 months

Saturday 27th December 2003
quotequote all
Hi Robert,
I would first check your battery voltage on your voltage gauge VDO or Stack. It should be 12.8 or so fully charged. You might even want to purchase a voltmeter, b/c it is very usefull for diagnosing other things. There are electronic accessories with every car that will cause the battery to drain with time. Car alarms contribute greatly to this. Had the car been started in a while (over 1 month)? Do you have a battery maintanence or tender type device? If the voltage looks good, and doesn't drop significantly while cranking(under 10 volts), then it could be your starter. Also, I always check the condition of my grounding wires before jumping to conclusions about a starter. Go through and unbolt the wires from the battery to the chassis and check the condition. Do the same for the wire going from the starter or engine to the chassis. You can use a file to clean them up. These can begin to corrode over time I've found with my Ultima. Regardless, its a good idea to clean them up and spray them with some electric anti-corrosion stuff that you can get at an auto store.
Cheers!
-Mack
p.s. if everything looks good, then you can pull out the starter, put it in a bench vise, and supply power to it from a car battery. There are some great "how to" articles on the net that further explain electrical troubleshooting and can bring you up to speed.

ultimapaul

3,949 posts

293 months

Saturday 27th December 2003
quotequote all
bigmack said:


p.s. if everything looks good, then you can pull out the starter, put it in a bench vise, and supply power to it from a car battery. There are some great "how to" articles on the net that further explain electrical troubleshooting and can bring you up to speed.




All good advice Bigmack. My starter motor went a while back, just before Le Mans, and to gain access I had to remove the following:

Rear canopy
Gear Linkage
Drive Shafts
Exhaust
G'box Breather
Oil breather
Gear Box
Clutch
Fly Wheel
Adaptor plate


eerrr, I think that was all. Some bloody jobs can really give you the hump!



Paul