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niceguyrichy
21-11-10, 13:15
right

the car all of a sudden turns over,seems to be getting plenty of power, but just wont fire into life.
however... it'll start straight way if i stick jump leads on from another car :confused:

so, does it sound like i just need to buy a new battery ???
this time of year i'm wanting to make sure i dont spend money unnecessarily you know

or does it sound like some other kind of problem ???
k3vst3r
21-11-10, 13:17
Yeah it's probably the battery, as it gets cold the battery doesn't work as well by the way :thumb:
InvaderGIR
21-11-10, 13:19
Low power in the battery, yup.
SilveR_172
21-11-10, 15:26
Want to make sure that the alternator is sending power to the battery aswell
niceguyrichy
21-11-10, 15:36
Want to make sure that the alternator is sending power to the battery aswell

ok, how do i do that ??

i'm a total car engine n00b just btw
Spaceboy
21-11-10, 15:44
get a voltmeter / multimeter, just a cheapo will do. Measure voltage across battery before during and after starting. Should be anything over 12 volts at all times.

The alternator shouldn't stop the car from starting, it just recharges the battery when the engine's running :)
SilveR_172
21-11-10, 16:04
get a voltmeter / multimeter, just a cheapo will do. Measure voltage across battery before during and after starting. Should be anything over 12 volts at all times.

The alternator shouldn't stop the car from starting, it just recharges the battery when the engine's running :)

Aye do exactly that , but the alternator would if it wasn't sending power to the battery , before the late ignition shut off , checking the battery on the millimeter on the screen you'll see the power go from 12.1 to 12.9 or possibly higher as the alternator works
niceguyrichy
21-11-10, 16:26
looked out a multimeter, but it be dead and i dont know where the other one is
dark now anyway.

what i did notice there though was that the dashboard clock dims & then dies when i turn the engine over, and someone told me that that was an indicator of a bad battery for some reason.

so first up i'll order an el-cheapo battery, and hope that just sorts it all out without fuss :)

i may be back, but i hope not..

cheers guys
Spaceboy
21-11-10, 16:34
yeah, def indicative of a dead or dying batt... do you have a charger ? I think halfords sell fully charged batteries, but most places sell them in need of charging so it may need charging before you use it anyway.

If you don't have a charger, it might be worth just buying one of those and trying to resurrect the existing battery. Do you do a lot of short trips and not many long ones? That sort of useage can kill a battery overy time. On the other hand your battery may not be able to hold charge so a new one might be needed after all :D
SilveR_172
21-11-10, 16:41
Ooh feel like a mechanic now , who's putting the kettle on lol :)
Spaceboy
21-11-10, 16:42
Ooh feel like a mechanic now , who's putting the kettle on lol :)

Who's getting the beers in ? :D
Pullen
21-11-10, 16:46
Thought from thread title it was about your missus :P.
BurningFeetMan
21-11-10, 19:48
looked out a multimeter, but it be dead and i dont know where the other one is
dark now anyway.

what i did notice there though was that the dashboard clock dims & then dies when i turn the engine over, and someone told me that that was an indicator of a bad battery for some reason.

so first up i'll order an el-cheapo battery, and hope that just sorts it all out without fuss :)

i may be back, but i hope not..

cheers guys

Don't go too cheap.... buy cheap, buy twice!

Definately sounds like a dying battery, many cars, particularly diesels can power up all the auxillarys and turn the car over but just doesn't quite have the grunt to start the car. As has been said, stick a multimeter across the battery when running, should read ~14.4V if the alternator is charging, Check with engine off, should read around 12.5V.

BFM
SilveR_172
21-11-10, 20:09
Don't go too cheap.... buy cheap, buy twice!

Definately sounds like a dying battery, many cars, particularly diesels can power up all the auxillarys and turn the car over but just doesn't quite have the grunt to start the car. As has been said, stick a multimeter across the battery when running, should read ~14.4V if the alternator is charging, Check with engine off, should read around 12.5V.

BFM

yaay BFM im on the money you Hairy Gremlin =) <3
Aaron
21-11-10, 21:18
I'd say it sounds like a dodgy battery too.. How old is it?

The other thing that it could be is the starter motor getting a bit seized... That can have an affect on the battery and actually make it die prematurely in some cases..
niceguyrichy
21-11-10, 21:37
I'd say it sounds like a dodgy battery too.. How old is it?

the car? or the battery?

the car is around 10 year old, the battery i don't know
we've only had it < a month

(got my multimeter in bits in front of me, and can i find a fricking 9V battery anywhere... always the way :rolleyes: )

and yer too late BFM, i already bought the cheapest imaginable :D
at that '3/4 of the way through the month and totally skint already' stage..
BurningFeetMan
21-11-10, 21:52
*sometimes* you can find the battery is cheaper at the dealer than if you went to Halfords for example. It's a shame your not nearby as I have a Halfords trade card would of saved ~£40 off one :( Do you know anyone else who has a trade card?

BFM
SilveR_172
22-11-10, 18:09
Millfield AutoParts FTW (http://www.millfieldautoparts.co.uk/)

Very sexy website =)
clemos
22-11-10, 22:59
I had this with my Fiesta, it'd sometimes take a few turns to get her started until one day when I got home and thought I'll try her just to see if she'll start and..... nothing.
Jackster
26-11-10, 11:13
IDK if someone had played this one yet.....

Got fule?
clemos
26-11-10, 12:06
He says it'll start using jump leads, so he must have fuel.
niceguyrichy
26-11-10, 12:35
LOL lack of fuel is almost something i would do in the old days, these days though you get all warning lights and the trip computer tells you off and that, so yeah, it has fuel :D

no battery yet, bit p****d tbh, it was supposed to be 24hour delivery :(
M4T VW
26-11-10, 13:45
He says it'll start using jump leads, so he must have fuel.

Hence why you should read a whole thread before offering your advice:thumb:

It could be a bad ground, But we will see with the new battery. The injectors just might not be getting enough power.
robinbanksuk
27-11-10, 14:29
no battery yet, bit p****d tbh, it was supposed to be 24hour delivery :(

thats why i get them from a shop
niceguyrichy
03-12-10, 15:23
update: got the battery yesterday, stuck it on the wall charger overnight, dug my way to the car (it's been sitting since the snow started :surprised: ), new battery in, car starts just fine :thumb:

spent the rest the day digging the car out properly, it was a bit of a job.
made it about 15" of snow on the roof..