Geo Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Right, Im having problems starting the car after its been left for a while to sit, mainly in cold weather. Iv replaced the battery which i thought had cured the problem, but went to start her tonight and i get the dreaded clicking noise as if the starter motor didnt want to know?? Now here is the strange part, When i jump start the car she will start fine. When i try to start her off the battery i get the dreaded clicking noise. As if they aint enough juice to turn her over. i Finally got her started(jump start) and took her for a drive, once stopped i started her, and starts fine. I took a reading ofo the battery of 14.5v when started, and 15v when stopped. Could this just be a starter motor problem?? In the past iv had it refurbed with the tutorial on here, replacing the copper contacts, this was about 3 years ago now. im going to take a reading in the morning in case im getting something drawing current from somewhere. Any idea guys?? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Check it again in the morning. A shafted battery will lose voltage overnight even sat in the kitchen, I know this from recent experience However if you mean "bought a new one" when you say "replaced", it's probably a current drain. Anything approaching 11.5v is low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 Check it again in the morning. A shafted battery will lose voltage overnight even sat in the kitchen, I know this from recent experience However if you mean "bought a new one" when you say "replaced", it's probably a current drain. Anything approaching 11.5v is low. Brand New battery bud, so i know its good. Yeah might be a current drain, as a quick jump starts her fine and dandy. yeah i'll take a reading tomorrow morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martini Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Same thing happened to me the day before Christmas Eve and m_life came to my rescue. I hadn't started the car in three weeks, so the battery didnt have enough juice to turn her over. Once I got her jumped, she was on for over an hour and the problem hasn't repeated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian W Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 As George says, since the battery change the car seems to start without any problems 90% of the time. If it's been sat for a day or two there always seems to be the potential for this to happen. Sounds very much like the starter motor not catching, however I don't understand why it would suddenly work with a quick jump if it was the starter motor? Hopefully a reading in the morning after it's been sat will show whether there's any draw from the battery overnight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelboyne Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 when my fcon v pro ecu was fitted same thing seems to be happen. there is a draw somewhere. think mine may be a airbag light on not sure but its a pain. when i park up for a long period i dissconect battery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I very rarely get a chance to drive mine now that I work away from home so I got myself one of these: CTEK XS 3600 Works a treat and has a 'flying' lead with a waterproof connection so I can just connect up the battery via the nearside front bumper aperture, without having to worry about battery clamps/clips, leaving the bonnet open, etc. Got mine from here. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absz Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Get the charging system checked out by a garage, make sure they do a AC ripple test on the alternator as a alternator can still charge at the correct rate but will damage the battery by allowing AC current to be drawn into the battery if faulty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imi Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 could it be the alternator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) Right guys, car is defo pulling current from somewhere. I checked the battery today, and was getting 9v. Soon as i applied the Booster pack, i was getting a healthy 14.3v. Car started fine. Drove her for a while, and parked up at home. Checked again and was getting 12.5v. As said above only thing iv changed is ECU, gauges installed(but gauges are on live feed with ignition) and a Cobra alarm installed this has been checked and is pulling the correct current. Will get the Alt checke out next week, but im at a loss as whats causing this problem?? My question is this, can the AEM pull current when the car is parked up?? its the only thing i can think of?? Edited February 5, 2010 by Geo (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibblebob Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Hi mate, i had a simlar problem on my old GTO 3000 after i had the alarm fitted. When they ran the wires through the door piller and put the plastic trim back, they put one of the screws through a wire. This caused the interior footwell lights to stay on which are supposed to go out after about 6 secounds or so. I only spotted it by chance as i shut my door and went back to my car for somthing 10 minutes later. Every morning i went back to my car the battery was flat. It took me a week to find the fault which was down to idiots at the local alarm shop;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 cool mate, yes im now thinking its going to be something silly like that, just need to find the fault. Iv got a Intermitent fault with a wire for my indicator on my bumper, once you wiggle it, the bulb works ok. Could this cause it?? goin gto have a look and see if i can see any lights on when i lock her up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminator Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 If an engine has been stood for a while, it may be a good idea to disconnect the power to injectors and spark plugs and crank the engine a few times to get oil round the engine before it starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo482 Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 mine had the same problems wit what you are experiencing now Geo and it was my starter motor hope this helps. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 I don't think it's his starter motor as it starts when he's got a booster pack on it. If there is nothing obvious with lights staying on etc, maybe try checking all the fuses with a multimeter with the ignition off. If one of them is live when it shouldn't be, I'd say thats your problem. Failing that, disconnect the alarm with the multiplug plug on the siren unit, then leave it overnight again. Another thing I've read recently, is a dodgy central locking motor constantly pushing to keep the door in the lock position, something like this could drain the battery over time, but the motor would probably be letting off some funny smells by now. The last one is seat adjustment motors, they are constantly live even with no ignition on, disconnect it and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Right guys iv found the problem from where the car is pulling current from. I was fidling about with the AEM, sorting my idling over the phone with Ryan. We got that sorted, and then we pulled the Key from the Engine, the AEM according to the laptop was still on!! Ryan said Push the throttle down and yup, its registering on the laptop via the throttle bar/gauge. I then pulled the EFI FUSE, and did the same with the throttle, nope no throttle open registering. So Ryan says he seen this before where the AEM will stay switched on and draw 12v from the battery. Easy fix, will just install a relay in the car, and jobs a good en. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelboyne Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 great that must be same for the fcon v pro ecu its only thing i can think of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 great that must be same for the fcon v pro ecu its only thing i can think of must be mate, only found it by chance today when doing the idle mapping with RyanG, worth a check TBH?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imi Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 So Ryan says he seen this before where the AEM will stay switched on and draw 12v from the battery. Easy fix, will just install a relay in the car, and jobs a good en. You must have got the special version with built-in AI (aka - the termination edition) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 You must have got the special version with built-in AI (aka - the termination edition) JamieP does buy all the good stuff, then punts it, so its his fault, haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelboyne Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 must be mate, only found it by chance today when doing the idle mapping with RyanG, worth a check TBH?? will look at that thanks my local motor factors getting pissed of replacing batterys under warranty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.