Car wont start up?

[GTti]

wrong! you got it kind of all back to front buddy,
if the battery is flat enough it will just make the solenoid click,
usually a bad earth causes slow cranking, unless you have no engine earth connected at all, then it would be earthing through the throttle cable etc when you bump started it.
to eliminate the earth as a problem, clip a jump lead on the block and clip the other end to the negitive battery terminal.

Well I can garuntee you that information is not wrong.


I had an identical issue after I swapped the gearbox in my car.

The starter motor just clicked, the battery was low.
I charged the battery, the starter motor just clicked.
I change the starter motor, the starter just clicked.
Charged the battery again, the starter clicked.

After replacing all the engine mounts, the gearbox, fitting my custom intercooler and hoses, my brain was withered.

Found my chassis to gearbox earth was dangling around, even though the battery negative was grounded to the chassis.

Bolted it up, started no problem.


Untill recently I had three cars, all of which sit around doing nothing so I'm quite familiar with the differences now. A bad earth may cause the starter to occasionaly catch and crank briefly, but the general rule is:

Poor battery = poor cranking / intermitant cranking
Poor earth = no cranking / intermitant cranking / clicking / fast clicking

Anyway, advise is there should you choose to accept.

 

[glanzaV195]

Well I can garuntee you that information is not wrong.


I had an identical issue after I swapped the gearbox in my car.

The starter motor just clicked, the battery was low.
I charged the battery, the starter motor just clicked.
I change the starter motor, the starter just clicked.
Charged the battery again, the starter clicked.

After replacing all the engine mounts, the gearbox, fitting my custom intercooler and hoses, my brain was withered.

Found my chassis to gearbox earth was dangling around, even though the battery negative was grounded to the chassis.


Bolted it up, started no problem.


Untill recently I had three cars, all of which sit around doing nothing so I'm quite familiar with the differences now. A bad earth may cause the starter to occasionaly catch and crank briefly, but the general rule is:

Poor battery = poor cranking / intermitant cranking
Poor earth = no cranking / intermitant cranking / clicking / fast clicking

Anyway, advise is there should you choose to accept.

man, the bit i quoted is WRONG for fucks sake! i didn't say your complete post was false JUST the bit i quoted.
if a battery is fucked bad enough, it will not crank!!!!!!!!!!!!! it will just tick!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have a few cars that i keep stored away for quite a long time and i quite often get this flat battery and ticking, so it is 100% possible it can be the battery, as i'm sure my engine earths dont just fall off over a few months, and put them selfs back on when i charge the battery also have this problem with cars in the workshop long term at work! believe me, i'm not making this up or giving false advice for fun here!
did you read my last post, where i said about earthing through the throttle cable? thats what your car would of been doing with the earth disconnected, thats why it clicked, the throttle cable would not be able to deal with the amps it requires to "crank",
your engine block is your negitive, whilst your alternater provides the positive,
battery is just a storage tank, if its dead, or if there are parts not connected then nothing can be stored, so the system fails! it really is quite simple.

 

[rmsnoel]

So who was right here lol. Excellent advice stated by all Merry christmas. By mates battery died 60k from home and thisthread diagnois it. Was the wire coming off the altenator slightly corroded and he bust it off pokin round the altenator when we changed the belts.

 

[JDubz]

Thanks for all the replys guys, some good adivce there. Dose seem like its my battery tho. Only thing is, i thought once a car was started that it could continue to run without a battery? Well so i have been told.

Anyways, the weather has been shit here, so i havnt had time to go out and check the car. Hopfully later on 2day it fines up abit.

 

[JDubz]

And also when if we push start it, it will start and stay on for like 2 seconds. But when we try to jump start it with jumper leads it dose nothing.

 

[glanzaV195]

And also when if we push start it, it will start and stay on for like 2 seconds. But when we try to jump start it with jumper leads it dose nothing.

when using jump leads put the negitive straight to the engine block of the car being jumped
does the car have any alarm/immobiliser??

 

[weeJohn]

Only thing is, i thought once a car was started that it could continue to run without a battery? QUOTE]

I think a non common rail diesel would do this mate, pretty sure anything with fuel injection would not but. Battery power is needed to run the ecu.

Does sound like a battery mate.