What could be wrong with my car?

[Stanley Edwards]

I always thought a full battery should read more like 13/14V, a reading of 12V means its dead.

...

Yes. A FULL charge should read 13/14V, but 12V should be sufficient to start the car. Anything much lower than 12V is not sufficient.

A jump start (if done correctly) should have worked. Pretty simple procedure. Make sure positive from their battery is connected to positive on your battery and likewise negatives. Start the doner car and rev well before trying to start your car. I suspect the jump start wasn't performed correctly.

However, I'm no mechanic and some little plastic thing may well have melted or, summat

Happens sometimes.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

...


if it won't jump start is there any reason it would bump start?

Not if the guy knew what he was doing.

Perhaps a little plastic thing has melted

 

[subversplat]

If the starter is knackered (or just not bolted in properly) then a bump will work whereas a jump won't.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

If the starter is knackered (or just not bolted in properly) then a bump will work whereas a jump won't.

Very true. But, a fading starter suggests a fading battery.


Might just be because I'm far to sober and incredibly bored, but I'm strangely enjoying this. I feel like a petrol sniffing car doctor 'House' equivalent

Someone should do the TV show.

 

[spanglechick]

Very true. But, a fading starter suggests a fading battery.


Might just be because I'm far to sober and incredibly bored, but I'm strangely enjoying this. I feel like a petrol sniffing car doctor 'House' equivalent

Someone should do the TV show.

and you think battery more likely than alternator?

 

[_pH_]

Could be flat battery - if the jump leads weren't making a decent connection (sometimes the battery terminals need a bit of a clean to get a decent connection to get enough current through them), or the battery was REALLY flat then jump starting might not work straight away.

If the battery is flat and not being charged it could be a knackered battery or alternator, or it could be that you're just not doing enough mileage to recharge the battery - quite common at this time of year as cold starts/heater/lights etc. put a huge drain on the battery. If you get it going, try going for a long drive to give the battery a chance to recharge.

Or could a be a dodgy connection from the starter to earth, either the earth strap from the starter to (usually) the engine block is loose or corroded, or the negative terminal on the battery could be.

How old's the car Spangle? Distributor cap seems a bit unlikely if it's not too old, as most cars don't have them any more (all electronic innit?)

 

[DJ Squelch]

Have you put antifreeze in the coolant for the cold weather? If not the sub zero temps in the last week or so may have caused damage.

Sometimes I forget or can't be bothered. I've been lucky so far.

 

[WouldBe]

the guy who gave me the jump start seemed to know what he was doing.

Talk us through this 'jump start'.


Def sounds like a flat battery.

 

[spanglechick]

Could be flat battery - if the jump leads weren't making a decent connection (sometimes the battery terminals need a bit of a clean to get a decent connection to get enough current through them), or the battery was REALLY flat then jump starting might not work straight away.

If the battery is flat and not being charged it could be a knackered battery or alternator, or it could be that you're just not doing enough mileage to recharge the battery - quite common at this time of year as cold starts/heater/lights etc. put a huge drain on the battery. If you get it going, try going for a long drive to give the battery a chance to recharge.

Or could a be a dodgy connection from the starter to earth, either the earth strap from the starter to (usually) the engine block is loose or corroded, or the negative terminal on the battery could be.

How old's the car Spangle? Distributor cap seems a bit unlikely if it's not too old, as most cars don't have them any more (all electronic innit?)

hmm - yes, am doing only short runs and it is cold weather. would a new battery put up with that better?

the car is an L reg - i think that's 1996. dunno (can't remember) if the battery has been replaced.

 

[Detroit City]

if the battery is ok then its probably something with the ignition system....could be cheap, could be expensive, depending on what it is. take it in to a reliable and honest mechanic (if there is such a thing )

eta - if the battery is TOTALLY dead when you jump the car then you have to have the other car connected for 10 or 15 minutes BEFORE you try to start your car. this will make a big difference

 

[spanglechick]

Have you put antifreeze in the coolant for the cold weather? If not the sub zero temps in the last week or so may have caused damage.

Sometimes I forget or can't be bothered. I've been lucky so far.

haven't filled up the rad for a while...

 

[Stanley Edwards]

and you think battery more likely than alternator?

Yes.

Alternators don't usually just fade away in a day. You get plenty of warning. You would have noticed dimming headlights at night, less vigor in the battery when starting, or a gradual decline.

Cold weather is usually what finishes batteries off. If it's over Three years old then I'd put money quite literally on a new battery before anything else.

Then again, one of those young apprentice mechanics may go with a weird bacteria diagnosis, in which case I'd have to let them learn the hard way whilst I beg for some good ole fashioned 4 star to sniff.

 

[WouldBe]

Yes.

Alternators don't usually just fade away in a day. You get plenty of warning. You would have noticed dimming headlights at night, less vigor in the battery when starting, or a gradual decline.

and usually a warning light comes on on the dash board.

 

[spanglechick]

Talk us through this 'jump start'.


Def sounds like a flat battery.

proper thick jump leads. clipped the red lead to his pos terminal, then to my red terminal, then did the same with the black. then he started his engine and we left it a while - tried to start mine - no good.

left it a while longer, this time he gave it lots of revs. tried again after maybe three mins - not a sausage.

 

[_pH_]

hmm - yes, am doing only short runs and it is cold weather. would a new battery put up with that better?

the car is an L reg - i think that's 1996. dunno (can't remember) if the battery has been replaced.

New battery would probably be better, yeah, but even so if you're only doing short runs it will still run down fairly quickly at this time of year. Get the alternator output checked (should be around 13 volts) and see if the battery holds a charge after a decent run; if not then a new battery might be needed

 

[_pH_]

proper thick jump leads. clipped the red lead to his pos terminal, then to my red terminal, then did the same with the black. then he started his engine and we left it a while - tried to start mine - no good.

left it a while longer, this time he gave it lots of revs. tried again after maybe three mins - not a sausage.

was there a good connection on the jump leads though? I usually find they need twiddling once they're on to clean off some of the crap off the terminals to get a decent connection

 

[spanglechick]

and usually a warning light comes on on the dash board.

haven't had any unexplained lights. i don't ignore those.

it's been a bit tempremental in the mornings, but it's over ten years old and it's been cold.

 

[WouldBe]

proper thick jump leads. clipped the red lead to his pos terminal, then to my red terminal, then did the same with the black. then he started his engine and we left it a while - tried to start mine - no good.

left it a while longer, this time he gave it lots of revs. tried again after maybe three mins - not a sausage.

Then it's a problem with the starter motor or solenoid.

Did it click when you tried to start it while being jump started?

 

[spanglechick]

was there a good connection on the jump leads though? I usually find they need twiddling once they're on to clean off some of the crap off the terminals to get a decent connection

maybe it was that. it was really dark - couldn't see much.

 

[_pH_]

spangle, is yours petrol or diesel? If yours is diesel and the jump start car was petrol then it may be that the battery isn't powerful enough to start your car, specially with a cold diesel

 

[Stanley Edwards]

proper thick jump leads. clipped the red lead to his pos terminal, then to my red terminal, then did the same with the black. then he started his engine and we left it a while - tried to start mine - no good.

left it a while longer, this time he gave it lots of revs. tried again after maybe three mins - not a sausage.

Hmmm...

Okay, go run tests on all little plastic things that may melt then report back with any possible allergic reactions. Something very life threatening must had zapped that battery in minutes.

The car will be dead in an hour unless we get the results.


More 4 star please?

 

[WouldBe]

spangle, is yours petrol or diesel? If yours is diesel and the jump start car was petrol then it may be that the battery isn't powerful enough to start your car, specially with a cold diesel

Then I would expect the other cars revs to drop or even stall as spangles tried to start her car.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

spangle, is yours petrol or diesel? If yours is diesel and the jump start car was petrol then it may be that the battery isn't powerful enough to start your car, specially with a cold diesel

Excellent!

40 points.

We all forgot about the blood type tests!

 

[_pH_]

Then I would expect the other cars revs to drop or even stall as spangles tried to start her car.

Not necessarily, no.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Then I would expect the other cars revs to drop or even stall as spangles tried to start her car.

She said they just left it on tick-over for a while and then revved. Car type diesel needs a larger initial charge than type petrol, but far less once revived.

I think this maybe a red herring.

We have to remember that neither car parent is a qualified mechanic. Either may even have left the red plastic caps attached to the terminals.

All options must be considered.

 

[_pH_]

We have to remember that neither car parent is a qualified mechanic. Either may even have left the red plastic caps attached to the terminals.

All options must be considered.

 

[spanglechick]

no - tis petrol.

 

[_pH_]

Hmmmm...maybe your battery is buggered then. Can you nick the battery off his car and put it on yours to see if it will start that way?

 

[spanglechick]

Hmmmm...maybe your battery is buggered then. Can you nick the battery off his car and put it on yours to see if it will start that way?

not really - this was a colleague i'd never spoken to before. Collared him outside work at 5.15 with my petrol receptacle in hand, begging a lift to the petrol station... poor fucker drove me there, drove me back to car (and so left his car reeking of petrol), waited while i filled it up and it didn't work. Then rearranged all the stuff in his boot to find his jump leads, all the while fielding phonecalls from his missus that i couldn't follow (an african language i didn't follow) but i could tell he was getting grief for being late home.

I think asking for him to offer up his battery might be a bit much

 

[_pH_]

Ah OK. If you can get hold of a battery that you know works though (not necessarily a brand new one either - sometimes they sit around on a shelf for ages slowly running down) might be worth a try

If you need a new battery though, don't go to Halfords or somewhere shit like that, go to a local motor factor, twill be loads cheaper