dan 0 Posted August 20, 2003 Right people, here's the scoop.... Possibly left the radio on overnight. Got in & turned the key..and the car slightly hesitated but fired up ok. Drove the car out of the garage, switched it off, removed the keys,(in case some passer-by tried to steel it) got out & closed the garage door. Got back into the car, turned the key & not a dicky bird. Well the dash lights did come on & the 'ABS' light comes on (& sometimes stays on unusualy). Took out the jump leads & the car started as usual. Took it for a spin with no problems & parked up again. Five minutes later I tried to start it & nothing (apart from the dash lights). The battery connections are tight & secure. So I looked for a bad connection somewhere & found a wire with a 'plastic covered' spade connector just dangling. There is a bracket holding some of the wiring loom just above the front engine mount (this is where the wire is lying). The plastic 'loom holder' I noticed has come loose, maybe due to recently having the car washed underneath. Could this be the problem?? Is this wire needed?? If so, where should it go?? Any ideas people Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johnxl1s 0 Posted August 20, 2003 the spade sounds like the lights for your alarm ,if you have one-ie: all indicators flash. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biggrim 0 Posted August 20, 2003 Battery or alternator could be busted Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim R 0 Posted August 20, 2003 Probably battery would need to be charged a good bit longer, especially if it was totally drained, I had a similar problem, turned out to be the connection from the battery to the alternator, it was old and worn and as a result the battery wasn't getting full charge, the place I got it tested put my battery on charge for 48 hrs!! in order to get it fully charged again (the gave me a replacement to keep me going). I changed the wire and put a new earth lead from battery to body while I was at it, no probs since. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dan 0 Posted August 20, 2003 Thanks guys.. :D I'll check out the wire connections between the battery & alternator this evening. I've heard theres a local garage who can check the battery for me. They give you a little print out telling the percentage output & the possibility of recharging it etc.... I'll try them tomorrow. Thanks again.... Dan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60Jet 1 Posted August 20, 2003 Open the cells in the battery and check the level of each cell, if one is low or dry the battery is probably naff, once the level of a cell gets to a certain point its shorts and the cell dies. the battery then wont hold a charge. you can try topping up the battery with distilled water, but that normally fails to work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted August 20, 2003 The easiest way to check battery, alternator and earth circuits is with a multimeter. With the engine off, you're looking for 12V + across the battery. 11V or lower, the battery is knackered. With the engine running, you want anything from 13.8 to 14.4V across the battery. If you still get 12V or lower, the alternator diode bridge needs replacing. Kev Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dan 0 Posted August 22, 2003 Thanks again sor the sound advice guys It was the battery... I checked the cells & found they were low in water. I topped them up with 'Ballygowan' but, the problem was still there although not as bad. So I got the battery checked and found that one of the cells was knackered. Fitted a new battery & 'hey presto' :D Its nice when you get a problem solved :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
