IT'S ALIVE! P2

[saysomestuff 0]

Just got home and the C's been clamped!

 

My fault as i thought you could have a car SORN'd if it was outrside your house - not the case.

 

So here's the crack - does anyone PLEASE have a means to remove my car and store it for a week (brakes are siezed) in the Cardiff area?

 

I will pay you of course but the fecking thing needs to be taxed (and therefore MOTd) within 14 days (on top of the £200 fine) So I've got to get it somewhere that I can finish it off by then (doesn't actually need anything too major).

 

Can anyone please help?

 

Cole

[carpy25 0]

if it's the rear brakes stuck on a squrt of wd40 and a tap with a hammer on the lever will work then tow the car don't think you need tax /mot to tow a car as it's classed as a trailer ,as for a place sorry can't help there why not ask on the so-wal site all local boys and always very helpful

 

http://www.so-wal.co.uk/

 

Rob

[Walesy 0]

Sorry dude, i'd love to help but I can't think of anywhere, i've got a car sat on my mum's drive at the moment so there's no room there :(

 

It's about time you got the thing on the road though ain't it? :)

[saysomestuff 0]

if it's the rear brakes stuck on a squrt of wd40 and a tap with a hammer on the.....

 

Cheers Rob,

 

yeah posted on so-wal the minute i saw it lol! hoping someone local with a tow rig could help me out

 

Walesy, cheers - yeah looks like I'll have to get it back on the road within 14days (although there's nothing stopping them clamping me again the minute they take the clamp off) or i don't get £120 of the £200 fine back :shock:

[saysomestuff 0]

ok well just got everything wired up and connected, go the battery hooked up to the escort and everything works.

 

EXCEPT, the starter won't engage. Fuel pump primes and all lights/windows/wipers/fans etc. work but nothing hap

pens when you turn the key to start, no noises no nothing! Gutted.

 

Any ideas on what i need to try? I don't know what needs to be shorted to at least try the starter.

 

I don't have the knock sensors connected, and the clutch needs bleeding - would these matter?

 

HELP!

[mattosmond 0]

if it's not too major can you not get some peeps to come and help you sort it over the weekend at your place? just an idea. sorry i am a bit too far away to help :(

[TomB 0]

Could be your ignition switch mate, there's a how to guide about I think if you have the part.

To check it though, you need a 1m long piece of thick-ish wire to run between the starter motor (you need to remove the connection first) and the positive terminal of the battery.

Cheers,

Tom

[saysomestuff 0]

Cheers guys,

 

I've got it cranking now (dodgy earths - thanks quicky1980!)

 

Update - the starter is getting 14v (ign at II) when the C is hooked up to a running car, but when I turn it over it doesn't really try to crank at all, just sounds like a normal car with a flat battery - even though there's plenty of juice coming from the escort.

 

I think ignition is unlikely as it functions fine up to II.

 

Any Ideas on what to try next?

[Walesy 0]

I think ignition is unlikely as it functions fine up to II.

 

I think when the switch goes that's the symptom ain't it?

[saysomestuff 0]

ah i see Dave, spose i just discxounted it coz the cars cranking - bump for all the people back from e38 - can anyone help?

 

In a nutshell.

 

Car all back together all eletrics work but even when hooked up to a running car, the C cranks like it's got a flat battery - any tips on what to be checking much appreciated.

[Mave 0]

what about the started motor? im sure if it's been sat for a while it#s probably siezed up...

[CoxyLaad 0]

its not seized - hes just said its cranking over.

So is the engine turning but very slowly? A really dead battery can cause this.

Even when you put jump leads on it, if your battery is totally donald ducked then it will struggle to turn over, because the dead battery is drawing so much current.

 

as an experiment, either swap the battery, or if you cant do that take one of the battery terminals off and connect it directly to the jump lead - effectively removing the battery from the curcuit.

[saysomestuff 0]

will try that Coxy mate. yeah engine is turning slowly - nothing siezed as i could turn it by hand no worries whilst doing the belt.

 

Before cranking, the starter's got 14v across it but this drops to 0 quickly during cranking. Could dodgy earths be causing this?

[gaz the geezer 0]

dodgy earth it may well be, if you have a set of jump leads, put a lead from the earth on the battery to a good location on the engine to act as a temporary earth and try that :thumbleft:

[saysomestuff 0]

lol bump for ideas from you lot bored at work

[saysomestuff 0]

The only other thing I can think of is that something's too tight? As I said, when timing up the engine moves no worries and when craking it's turning but very laboured and slowly.

 

Anyone had anything similar?

[gaz the geezer 0]

have you eliminated any earthing problems ? ..... may well be the solenoid part of the starter motor, the contacts inside tend to pit and burn due to the percussive nature of it`s operation

[saysomestuff 0]

not really sure mate, I've got voltage across the jumpleads (- on gearbox, + on battery connection, not terminal) and I've got voltage from starter + to gearbox at ign II, it's just when it actually cranks it acts like there's nothing there - anything else I can check to eliminate poor earthing from the equation?

 

EDIT - it's been standing for the best part of a year

[gaz the geezer 0]

the earth on the car will link from the car battery to the cars chassis and then onto the engine, might be a good idea to make sure all terminals / connections are clea, does the battery `gas up` whilst being cranked ? - if it`s fully charged and it gasses up a bit too easy when cranking then that could be at fault, it usually is accompanied by a nasty smell usually, have you actually had this car running before ? i only ask as it sounds like it`s been laid up for a while .. i personally would check what the starter was drawing but you will need an inductive meter to give you some idea as to what is going on, poor contact points inside the solenoid part of the starter will give the effect of a crap battery, should be a strip out and clean job then put it back in if thats all it is .... i could go on .. :)

 

EDIT ... just noticed your edit about the standing time after i posted

[.A.N.T. 0]

I'd drop another, known working, battery in there and give it a go through that one. If the battery has been standing for a year it's more than likely completely broken and will just absorb the energy from the other car. Mine was when I came back from travelling (and with a battery out of my mums 1.3 astra it fired up first time...)

 

 

 

Have you freed up the brakes yet? Does it now move??

 

Mine was going to fail on the read handbrake not releasing, but I replaced the handbrake cable and now it's fine. Might be worth a try unclipping the handbrake cable and seeing if it is actually the caliper that has seized.

[saysomestuff 0]

Thanks guys, all good advice, much appreciated.

 

Gaz - I think there's another earth that needs checking after you mentioned that it goes to chassis then g/b - will check. That's interesting that dodgy solenoid can give the same symptoms as flat batt, would standing for a while cause this sort of thing?

 

 

 

ANT - brakes are fine now, took the caliper off and cleaned the handbrake arm after prizing it out by about an inch.

[saysomestuff 0]

ok, just tried it with a different battery and still the same - when I tried it with jumpleads (and no battery) before switching the excort battery in, the leads got REALLY hot, mean anything?

 

Saw this thread on e38 that makes me think I could do with trying a different starter - anyone round my way?

[saysomestuff 0]

okay, tried hotwiring the starter and still no luck, just a lot of clicking. so i took it off and the attached pic is of inside the g/box.

 

Funny thing was, when I hooked the starter up on the bench, it spun fine - spindle pops out and it spins pretty fast. Does that mean it ain't foobar'd?

[saysomestuff 0]

I dunno if anyone can help but how do you know when a starter's buggered? It's spinning fine when off the car.

[ZippyVR6 0]

I had a mate who wired his starter motor up whilst holding it, one of the funyest things ive seen. The motor jumped out of his hand with all the torque and bounced itself around the garage floor. till we unplugged it from the battery.

 

It sounds like it is fubar if it clicks whilst conected to engine but spins on your bench. sounds like it just doesnt have enough oomph to turn over an engine.

 

Mine went this spring. It was about 95 quid from GSF from memory, but you have to px the old one for that price.