Difficult starting

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 3:55 pm

Right can anyone help a couple of times now it is getting cold my car has not started and i have ended up charging the battery now i have had the alternator tested with a Gunsons start check and it says its ok i have also checked the battery with it and it is also ok replaced feb 2004 now i am wondering if it is a dodgy starter motor now i do have a couple of spare ones but i am after sugestions or ideas i have also disconected and cleaned the alternator, battery and starter connections including the earth?

Oh yes and i am running pure diesel at the moment

M · Post by M » Mon Nov 07, 2005 4:16 pm

Diesel cold start problems?

If its turning over but not firing could be the glowplugs on the way out / 1 or more failed glowplug. They last about 60 or 70k then they is buggered.

Glowplug relay working as it should?

Air in the system? Does your bulb go hard when pumped

fnarr fnarr?!

Or is it trouble starting when hot - almost always an air leak.

When running is all as it should be?
Start with the easy stuff before pulling the starter motor to bits.

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 4:21 pm

everything works fine normally even when hot its just occasionally it is realy slugish at turning over and wont start thats what makes me think starter motor as everything else has been checked did the glow plugs not that long ago i know she is due an oil change dut thats all

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:03 pm

If you are sure your battery is up to it then sluggish cranking must be the starter or a loose connection somewhere, do you have an additional earth from the engine to the body as this piece of cable can sometimes magically cure a plethora of niggles.
Stewart

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:10 pm

no i dont have an additional earth that is something i am going to try could there be too much resistance in the starter coils i do have a couple of spares

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:54 pm

More likeley grease turned to cheese, brushes worn, and bendix full of clutch dust. It might even be loose!
Stewart

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 5:59 pm

wil have a look i have got a spare one out ready so i will have to do it and see if it helps.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 7:08 pm

Similar problem some years ago on a high mileage BX tzd ,somedays would, somedays wouldn't, convinced it was the battery so changed it, still the same, changed starter motor, still the same, eventually found it.

The positive battery lead. Where the cable is crimped in to the lead terminal, found that this had gone mouldy inside. Only reason I found it was, after several attempts at starting, leant over battery in dispair and burnt my arm on the red hot terminal.

Oddly enough it was only about 12miles from you. Is there something in the air down there

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 7:42 pm

Hmm dont know but i will investigate your battery lead idea and have a look and see what i can see

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 7:46 pm

That was one of the problems, nothing to see.

Once I discovered the fault I squeezed the terminal almost flat with vice grips just to get the car up and running. Then when we got it back cut open the terminal and found all the copper had gone green.

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 1:00 pm

Well yet again today it would not start so put the tester on again after charging the battery and getting it running. at first start up the tester showed the alternator overcharging but then under load with everything i can switched on it showed it as being undercharging with the alternator fault light on so i changed the alternator once the old one was on the bench i removed the regulator and brushes to descover the brushes virtually worn out but more alarming the armature is virtually worn right through with a 4.5 mm step in it and not much copper left so i think i can say it is shot. Lets see if this cures the problem.

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:22 am

Oh forgot to say the easy way i found to remove the alternator is through the driverside headlight apeture it saved having to move all the pipework out of the way

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:33 am

Well it hasnt cured the problem the battery is charging at the mo as i have just flattened it trying so i am now trying to get hold of a new + battery lead as citroen want £17 for one and one of the other options is possibly a worn starter motor causing to much resistance.
But otherwise i am stumped to any sugestions welcome.

sleepy0905 · Post by **sleepy0905** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:54 pm

Well just been to the scrappers i have an earth lead of a xantia and a + lead of a pug 309 as it has the same connector block for the loom it looks a lot cleaner than mine so we will have to wait and see if this fixes the problem if not the only thing left is the starter motor.

tom · Post by **tom** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 6:07 pm

This is a classic starter motor problem by the looks of it. Strip the old one and see if you have a sticky brush. They are a four brush motor and will run on two if one sticks but won't produce much torque.