Car not starting???

Hi,

My micra doesn't seem to be starting. I have changed the spark plugs and I can get it started from a jump start and it goes OK, I can get it to start again as soon as I've switched the ignition off and switch it back on again but if I leave it even 15 minutes it needs the jump start to make it work again.

I don't know if this is due to the battery being flattened because of me turning it over too many times to get it started before i changed the spark plugs?

I took it out for an hour today to see if that would charge the battery but when I got home and I left the car for 10 minutes it wouldn't start again. I'm scared to keep trying to turn it over incase I either knacker the battery completely (if it isn't already) or I flood the engine.

Any ideas? Any help would be much appreciated as I need the car for work and it would be good to get it fixed asap.

Thanks
 

andy

Ex. Club Member
check the tension of the alternator belt may be loose or slipping (if it was slipping you would know cos it makes a squealing sound and you aint mentioned that ) or alternater its self or battery when the car is started is it not possible to take it an auto electrician some where along the line your battery aint getting charged when the engine is running or if it is it aint holding the charge
 
Not sure how old the battery is. I've only had it a year now and I haven't changed it since having it.

Alternator belt and alternator are both fine. That was one of the first things I checked. (My old car's alternator went which required me putting in a new one).

It seems crazy that the car is starting fine after been running for a while but after being left it just doesn't want to start.

Maybe its time for a brand new battery. Would it possible that me turning it over so much has completely drained the battery beyond repair? It's weird that it kicks in OK sometimes though!!!
 
Hi mate, here's a couple of things before you go spending money. Try checking the connections at the battery to make sure they are nice and secure.
If your ok with a multimeter, get the engine running and check on the battery terminals to see if you have around 14v at idle. Anything less and either the alternator isn't charging or your losing the charge somewhere. If you dont show 14v, get your meter on the alternator terminals, if the 14v isn't present there either (remember the engine is running doing this so do be careful of the spinning belts) then the alternator is shot.
If you are charging correctly, then it's most likely that the battery isn't holding a charge but it seems strange to be ok starting then it wont ten mins later? When you say it doesn't start, does the car turn over ok but just not fire?, then in doing this you naturally flatten the battery? If the battery give the symptoms of being discharged it could also be the starter itself but i would concentrate on the battery/alternator area first.

Hope this waffle helps.

Hi freshmusic, just read your earlier post a bit more thoroughly, sorry if i've gone over some ground that you've already covered
 
Firstly as MarkGSi said, check the battery terminals are secure, if in doubt, clean the clamps with wd40, sand it down with very fine paper to new metal, also clean the battery stumps. Re-attach, spray with wd40, then put some petroleum jelly to avoid corrosion and protection. Check all all other engine bay earth connectors too, there is one under the battery tray.

But I'm with Jowley on this one, dying batteries can play with your mind, they seem to work one time, and the next time they will struggle, and then nothing, and then it may work again after that, etc. All this is because of a dying cell within the battery causing havoc inside the battery. As you may know, there are 6 cells all giving 2.1volts in a car battery, connected up with a small loss giving you 12.6v, a dying plate will break up the connections to the other plates hence the weird activity of a faulty battery.

Obviously, if it ISN'T a maintenance free battery be sure to check the water (de-ionized water), if it's low, top it up and give it a good charge overnight.

These cold spells we are getting can affect seemingly good batteries quickly not only because the low temps are not good for the cells and chemical reactions within the battery but also because you will tend to use more anciliries... light, demister, fan, radio louder cos of fan, etc.

A load test on the battery by an auto electrician will confirm things before he sells one to you anyway.
 
If you do begin checking earths, try clipping a jump lead from the battery negative post onto the components you are checking. If the earth is faulty then the jump lead will re-earth the components and show up your fault
 
hi my wont start this morning as well it was running fine yesterday but when i tryed it this morning nothing can the starter motor be knacked
 

frank

Club Member
hi my wont start this morning as well it was running fine yesterday but when i tryed it this morning nothing can the starter motor be knacked

it,s pretty rare for a starter to just fail, lack of info (turning over ? dash lights ?) :)
 

frank

Club Member
yer dashlights come on and highlights work but car just wont turn over ive got petrol in the car

andy, i would hold a piece of wire on the smaller terminal on the starter motor and flick it on the battery + (with the car in neutral btw !)
 
You turn the key to start and hear the starter motor crank the engine, but when you release the key, the cranking stops and there is silence. This means that the battery and starting motor are working properly, but the engine is not firing. If you continue cranking the engine over in this way, the battery will eventually run down and will need to be recharged, but the battery and starter are not the cause of your problem.There are a number of causes for this type of no-start condition, the most common being that you are simply out of gas. Assuming that you have fuel in the tank, you will need to go through a series of tests to determine what is causing the problem. The testing procedure requires that you use specialized equipment in order to determine the problem area.
 
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