Car would not start this morning :(

skywalker_208

Morning all.
Just looking for some opinions on the following if anyone has any.
Car would not start this morning. First time it ever happened. Parked up last night fine.
Went to start it this morning and it turned over twice slowly and then clicked a few times - and all the dials did a mad shake then it just stopped.

Doesnt look like a dead battery as all the lights, central locking, radio etc work fine. Nothing was left on overnight etc.

Seems a bit strange...
Any suggestions?

Thanks

Capri86

skywalker_208 wrote: »

Morning all.
Just looking for some opinions on the following if anyone has any.
Car would not start this morning. First time it ever happened. Parked up last night fine.
Went to start it this morning and it turned over twice slowly and then clicked a few times - and all the dials did a mad shake then it just stopped.

Doesnt look like a dead battery as all the lights, central locking, radio etc work fine. Nothing was left on overnight etc.

Seems a bit strange...
Any suggestions?

Thanks

What car is it?

Chippy01

Make, model and year of the car might help, but a slowly turning over engine and then some clicking would indicate to me a low charged battery.
There is probably enough power in it to operate the radio, locks, etc; just not enough to turn the engine.
Charge it up and monitor it. If it happens again, it's time for a new battery.

skywalker_208

Hi - its a Ford Focus 04 1.8 Diesel.

YbFocus

Yeah that really sounds like a battery, dials going mad when car turning over as car is putting the effort into getting engine to fire.
There is enough power to run auxiliary stuff though, i'd be 99.9% sure that its a battery you need. Have you got a pal's car you can pull the battery out of and she will she go, or jump it.

sean1141

Yup i would say battery too. My mondeo done the very same when the battery was flat.

jimgoose

That's textbook flat battery. If the original battery is in it it is undoubtedly time it had a new one. I recommend the Bosch Silver range - there should be a size to suit that car.

skywalker_208

Thanks for the input. I will see about getting a new one so : )

Anan1

skywalker_208 wrote: »

Thanks for the input. I will see about getting a new one so : )

Charge it first - you may have just left something turned on and not realized. In the meantime, if you've no access to jump leads then a push start should get it going.

listermint

Anan1 wrote: »

Charge it first - you may have just left something turned on and not realized. In the meantime, if you've no access to jump leads then a push start should get it going.

If its a 9 year old battery, save yourself the hastle and buy a new one. Charging it is only delaying the inevitable and lowering your sanity.

Anan1

listermint wrote: »

If its a 9 year old battery, save yourself the hassle and buy a new one. Charging it is only delaying the inevitable and lowering your sanity.

Are we sure that the car's on its original battery?

sean1141

My 04 mondeo was on the original battery and 200k miles on the clock. If i left the lights on for a short time with the engine off it would go flat but a charge up would have it back perfect again.

jimgoose

sean1141 wrote: »

My 04 mondeo was on the original battery and 200k miles on the clock. If i left the lights on for a short time with the engine off it would go flat but a charge up would have it back perfect again.

Diesel?

sundodger5

would not recommend jump starting a focus. I had the same problem with the wife's car.
they have a smart charge system. jump starting can blow fuses. remove the battery and charge it out of the vehicle.

listermint

Anan1 wrote: »

Are we sure that the car's on its original battery?

Thats the big question

hence 'if'

YbFocus

Jesus its gone to hell lately where every thread has to turn into a row :rolleyes:

jimgoose

YbFocus wrote: »

Jesus its gone to hell lately where every thread has to turn into a row :rolleyes:

Not at all, biy - this is like an RSA information leaflet compared to an actual forum row.

Anan1

listermint wrote: »

Thats the big question

hence 'if'

Chill out, i'm only asking.

listermint

Anan1 wrote: »

Chill out, i'm only asking.

So was i


I am chilled man

Internet context

sean1141

jimgoose wrote: »

Diesel?

Yup 2.0l tdci 130bhp

jimgoose

sean1141 wrote: »

Yup 2.0l tdci 130bhp

Fair moxy. That's the Incredible Hulk of car batteries you have there!

sean1141

jimgoose wrote: »

Fair moxy. That's the Incredible Hulk of car batteries you have there!

I sold the car about 3months ago!
10/03 was on the battery. Car was first registered in January 04. Them ford diesels were easy to start even with heater plugs gone. The 1.9 Peugeot we have here needs to be heated on the warmest day of the year or it will think bad of starting even with a new battery and plugs!

jimgoose

sean1141 wrote: »

I sold the car about 3months ago!
10/03 was on the battery. Car was first registered in January 04. Them ford diesels were easy to start even with heater plugs gone. The 1.9 Peugeot we have here needs to be heated on the warmest day of the year or it will think bad of starting even with a new battery and plugs!

Aye. I wonder was the old Ford a direct-injection setup?

Nonoperational

sean1141 wrote: »

My 04 mondeo was on the original battery and 200k miles on the clock. If i left the lights on for a short time with the engine off it would go flat but a charge up would have it back perfect again.

If a battery goes flat if you leave the lights on for a short time it's not "perfect". It's shagged.

Anan1

Nonoperational wrote: »

If a battery goes flat if you leave the lights on for a short time it's not "perfect". It's shagged.

If it was still doing the job then it wasn't shagged. It was probably on the way out, though.

sean1141

jimgoose wrote: »

Aye. I wonder was the old Ford a direct-injection setup?

the tddi would have been where as the tdci would have a high pressure pump

Nonoperational wrote: »

If a battery goes flat if you leave the lights on for a short time it's not "perfect". It's shagged.

Im talking half an hour with dip lights on not parkers.. Yes the battery was not as good as a brand new one but it did its job.

jimgoose

sean1141 wrote: »

the tddi would have been where as the tdci would have a high pressure pump...

Ah yeah. Direct-injection setups are a lot easier to cold-start than indirects. That's why trucks and tractors never needed heater plugs.

skywalker_208

YbFocus wrote: »

Yeah that really sounds like a battery, dials going mad when car turning over as car is putting the effort into getting engine to fire.
There is enough power to run auxiliary stuff though, i'd be 99.9% sure that its a battery you need. Have you got a pal's car you can pull the battery out of and she will she go, or jump it.

So just to follow up.
I put a new battery in it yesterday. Seemed to have fixed it. Started fine afterwards. Tried it a few times last night and it was fine. Started ok this morning so drove to work.

After about 40 miles the battery light came on and wipers started to move very slowly.
Parked up in work - tried to start and now the same issue is happening. turns over twice and all the dials shake....


Any other ideas?

sean1141

I would get the alternator checked if it was me

jimgoose

skywalker_208 wrote: »

So just to follow up.
I put a new battery in it yesterday. Seemed to have fixed it. Started fine afterwards. Tried it a few times last night and it was fine. Started ok this morning so drove to work.

After about 40 miles the battery light came on and wipers started to move very slowly.
Parked up in work - tried to start and now the same issue is happening. turns over twice and all the dials shake....


Any other ideas?

Right. Break out the multimeter. You should see ~14.6V across the battery terminals at high idle if the alternator is charging properly - get a mate to help. Also check for leakage. With the car parked and everything off that can be offed, set the meter to amps and place it in series with the negative lead. That is, with the negative battery lead off the battery terminal, clip the meter's positive to the lead and the meter's negative/ground to the negative terminal on the battery. Anything more than a few hundred milliamps is indicative of some sort of current drain - a short-circuit. If you can be bothered, an old brake-light bulb or similar, jury-rigged in a holder with a couple of wires, is handy for this as well.

TheBigGreen

Hi. I had the same problem with my '04 Focus 1.8 TDCi about two months ago, I replaced the battery and it starts alot better. Does yours stop after you start the car? Mine does and if I give it a bit of gas whiteish smoke come out the exhaust for a second or two. Anyone know a solution for this. Thanks.

jimgoose

TheBigGreen wrote: »

Hi. I had the same problem with my '04 Focus 1.8 TDCi about two months ago, I replaced the battery and it starts alot better. Does yours stop after you start the car? Mine does and if I give it a bit of gas whiteish smoke come out the exhaust for a second or two. Anyone know a solution for this. Thanks.

Does this "smoke" go away after the car warms up a little?

nagel

If your charging voltage ia 14 ish and it still happens you could check thr hheater plugs relay, I had a problem like this on a courier van it turned out that the heater relay was staying on intermittently, on a longdrive it would do as you said, lights flash then die

jimgoose

nagel wrote: »

If your charging voltage ia 14 ish and it still happens you could check thr hheater plugs relay, I had a problem like this on a courier van it turned out that the heater relay was staying on intermittently, on a longdrive it would do as you said, lights flash then die

Mmm. I'd reckon you'd notice that via the current-drain test.

TheBigGreen

jimgoose wrote: »

Does this "smoke" go away after the car warms up a little?

Yeah it goes away after a few seconds, the car drives like normal once I drive away. I must take a quick video of a morning start.

jimgoose

TheBigGreen wrote: »

Yeah it goes away after a few seconds, the car drives like normal once I drive away. I must take a quick video of a morning start.

Do. At the moment it just sounds like condensation. Do you do lots of quick, short trips in the car? Does the car be parked for long-ish periods? How does the oil look? Any sign of mayonnaise-like substance around the filler cap and/or dipstick?

TheBigGreen

jimgoose wrote: »

Do. At the moment it just sounds like condensation. Do you do lots of quick, short trips in the car? Does the car be parked for long-ish periods? How does the oil look? Any sign of mayonnaise-like substance around the filler cap and/or dipstick?

I drive about 40 miles to work in the mornings and the same with the return trip. There is not a lot of stop/start until I get to the city (which isn't that must because it's early in the morning). I don't don't a lot of short trips. The car is parked up from about 7.30am to about 5/6pm Monday to Friday. The oil looks good and I've never noticed mayonnaise-like substance around the filler cap and/or dipstick? The car has been serviced every 6000 miles. Wondering is it anything to do with the fuel pumps or something?

jimgoose

TheBigGreen wrote: »

I drive about 40 miles to work in the mornings and the same with the return trip. There is not a lot of stop/start until I get to the city (which isn't that must because it's early in the morning). I don't don't a lot of short trips. The car is parked up from about 7.30am to about 5/6pm Monday to Friday. The oil looks good and I've never noticed mayonnaise-like substance around the filler cap and/or dipstick? The car has been serviced every 6000 miles. Wondering is it anything to do with the fuel pumps or something?

Any sign of oil in the coolant overflow tank?

TheBigGreen

jimgoose wrote: »

Any sign of oil in the coolant overflow tank?

Will have a look this evening. Thanks.

dougie-lampkin

TheBigGreen wrote: »

Hi. I had the same problem with my '04 Focus 1.8 TDCi about two months ago, I replaced the battery and it starts alot better. Does yours stop after you start the car? Mine does and if I give it a bit of gas whiteish smoke come out the exhaust for a second or two. Anyone know a solution for this. Thanks.

White smoke is unburnt diesel. It looks a little different from condensation, it's more opaque. My Focus did it on a cold start, but that was a TDDI. If it only does it for a second or two after start up it's nothing to worry about, if anything it means your fuel pump is healthy. I didn't dig too deep on mine, but it was likely the starter needed a refurb.

If it does it every time you put your foot down, you have a more serious problem.