Electricall Issue with Car - won't start

magicmushroom

Hi all,

Just went out to my car to go home for lunch, turned the key and it started then just suddenly cut out.
I turned the key again - nothing - no noise, no lights - it's like the car is dead.
Got out and tried to lock it but nothing happened so it seems to be an electrical issue.
No problems with the car at all lately, worked perfectly well this morning.

It's an old one (2000 Renault Clio) but very reliable until today.

Any ideas on what it could be? Could it possibly be just a fuse?

I'll get it towed down to a mechanic after work but I'll be worrying for the rest of the day now!

APOLOGIES - grammar nazi's, I know I have spelt Electrical wrong in the title, I can't seem to edit it! This isn't my day

advertsfox

Pretty sure it's the starter motor, quite common in that model Clio. I believe there's a quick fix by tapping the solenoid to get it moving (so I've heard, don't quote me).

Avns1s

I wouldn't worry too much. It could be a main fuse if there's one fitted on the battery post in the clio, I'm not sure to be honest. It could be just a broken positive cable or earth strap. I am taking it that it had started and was running and then cut out which would indicate that somehow the battery was disconnected from the system.

It's not the starter as it wouldn't have cut out once it was running. Tapping it will do no good!

TheChizler

You say no lights, is any electrical system in the car working?

magicmushroom

TheChizler wrote: »

You say no lights, is any electrical system in the car working?

No nothing at all, I can't even lock it - it's just dead, when I turn the key I'm not getting any noise whatsoever

bear1

So in essence it's like the battery has been removed from the car?
I'd hazard a guess at a battery or alternator problem but for it to pack in just like that is unusual.

TheChizler

magicmushroom wrote: »

No nothing at all, I can't even lock it - it's just dead, when I turn the key I'm not getting any noise whatsoever

If you've access to a multimeter can you check the voltage of the battery? Failing that do any of the internal lights even light up a small bit?

magicmushroom

bear1 wrote: »

So in essence it's like the battery has been removed from the car?
I'd hazard a guess at a battery or alternator problem but for it to pack in just like that is unusual.

The car had a new battery put in sometime last year, is it odd for there to be a problem with it now?
I would have thought the life of a battery would be longer than 12-18 months.

Thanks for the help so far all, very much appreciated

magicmushroom

TheChizler wrote: »

If you've access to a multimeter can you check the voltage of the battery? Failing that do any of the internal lights even light up a small bit?

No, absolutely nothing is happening, not even a flicker.
I have a mechanic coming out to me shortly so fingers crossed it can be sorted!

I done a bit of googling and another fella had the exact same issue in the same make and model, new battery was needed.
I hope that's all it is!

Thanks for taking the time to reply

TheChizler

It's like the battery main fuse is gone or a clamp has fallen off the battery terminal, presume the latter would be very noticeable so my money's on the fuse.

bear1

Are the terminals on the battery nice and tight?

magicmushroom

bear1 wrote: »

Are the terminals on the battery nice and tight?

Haha I don't even know what that means!
I am as clueless as you can get when it comes to cars - I'm a woman dont'ya know!

Mechanic popping over this afternoon, I shall report back.
Thanks

bear1

The terminals are the two round metal yokes that are connected to the top of the battery
But sure if you're getting a mechanic let him figure it out.

magicmushroom

It was just a loose connection to the battery - all sorted within a couple of minutes - phew!
Thanks for the replies everyone

fmcg_scribe

magicmushroom wrote: »

It was just a loose connection to the battery - all sorted within a couple of minutes - phew!
Thanks for the replies everyone

All's well that ends well.

That said, if you had had to replace the battery, you would have also had to investigate the root cause of the battery drain - that might have boiled down to putting car in standby mode, connecting a meter to the battery, and pulling fuses to isolate which fuse or electrician consumer was causing the problem.