Ph1 172 Won't Start

[Ex-User (19928)]

I've got a Ph1 172 that won't start, it's had running issues before where it would juddering and losing power, the dials also went spastic backwards and forwards.

The alternator has been replaced and now after a bump start, will run normally (from the 15 minute drive we've done). But it has the battery and STOP light on for a while. Although both of those went out after revving it a bit.

The car won't start, and the electrics all seem to work. When you turn the ignition to start it, there seems to be a click noise coming from where the starter motor would be, almost like a large relay. But again, it does nothing..

Any hints?

 

[Bluebeard]

Tried swapping the battery to rule that out??

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

No. Don't have another one, but I really don't think it's the battery, all the electrics work whilst the car is off (charged it this morning anyway) and the windows and lights work the same whether the car is on or off. So I would've thought that rules out the battery personally.

Just been reading a few old threads and people are saying give the starter motor connections a clean, but why would the dials have been going funny before?

It seems to be running ok now.. Apart from the not starting issue!

 

[JMBW]

Give your starter motor a god wack, worked for me today

Mine had exactly the same symtoms...

 

[Darren85]

Usually on a car the battery light appearing means its not getting a charge.. Could be an alternator problem but you say you've had this replaced? Try getting the car ticking over and with a voltmeter if you have one, connect it to the + and - and see if its reading around 14v

 

[Missing Link]

Check the engine earth strap, It lives down at the end of the gearbox, If it's getting grotty or corroded it will play up with the engine electrics.

Try using a set of jump leads, stick one end on the battery neg (-) and the other end onto a clean metal part of the engine. if this solves it then you know your on the right track.

 

[iimushroomzii]

Check the engine earth strap, It lives down at the end of the gearbox, If it's getting grotty or corroded it will play up with the engine electrics.

Try using a set of jump leads, stick one end on the battery neg (-) and the other end onto a clean metal part of the engine. if this solves it then you know your on the right track.

This is very true! Try it

 

[Jonff]

Sounds very similar to what mine did on the Cat&Fiddle run, not sure if you was there when it did it? Eventually after trying various things it's turned out to be a sticking starter motor and I get that clicking sound also.

 

[Spongebob 172]

I had the same problem on my ph 172 last year and it turned out to be the battery..kept jumping it and putting the battery on charge but still got the same problem,so after a trip to halfords for a new battery shes been fine ever since

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Click of death probably means starter motor is on its way out or has already left the building.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Ok

Alternator isn't providing power to the car. We found this out by pushing the car about 1/4 of a mile trying to bump start it. Hooked my car up to it to give it a bit of juice, it bumped first time, but died halfway down the road (when we turned the lights on!).

Charged it again for 10 minutes, raced it back home and before it died got the voltmeter on the battery which showed 6.5 volts, slowly going down, got to 5.9 before it started spluttering but we couldn't get the pins on the alternator in time to check whether it's making any current and there's a bad connection somewhere or if it's just a broken part.

So there's two things, alternator and starter motor.

Is the starter motor an engine out job on a Clio?

 

[Jonff]

No, don't have to remove the engine, from what I've read most come from underneath the car to replace it. Real pain in the arse to do so I believe.

 

[Beef-Mc]

I had the same problem on my ph 172 last year and it turned out to be the battery..kept jumping it and putting the battery on charge but still got the same problem,so after a trip to halfords for a new battery shes been fine ever since

Same for me on my old motor.

 

[sideways danny]

check the power terminal onto the alternator (big red wire). The ring terminal breaks/corrodes quite a lot

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

check the power terminal onto the alternator (big red wire). The ring terminal breaks/corrodes quite a lot

We've not tested the current, but the actual terminals are all fine pal.

 

[RSTuning]

Check terminal 29 and 30 of the ecu you have to have 12v there.

 

[barnesautos]

if you got a poor contact at the starter motor big wire that will be a poor contact point for the power to the alternator aswell ie poor contact = high resistance = low voltage. volt drop the wire at 3 points. too be tested with a fully charged battery

1st posotive terminal too starter connection

2nd pos term too alternator conn

3rd across starter conn = wire and post. post being the threaded bit.

you should expect to see a volt drop of about 0.3v - 0.5v across the whole length of the wire. hope this helps you