New Battery - Strange starting issue

[jamo96]

Get your multimeter and set it to amps, unhook the neg terminal and put one lead on the terminal and the other on the neg cable or body and measure. A small drain is normal for things like clocks and security etc...

Google parasitic drain, there's a lot of in depth stuff about it.

I still think it sounds like a shorting issue, so maybe run over all your battery and alternator cabling.

Thanks Ill have a look over the circuits. Cheers

 

[jamo96]

Ok, so I cleaned up the terminal clamps with some sandpaper just to be sure that wasn't the issue. My multimeter reads 12.9V at the terminals and on the cable further down. The car would not start last night. I put the trip meter display into the hidden values display using the mode and down button while turning the key. Batt voltage according to this was A9 and then when key turned to A4. I'm not sure what the A is. It was also displaying AA at one stage. Anyway I did this a few times and then it struggled and started. Drove the car back to my house and turned it off and then it would start as normal. So I am thinking it could be a computer issue, not reading voltage correctly either through bad connection or something else. Or a faulty connection to the starter motor. I had a look at the starter motor a few days ago, it quite hard to get at to see the connections.

 

[ari666]

it quite hard to get at to see the connections.

yep. it is quite hard, and its also the most likely place for the fault to lay. so get your jack out and check that bolt.


oh please, do yourself a MASSIVE favour and disconnect the negative terminal off the battery before you go using spanners on that cable.

 

[jamo96]

yep. it is quite hard, and its also the most likely place for the fault to lay. so get your jack out and check that bolt.


oh please, do yourself a MASSIVE favour and disconnect the negative terminal off the battery before you go using spanners on that cable.

Yes won't forget that one. Any clue to why the computer readout is A9 and A4 volts? Where does the computer measure the battery voltage?

 

[mpower]

I had an issue like this, I found it was caused by the terminals that connect to the back of the starter not making good contact.

 

[ari666]

Yes won't forget that one. Any clue to why the computer readout is A9 and A4 volts? Where does the computer measure the battery voltage?

no idea, but i think youre wasting time...

 

[Deuce]

I had an issue like this, I found it was caused by the terminals that connect to the back of the starter not making good contact.

Yeap. I have a similar issue with my old 202".
I will pull the starter out this weekend and fix the post that cable connects to. I think the thread is stuffed and the nut is slipping.

 

[_R_J_K_]

My multimeter reads 12.9V at the terminals and on the cable further down. The car would not start last night.

If you manage to get it to start again and get the multimeter on the terminals, it should read close to or on 14v. Any lower than 13 and it will be an alternator problem.

 

[jamo96]

If you manage to get it to start again and get the multimeter on the terminals, it should read close to or on 14v. Any lower than 13 and it will be an alternator problem.

I would think it would only read this when the engine is running? The 12.9V was measure while off. Anyway I got under and tightened the two nuts on the starter cables. Looks like a pretty bad design feature down there. The car starts fine now. No trouble since then, I guess only time will tell.

 

[ari666]

lol, youre welcome