Problem - Car caught in a Floodand won't start.



  • @cc86456243=tinyrhino:

    lol what do you think the other car is doing there??

    Well I was going to try connecting the other cars battery directly to the starter terminals and I thought the spade connector controlled a switch that would need some power… But anyway, I tried jumping last week (battery to battery) and nothing, but as robxr1 said, the clicking got faster, so I think I need a new starter!





  • well its not new buts working grand and ya can have it as soon as forensics release my car but you'll have to sort out postage



  • That sounds fine, when will you be able to post it? I might get the one on ebay if its quicker.



  • OK, managed to get a new starter off ebay, just fitting it now :)

    One question - After unscrewing the 3 big bolts, how do i remove the old starter motor?



  • OK, got the old starter motor off, but it wasnt a nice sight…lots of rust on the internal parts, after I took the motor off, I took a photo of where it meets the engine:

    Do you think its even worth fitting the new starter when the cog is this rusty? If this part is rusty, maybe there are loads more rusty bits- Maybe I should give up repairing it?



  • :lol: its ok, the water shouldn't have got into the engine, the "cog" is actually the flywheel, you can pretty much guarantee they'll be some rust on it…just in your case theres abit more :lol:



  • Cool, thats good to hear… whats not so good is that the new starter i just bought is doing exactly the same thing as the old one! Just clicking! :cry:



  • Here's what I would try:
    Try putting 12v directly onto the starter, see if it works
    Try taking out plugs to check you smell fuel
    Test your plugs off a safe ground away from fuel
    Make sure you can turn the crank around a few revolutions

    If no joy do a compression test- <£20 for the test guage



  • I still think your battery is fubar…



  • Cheers Marko, but I think Rhino may have a good point, I really think its the battery here. Will keep you updated, should have some more time this weekend.



  • lol I thought the battery was covered by this stage of the game! Good luck mate



  • me to, has someone been missing out what they've been told? :p



  • Its definately battery!! I charged it for 2.5 days instead of the usual 24hrs and the starter actually turned round instead of just clicking!

    It must be really fked, as usually a 24hr charge is enough with a mains charger.

    After about 60hrs of charging the starter just about turned, then died again, so I need to get a new battery asap. Looks like I have a spare starter now too, if anyone wants one?!

    Wheres the best place to get a battery?



  • I needed a new battery and am a bit limited to suppliers near where I live (In the sticks). They wanted £70 & another one wanted £90 for an MX3 battery. In the end I charged my old one off other car and worked just fine. Im sure you could use another battery off different car rather than pay £70 for one. Both mine are different and Im guesing only one is genuine. You need one off a 1.8 or 2L car for example and make sure its a similar size (So you can clamp it down good and proper). Would not want a battery tipping over in the engine bay when you turn a corner. Finally make sure your terminals are the right way round on the battery. Some cars have + & - at different sides. Your clamps won't fit the other way round. I wouldn't pay more than £50

    I only just read your post but this is exactly what happened to me when my battery died. Same clicking sound. In the end I got a good charger that tells if the battery is faulty and sure enough it was.

    It might not have been the water that wrecked your battery. It was probably on its way out and the water in the starter etc used all remaining life from your battery. Make sure the terminal clamps are nice and tight. A loose negative was at fault with mine. I had loads of green round it and a screw jammed in to hold it in. I got new terminals for £3 each just for good measure. I cut old ones off as close as I could to allow me enough cable and they screwed onto cable in 2 places for easy n tight fit. Work great and look the biz.

    Would be worth trying to obtain a battery off another car to see if this works before buying a new one. See if the car will go off jump leads but make sure they are quite thick leads. My cheapo leads fried when I kept jumping mine.

    Finally have you got an alarm and imobiliser. A flat battery can make them act up funny. Also the led can drain a battery over time. If you ever store your car for period of time its always worth disconnecting the battery negative.



  • @c81f06a94a:

    Also the led can drain a battery over time

    An LED takes so little power that you can run one for 9 years off a 9V duracell battery so that wont matter.



  • Hmmm 9 years. Hey blackmoth r you sure you didn't go to columbia for longer than you 1st thought lol.



  • hahah, well I wasn't counting the days…and what with cocaine at $2 a gram time just flew by!! :lol:

    Seriously though, the battery ran down from me trying to start the car after the flood, then AA charged it for ages, then it ran down again and I have charged it about 5 times since, so I think its probably fucked!

    What would be the chances of being able to return a battery to halfords - I was thinking of buying one, seeing if I can get the car started and if it won't start take the battery back, otherwise keep it...



  • You could just ask them straight up. Halfords near me are usually dead on with something like that, as long as I keep it 'as new', so it can be thrown back on the shelf. But certain items people are weird about. Can you not borrow a battery elsewhere?



  • I was thinking about taking the battery out of my mums Golf temporarily, would there be enough power in it?


 

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