Broke down earlier, advice needed

[MrsNiki]

So, just driven 150 miles from Brize Norton to Lincoln, pulled into the Spar carpark to buy bread and milk (although that's not important to the story...) came out the shop, got in car, turned key and all dash lights came on as normal, but moment I tried to turn the starter everything cut out and went dead, no lights, couldn't lock car, couldn't open boot etc.

 

The AA was gonna take 2hrs so I called a mate to come look, he said the engine was very warm and had a wiggle of the fuses under the cover, also the battery terminals. Tried the engine again, and got nothing, but a few minutes later I managed to get all the lights on in the car, but again couldn't get it to turn over....

 

5 minutes later I tried the engine again and got it going.... Nursed the car home and had no issues since.

 

All coolant/oil levels etc are fine, 1/4 tank of Vpower, oil temp fine, any ideas?

 

My dad thinks possibly battery connections (bad/loose earth) or failing that a starter solenoid issue.

 

Would be grateful for any advice or idea's. Anything is better than my mate who turned up, got out his van and said 'this is why women should not drive cars like these'... Tw4t

 

Cheers guys!

[MrsNiki]

Also forgot to say, had no warning lights at all come up before/during/after all of this.

 

Cheers

[Mopedmark]

I don't think your dads far wrong connection/battery connections

[Wasso]

How old is the battery, if its an original it sounds like its coming to the end of its life?

 

Normally an intermittent issue is a sign. Sounds like battery to me.

[MrsNiki]

I've never changed the battery, but its not an original, its a halfords one. I've had the car almost a year... At idle i get 14v on the meter.

 

Apparently i should clean up and grease/wd40 the battery connections to see if that helps, but yeah consensus is battery so far speaking to a few people!

[350 Russ]

its definatly battery terminals, had the same issue on mine once or twice. try cleaning up the terminals with some sand paper and make sure there nice and tight. if its not that then its a bad earth somewhere or dud battery

[MrsNiki]

yeah thats tomorrows job now, tonight i am having a wine and ignoring the car, it can sit outside and think about what its done!!

 

Will keep you updated when i get a proper look at it in daylight

[WhackyWill]

Either the battery or an earth problem, more likely a battery..I would not put a HalfFraud battery in my car

 

they are "not very good"...Put a proper Bosch battery in with 4 years warranty, and tighten the terminals

 

and rub some vaseline on them. :thumbs:

[MrsNiki]

Yeah i'm thinking for the cost of a new battery, i'm as well just changing it for a decent one, i do a fair bit of driving and getting stuck is not an option! Don't do patience!

 

Also i'm a drama queen when things go wrong, i had images of the car blowing up and my milk and bread going off!! Its too stressful

[ioneabee]

you drove 150 miles to get bread and milk - surely it would have been easier and quicker to bake your own and milk a cow

[MrsNiki]

you drove 150 miles to get bread and milk - surely it would have been easier and quicker to bake your own and milk a cow

 

yeah why didn't i think of that?

[4RE Leather]

£120 a decent Bosch.

Must check mine as its the original!!

[Dblock]

£120 a decent Bosch.

Must check mine as its the original!!

 

Where from?

 

More like £60.

 

 

Most people will check their battery with a volt meter/battery checker and it will show 12v or 11.xx which is fine but thats not really accurate. If you want a true reading get a battery tester with a load. So e.g. your car might be 11.8v when sitting there but when cranked it might go down to lets say 9v which isn't enough to do anything. But checking the battery terminals etc is the first call IMO.

[BulletMagnet]

I had images of the car blowing up and my milk and bread going off!! Its too stressful

Milk and bread explodes? Visualising the chain reaction as I type, lol

[The Bounty Bar Kid]

Okay this may sound stupid but in your rush and then subsequent panic, did you press the clutch pedal down far enough when starting the car? I've done it before. In the first couple of months of ownership. Went to get in car to go somewhere, it didn't start then started to panic and eventually realised I wasn't pressing pedal down far enough as I started panicking. Never had an issue since, so I suspect it was just be being an idiot.

 

[glrnet]

Okay this may sound stupid but in your rush and then subsequent panic, did you press the clutch pedal down far enough when starting the car? I've done it before. In the first couple of months of ownership. Went to get in car to go somewhere, it didn't start then started to panic and eventually realised I wasn't pressing pedal down far enough as I started panicking. Never had an issue since, so I suspect it was just be being an idiot.

 

That has happened before, check out Eurocarparts for batteries if it turns out to be faulty, you'll get a decent brand for a decent price and they generally carry good stock levels Hope you get it sorted

[Gonzo88]

If you want to source one from Euros I can help you out - I'm just round the corner from you.

[Darren-B]

you drove 150 miles to get bread and milk - surely it would have been easier and quicker to bake your own and milk a cow

 

 

Now thats my kind of drive to the shops

 

I`ll go out to top up with petrol for the next day or outing, fill the car up & when I get back home there is only half a tank of fuel left (theres a Shell 0.8miles from my house)

 

 

I`d get a new battery, the halfrauds one you have may not be the right amp rating compared to the stock & when changing just make sure the connections are cot corroded & have plenty of grease on them. Do not use WD40, this will remove any grease thats on the connectors. It`s a penetrating oil good for cleaning & water displacement. You can use it to clean the connections but make sure that they are greased after.

[AdamL350z]

£120 a decent Bosch.

Must check mine as its the original!!

 

I replaced my original battery with a Bosch one last month. Got it from Euro Car Parts for about £70 with a four year warranty and free delivery which I didn't think was too bad. Seems to have done the trick!

 

[Dblock]

£120 a decent Bosch.

Must check mine as its the original!!

 

I replaced my original battery with a Bosch one last month. Got it from Euro Car Parts for about £70 with a four year warranty and free delivery which I didn't think was too bad. Seems to have done the trick!

 

Mbclub25 would have got you another 25% off.

[Hooch]

That codes out of date, if it wasn't you would have made me a very happy man.

[4RE Leather]

I tend to go for the best and he £120 is what I paid for my Nissan Pathfinder 2 years ago.

Mind you that is a hugh battery.

Never really given it any thought so it's true when they say, "Size matters" !

Wonder what Nissan would charge just out of interest?

[Dblock]

In that case carparts4less might be cheaper

[Darren-B]

I felt your pain this evening Niki

 

After a crappy day at work I thought I`d go for a drive in the zed to help me chill out a bit. So on my drive I got caught short & stopped for a pee, returned to the car & dead was the battery So dead the fuel pump wouldn`t even prime & on flat ground I had no chance of bump starting her so had to call the AA. After an hour sitting in the pitch black in the middle of knowhere the handy AA man arrived & got me started. He tested the battery once running & confirmed that it was fooked as it was only taking 4amps of charge

 

So made my way back home being super concious about not stalling it with my stupid boy racer clutch

 

I have just ordered a new battery an Excide premium

• Amp Hours: (Ah): 65Ah
  
• Cold Cranking Amp: (CCA): 580CCA
  

Hopefully this will see me a few years.

 

Also would like to thanks Adsrian Octet for offering to drive 110 miles to come rescue me, thanks mate

[MrsNiki]

I'm gonna get a new battery, although Mr Niki did find the live terminal loose so hoping that was just it! Not got much further yet at car in garage right now, clutch pedal kept getting stuck halfway down yest so looks like more money on making it go.... So much for the amazing styling I have planned

 

Good job I don't do car related stress!!