Help required - Auto Electrician

[bluejew]

Hi guys,

Been working on the S13 for a good year now, on and off and when I have spare funds/time. Anyway, after nearly a year of getting it to stage 2 it was time to fire her up. Put petrol in and connected the battery (which has been relocated). Turned the key and started 1st time!! Did a few tweeks and turned it off and back on a few times to do further adjustments. Seemed to start slower and slower each time so thought it maybe the battery on its way.
Have now changed the battery for a new one and it didn't help at all. Have also swapped the starter motor and again EXACTLY the same.
Only getting the fuel pump prime and the ignition lights show and thats it really. It wont even spin the engine half a turn. I have also checked the earthing strap (which is cleanly connected to the chasis), the live strap on the battery and the main feed to the fuse box and the starter on a battery (which spins freely).
The car WILL bump start with a push no probs but trying to turn it over there is no sign of life...

Any help would be great and I'm only in Filton, Bristol if you fancy popping by. :)

Thanks for looking.

[Chriscooke]

Is the alternator working?? Sounds almost as if the batt isn't getting charged.

[Monkey]

no spark i would say, and keep cranking it kills the battery. i would also say your batter may have a couple dead cells.

also you may have flodded the engine

check coil packs and spark plugs as well

put a volt meter across the terminals and see what voltage its producing and amps (the battery connected to nothing at all)

[shanekerry]

when he turns the key nothing happens, its as if its imobilised doesnt turn the starter at all

[disco-tom]

To rule out the Alternator, get it bump started and measure the voltage across the battery terminals while it's running. You should see about 14 volts.

[jim22]

Could Joe(iceblade) not have a look?

[shanekerry]

Joe says on some of the more expensive imobilisors if you leave the battery off for a long period of time then the codes for the imobilisor can reset and you may need to get it recoded or something like that

[Monkey]

does it have a immobiliser?

[shanekerry]

it does yes, but then reading this post again i notice that it will bump start so guessing that wouldnt work if it was imbolised lol

[IceBlade]

sounds like a starter problem or starter supply problem then. on the back of the starter where the positive goes there is also a spade clip connector too, if you bridge this to 12v the starter should kick in.... if it doesnt check your relocaton wire connections, the ground is usuallly the culprit in this case, f it wasnt taken back to shiney metal and done uptight you will struggle to get a good earth, sounds to me tike you should try that first to be honest.

[fry]

Check your earths, sounds like a bad one to me

[bluejew]

Checked the earth/s and positive feeds and have even taken the other starter motor out the car and tried that on a battery - spins great.
Its a very strange one - its like the starter motor is getting no life to it if that gives a better picture?

[IceBlade]

.........-:&(:():check the start signal goes positive when you turn the key (the spade connector)

[bluejew]

Right,

I have checked the poower and earth going to the starter. Both seem abosolutley fine (showing on the volt meter) and when bridging the 2 lives together on the starter in situ it sparks, which also gives me a very good indication there is a live connection there.
Apart from all my checks is there anything else you guys know of before I crawl underneath and whip the starter out???

[IceBlade]

when you say it sparks, did you hold the "bridge" across the positives long enought to see if the starter turns the engine? if not i would imagine you have a sticking starter, need to check voltage at that time too, should go to around 9 volts at the battery when starter is engaged

[ianlea73]

I had a similiar problem wiith my first S13,called out an auto electrician mate who diagnosed the solenoid on the starter.He hit it with a hammer as I turned the key & the car started fine.I'd swap the starter motor.