Car won't start

[Iain]

From the greatest mechanic in the world, haaa........
Girlchild has just returned home and wants her car, key in ignition and not even a click, interior light is just a dull orange glow, no worries, haul out battery charger and attach.
Head off for a well earned sleep after this strenuous activity and return some 5 hours later, car still won't start and charger is clicking on and off every 5 seconds or so and is getting pretty warm.
Anybody offer any solutions as to what the problem may be, charger was working a few weeks ago when my battery died, this car is a Falcon EF wagon.
Battery water levels are OK and everything is turned off as far as I can tell, I hate cars :(( :(( :((

[ozwinner]

Have you tried a different battery in it.

Dead batteries are dead batteries, and they die just like that.

Al :)

[Iain]

Have you tried a different battery in it.

Dead batteries are dead batteries, and they die just like that.

Al :)

I haven't, but I kicked it over about three weeks ago without any problems, had been sitting idle for about 3 weeks at that stage.
Just a bit peeved after a financially exhausting week.

[dazzler]

Sounds like a dead cell in the battery. Grab a new one and take it to the auto electrician and get them to check the charging system just to make sure. :2tsup:

[Wood Butcher]

My older brother was the technical engineer for a leading battery manufacturer in Brisbane and he was told that car batteries can go dead if they are toward the end of there life and not used for a period of time. Apparently car batteries are designed with an average life span of two years.

Unfortunately it might just be that time to fork out for a new one. Sorry :(

[KevM]

Have you checked the battery terminal connections are clean & leads are tightly connected?

[ozwinner]

I haven't, but I kicked it over about three weeks ago without any problems, had been sitting idle for about 3 weeks at that stage.
Just a bit peeved after a financially exhausting week.

Sounds like the battery, Ive had one die a sudden death overnight, as Rowan said, it was just over 2 years old.

The cold will make them die suddenly too, maybe a cold night did it.

The one in me Yoot is 5 years old and still going, but I should replace it before it lets me down, along with the corroded battery terminals. :doh:

Al :)

[Clinton1]

just do the substitution for 'known good' routine... put a known good battery in... if the car starts... the old battery is probably has a shorted cell.
Thats what it sounds like to me....

[Iain]

This was posted in the vain hope that someone could wave the magic wand and make it go, I suspect I knew it was a dead battery but lived in hope, really could have done without this this week.
Not knowing much about car electrics just curious as to why the charger clicks on and off, would it be an overload on the charger causing it to cut out, which of course would relate to a shorted out cell.
Bugger.
Thanks anyway.

[Article99]

A mate's BMW did the same trick a while back. He put the charger on and the thing arc'd like buggery intitally on the terminals, then shut itself off. Turned out the switch on the electric seats was stuck and drawing a constant 10amps odd. :oo:

Hence the lack of power and the battery charger saying 'no way, get stuffed.' Might be worth looking into. :2tsup:

[ozwinner]

Feel the force Iain......( cue asthmatic breathing).

You need a new battery Iain....whhhooooooowhhhhh ceeeerrrrrrrrrr ( thats Darthhbattery, with his asthmatics)

Al :U

[Iain]

Feel the force Iain......( cue asthmatic breathing).

You need a new battery Iain....whhhooooooowhhhhh ceeeerrrrrrrrrr ( thats Darthhbattery, with his asthmatics)

Al :U

Had it happened of Friday I suppose I could have said 'May the 4th be with you'
Bloody expensive pun though:(
Art 99, it's only a damned Ford, nothing that flash, everything appears to be OK, as far as Fords go.

[bitingmidge]

Art 99, it's only a damned Ford, nothing that flash, everything appears to be OK, as far as Fords go.

:D :D :D :D :D :D
May the Ford be with you.

P
(BTW It's a dead battery)

[Grunt]

You mean the Ford is barely holden together?

[outback]

The charger clicking on and off means the battery is drawing heaps of current, OK for a little while on a really dead battery, as the battery takes a charge it will trickle away happily. To do it for hours ain't so good on the charger and a dead giveaway as to the status of the battery.

[havenoideaatall]

My older brother was the technical engineer for a leading battery manufacturer in Brisbane and he was told that car batteries can go dead if they are toward the end of there life and not used for a period of time. Apparently car batteries are designed with an average life span of two years.

Unfortunately it might just be that time to fork out for a new one. Sorry :(

They can get to a point where they are beyond help - there's no doubt.

There is a code on them which allows you to know the date of manufacture so you can reject any that have been sitting around on shelves for a while - info courtesy of the bloke from Emerald RACV.

[Rossluck]

It's amazing what you can learn about batteries from charging them. A good battery charges at a strong steady rate of a few hours, a dying battery charges quickly but doesn'y have deep charge, and a close to dead battery causes all sorts of weird behaviour from the charger.

As has been said previously, in this case it sounds like a cell has dropped and the charger is confused. The battery is asking for full charge but not accepting any.:U

[Jim Carroll]

Iain is this a manual car or an automatic.

Just a thought but is it in Park or Nuetral for it to start.:D

[Iain]

It's in Parl Jim, and as stated the interior light is the most romantic subdued orange and the warning lights can just be viewd providing it is dark and there is no full moon.
New battery this week.

[FXST01]

Don't suppose the lights have been left on? and thats where the charge is going?

[Iain]

No, the battery is stuffed, no draw from the battery at all.

[Daddles]

Batteries can die very quickly. I had one go in the Falchoon. Drove it to a shop, no problems. Tried to start it an hour later, not a thing. Abosbloodylutely dead. Good thing it was a stinking hot day and I had two small kids with me and the RAA was rushed off their feet, otherwise it might have been rather uneventful. New battery and away it went. Hmm, that battery's about four years old now :oo:

Richard