Help Please!!!!

[Paul McKay]

Typical,

Car was booked in for an MOT this morning, and it wont start. Over the winter, i have periodically started the car, and it has always started on the button.

Now all i am getting is a clicking noise coming from the fuse and realy compartment.

I called out the AA, who were not much help to be honest, but the guy cleaned the contacts at the starter, checked it over, and said my problem was either the 'Bendix' or the 'Solenoid', but am i right in saying the Delorean has a pre-engaged starter so would therefore not have a bendix?

My car is vin - 6042, and i have read about the early vin modification, for the early vin starter problems, so mine shouldnt suffer from this...right?

My friend is going to come up and help me with the car, and he has far more experience than me in this department.

Advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Chris Hawes]

Hi Paul, When I have heard clicking like that it is due to the battery not having enough jiuce.

Do you have another battery you could try, or a meter to check the current level of charge?

I have always wondered that if you crank the car and let it tick over for ten minutes if that is enough time for the battery level used to start the car is replaced by the tick over and then some???

[Paul McKay]

Hi Chris,

I had the battery on charge for a few days, and another which was fully charged and getting the same problems.

I done some checks when trying to start the car like putting all the lights on, main beam and on tying to start the car, there was no dimming of the lights. Only the heating control panel lights would come on and off, during attempts.

When the AA guy came out, he attached one of those battery boosters to the battery also. Still nothing.

[ChrisS]

Get a good quality jump lead and run it from the battery negative to the engine block, ensuring a good connection.

If that works then it a ground issue, check the Trailing arm ground point.

[dmcdj]

try the cable going from the starter motor to the fuse box thats what faulty on herman if there a short your here just the clicking noise you will find out by doing very carefully putting a 12 volt feed to the starter side this will show that the starter is ok

[Tourettes Tony]

Yeah or head butt the steering wheel it worked in the film :wink: TT

[NickT]

Remove the starter relay and check it's operation.
Just because it click's doesn't mean to say it is positively switching ok.

If you need to replace it get a replacement from a vw/audi.
The pin outs from a GM car ie ford/ vauxhall is different.

Pine 86 and 86 (coil) should be opposite each other.
Pin 30 and 87 (the make switch) are the other 2:

.........85
.........--
30 | ......--87
.........--
.........86

(ignore the . 's I had to use them to space things out)

NickT.

[NickT]

If it is an automatic car then make sure it is in Park or Neutral.

The start inhibit switch may not be working or it could be an ignition barrel electrical connection issue.

NickT.

[dmcdj]

yea i would belive nic as mine went again tonight and nic the fix it done it agian but this time i got my self home and not on one of my friends yellow big trucks with fashling light thank god as they allways get mr to repair stufff on the way home


thanks nicky boy

[steve.s]

Hi

if its a manual have you tried a push start?.

as far a my somewhat limited knowledge is the bendix gear engages the starter during cranking, then dissengages when you let the key go.

solenoid means relay (you could remove and check with a meter and normally a small 9v battery is enough to energise the small coil inside)

i used to have a mk2 escort which used to get a stuck starter.

rocking the car in second gear used to do the trick.

can you turn the starter manually? spanner etc?.

[Paul McKay]

Thanks for all the tips guys.

Turns out after all the tests we done, it was the automatic transmission switch. We went to bypass it, and noticed someone had already had a wire in place to bypass the switch.

Connected the wire to the negative terminal on the battery and it started first time. Strangely though, since i imported the car, the wire had never been connected to the battery, as i had to replace the original battery from the day i got the car, so i dont know why the car has always started up until lately.

[NickT]

NickT Wrote:If it is an automatic car then make sure it is in Park or Neutral.

The start inhibit switch may not be working or it could be an ignition barrel electrical connection issue.

NickT.

Sorted !

[Paul McKay]

Thank God