Car won't start ?

Its possible either the alternator got gutfull of wter and has stopped charging giving you a flat battery, or water got into the starter motor and has gummed up the solenoid. Its very common for alternators to stop charging after being doused with water. They do dry out after max-time a day and start working again.

Jason

Shouldn't be the battery it is showing 12.3 V.

Do all the ignition lights and engine check light etc come on as normal?

Is it auto/man?

Is the battery clamp secure and clean?

Do your headlights work?

Regards,

Clockmeister.

Washing the engine shouldn't do anything to the car. At most you will get the plug wires wet and have some misfiring. It is possible they blasted a wire loose. The most likely culprit is the cam angle sensor. If that signal doesn't make it, the car will not start. I will store a code, but you can't see it because it wont start. Check that connection first.

Possibly a crack in the distributor cap? letting in moisture? I remember years ago working on a buddy's car in the (cooling) evening. We had the distributor cap off, and finished up at dusk. The engine just would not fire. My friend looked at me with a sad expression that said "you broke my car". On a hunch, I dried the inside of the distributor cap with paper towels, and it fired right up. Dunno if modern electronic ignitions are as much affected, but I think so. Distributor still handles high voltage.

But it might not have enough coulombs in it to pull the skin off a rice pudding. The only two ways to test a battery efficiently are a discharge test and reading the "specific gravity". I am *not* saying the battery *is* the problem. I am merely pointing out to anyone interested that a battery can read that level of voltage but have minimal charge capacity, beware.

I agree Feral, you are correct. But for a person with only a volt meter (not you, but Jason) the easiest way to test the battery, is to measure the voltage as someone else trys to crank the car over. If the voltage drops below 10 volts the battery most likely needs a charge. If it does, then check the alternator for function. Turning the head lights on and measuring the voltage is another method. This still doesn't rule out the battery, but it's a start. Do you have an independant battery charger, or can you get someone to jump start the car (if the battery is dead). If you get the car running, the voltage at the battery, with a functioning alternator, should be over 14 volts. 13 (13.9)volts or less and you do have an alternator/regulator problem.

Good luck

I did try testing the voltage on startup. It definately did not go under 11V.

To answer a few other Q's its an Auto, And all the ignition and check lights come on as normal. Headlightts work and the battery terminal is secure.

Thanks

Jason

When you say "turnover" do you mean it won't crank or do mean it won't start?

Make sure the park/neutral switch is working properly by wiggling the selector whilst holding the they to crank to see if there is a response.

If that isn't the problem, it sounds like the starter motor may be U/S but check the fuses and fuseable links, relays (there may be one for the starter that you can swap temporarily with the horn one or similar) and check that the wires to the starter motor are secure, especially the small one.

If there is a relay, you can check for a crank signal input/output pretty easily with a testlight to confirm that the ignition crank position is producing an output to the starter via the relay.

Also, have you checked your oil lately and can you turn the motor by hand/spanner?

Failing that, give the starter motor a solid tap with a hammer and try again.

Regards,

Clockmeister.

I mean it won't crank.

I can hear all the realys click etc when the ignition is turned on but then I get nothing.

I am guessing it is the starter motor, as there is no spark or engine movement. Although a couple of times early on it has had a very small movement. Thanks for all your help so far. I will let you know how it goes.

I mean it won't crank.

I can hear all the realys click etc when the ignition is turned on but then I get nothing. (And I have checked all the relays and fuses)

I am guessing it is the starter motor, as there is no spark or engine movement. Although a couple of times early on it has had a very small movement. Thanks for all your help so far. I will let you know how it goes.

That wasn't such a crazy suggestion. I had an Audi '85 5000 STD (that's turbo-diesel, not the other kind ;^) and there were a couple of times when it wouldn't start. I heard a relay click, but nothing else. I found that a solid thump with a straight tire iron at the solenoid bulge on the starter motor would free up whatever was gummed up in there.

As I understand it: ignition key -> relay -> solenoid -> starter motor. In other words the solenoid has a built in high current relay, a set of contacts that are bridged when the solenoid "pulls in" to engage the Bendix (if that is what it is properly called?) gear with the outside teeth of the flywheel. The "solid tap" has worked for me a few times, on that particular car (and ISTR an earlier odd-ball?).

Bendix type starters such as the Lucas M35 relied on inertia to pull the starter gear down a spiral into the ring gear and had no solenoid on the starter motor. If there's a solenoid on the starter then it's not a Bendix starter.

Not at all, it can be an invaluable diagnostic tool. I was serious!

Ah, thanks for the correction! Seems like a neat idea. Does anyone use a Bendix anymore? I guess that means you still need a high current relay somewhere.

So you are just a 'parts changer' then?

Keep throwing new parts at it and 'something' 'hopefully' has to fix it before you go bankrupt eh?

A quick tap with a hammer on a starter can diagnose a stuck or worn out brush and/or a bad solenoid according to what 'clicks' or what symptoms change if any.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Damn right, it's a valuable diagnostic tool.

What about us poor deaf buggers??????