My g/f's 96 Celica, which normally starts first time every time, has been on my drive for about 4 weeks and not used. I came to fire it up to take it for it's MoT and it wont start. With jump leads connected from my car, when you turn the ignition key the engine doesn't turn over - there is just a whirring noise and nothing else. Presumably something has seized up - is there somewhere I can squirt some wd40 to encourage it to work again!?
Ian
It sounds like the starter is turning without engaging. A smack on the head might wake it up if you're lucky.
Steve
try recharging the battery , if the jump leads are too smaller section they cant carry the power over to turn the car over .
...and if you don't have a charger, leave the donor car running and connected for at least 15 minutes before you try starting the Celica.
Chris
or just take the battery off the other car , sometimes just as quick as buggering around
do you know where the starter is located on these cars?
I didn't know about jump leads not necessarily being able to carry enough power. I think whipping the batt off my main car sounds easiest - I've no radio codes to worry about on either car anyway!
Thanks Ian
Don't run it down then!
If you are going to tinker with older cars, consider getting a battery charger. Places like Lidl often have decent ones for a tenner.
Chris
Not off hand, but if you follow the thick wires from the battery, you'll find it.
Incidentally, I'm not convinced that a lack of volts/current as suggested by others is relevant in this instance. If it were a flat/dead battery, you would get either a clicking machine gun sound or the engine turning over, but slowly. What you've got is whirring, which makes me think it's a starter issue.
And just to remind you, the error most people make when jump-starting is to put the jump leads on and go for it straight away. This often causes melted jump leads and can also cause batteries to explode. Connect the jump leads, wait a few mins to allow the flat battery to absorb some charge, then try.
Steve
Its all down to the cable section , heavier the section the more power they can take ,
If the starter is just whirring then it could mean that enough power is getting through to turn the motor but not enough to engage the flywheel
This could be caused by loose connections knackered starter or just not enouh power , the only way he is likely to find out is put a decent battery on first , once thats eliminated then work his way down
It's a pre-engaged type starter, there's a clue in the name. When it's energised from the key, the teeth engage, then the armature turns. If the armature starts turning before engaging, that's a starter fault.
Steve
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