[Grenaa]

Hey guys,
New guy on the block with a 99' 1,6 patrol.
Out of nowhere the car won't start and makes a clicking sound, and flashes with all of the dash and light.
Do any of you guys have any idea what could have happened? My initial thought was something to do with my new stereo but i have started twice since I installed the stereo and when I push the car to start, it works perfect but with battery indicator on?

Please help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBe08HVe1_o

 

[felixthecat]

Welcome to FF. Sounds like you need to check the condition of your battery & the connections. No power to the starter.

 

[Grenaa]

My fellow danes says kind of the same thing, but i tried with jumper cables from my brother car and the problem is still the same.
But i have the starter under suspicion because I have pretty much ruled out all the things i can come up with and i think the response from the car seem pretty heavy?

 

[freemind]

Test the battery voltage with a multimeter. My guess is that it is of very low voltage.

 

[Grenaa]

It showed me a 12,2V when i put it to the test, and when we tried with cabels from my brothers car, the same thing happened. I am starting to think something happed to the connection to the starter. The last road i drove before the issue was a bumpy field road?

 

[sailor]

Moved to General Tech Chat.

12.2 is actually discharged a fair amount to start with. The critical number is what it goes to while cranking, should stay above 9.6 V.

Jumpers can assist, but if the main battery is not helping (or even draining) they won't do it all.

 

[freemind]

That is a very good guess and idea. Our cars do not have the best designed battery cables.

A battery at 12.2 is 60% discharged. You will need to put it on a proper charger and charge it up to 12.7v which is 100% Then have the battery Load Tested to make sure that it is still good.

Post results

 

[Paul1958]

It showed me a 12,2V when i put it to the test, and when we tried with cabels from my brothers car, the same thing happened. I am starting to think something happed to the connection to the starter. The last road i drove before the issue was a bumpy field road?

12.2V is a basically a DEAD battery. Full charge voltage should be 12.6V.


12.5 = 85% charged
12.4 = 65%
12.3 = 50%
12.2 = 35%
12.1 = drained

Good luck
Paul

 

[freemind]

Dang it Roger and your fast typing.........

 

[Grenaa]

I had no idea that it was a clear sign of a dead battery!
I have today purchased a new battery and the problem is completely gone! Why it did'nt work with jumper cables is beyond me but I am happy to be driving again. The battery i had was the original from 1999 so i guess it have done its service.

 

[polygon]

Modern cars don't like being jump started due to transient currents which can damage the electronics. Now that it's all hooked up, you should also check the charging system - 14.5V or thereabouts should be your target.

And just be thankful this didn't happen to you

http://jalopnik.com/5854450/this-is-what-happens-when-jump-starting-your-car-goes-very-wrong/

 

[sailor]

It takes a VERY good set of jumper cables to have a chance of getting one going with just the cables, and in some cases the bad battery still attached makes it even less likely to work.

Plus, starting with just cables is hazardous to the electrical system - if it detached while running serious damage can result.

Bottom line, a jump will only help if the current battery is in GOOD condition & just discharged to the point where it can't start the car by itself.

 

[freemind]

Glad it is going better now. It's good advice to check the voltage at the battery with the car running.

Again, post results

 

[Grenaa]

I did post results The new battery was the totalt solution, and my trust in jumper cables are at a all-time low

 

[polygon]

freemind is referring to the output of your charging system. It is essential that you check the health of your alternator and the state of the wiring harness as you can end up in a similar situation pretty soon. I think your model supports the self-test mode too, which will show you the charging voltage on the instrument panel. There's a good thread here that you can follow -

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2641

Jump leads have their uses but on vehicles equipped with an array of electronics, its best to limit their use only to charging the dead battery (disconnect from car first) until it has enough power to start the engine. Thin and long leads have too much resistance for the instant high current demands needed during cranking. The upshot here is that using the wrong leads for jump starting are probably the reason why your car's electrics weren't damaged.