Lazy starter

Killiestu · Post by **Killiestu** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 10:44 am

Hi guys,
I'm having a bit of an issue with 3.0l coupe "06"
Has what seems to be a lazy starter motor, turn the key and there is a hesitation then it starts.
Today after a long drive I stopped for about 10mins tried to start it and it seemed really slow.
It did start and then has kept starting ok .
When driving I'm getting 14.5v and engine off I'm getting 11.5-12.2v
Any help much appreciated

biojo · Post by **biojo** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:00 am

on cold days i believe its the amps that drops and this would be the issue.

So old batteries which are already low the cold will just make them worse

Batteries have a CCA rating

I know when i got my car the starter motor was slow, and it was like it had no ooomf to start engine, replaced it with a bosch and its like a new car starting

jabber · Post by **jabber** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:07 am

Try giving the battery a good charge if it improves then its probably the battery on the way out

cj10jeeper · Post by **cj10jeeper** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:17 am

At 11.5 - 12.2v your battery is shot with just 10-50% charge in the range you quote. Charging circuit is good
Don't waste any more effort and just replace the battery

DMC63 · Post by **DMC63** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:18 am

Killiestu wrote:Hi guys,
I'm having a bit of an issue with 3.0l coupe "06"
Has what seems to be a lazy starter motor, turn the key and there is a hesitation then it starts.
Today after a long drive I stopped for about 10mins tried to start it and it seemed really slow.
It did start and then has kept starting ok .
When driving I'm getting 14.5v and engine off I'm getting 11.5-12.2v
Any help much appreciated

Is you battery holding charge ok?
The slow starter motor could be several things. So it's a process of elimination.
1. Flat or dying battery. Try to start with another battery or from a jump from another running car.
2. Corrosion affecting current flow. Make sure your connections are free of corrosion.
3. Dying starter motor. Sometimes an old one will grind for a bit until it finally dies out.

I'm sure there's a few more members that'll have more knowledge than myself and offer some other advice.

Good luck.

eyup · Post by **eyup** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:52 am

Killiestu wrote:Hi guys,
I'm having a bit of an issue with 3.0l coupe "06"
Has what seems to be a lazy starter motor, turn the key and there is a hesitation then it starts.
Today after a long drive I stopped for about 10mins tried to start it and it seemed really slow.
It did start and then has kept starting ok .
When driving I'm getting 14.5v and engine off I'm getting 11.5-12.2v
Any help much appreciated

I am having similar symptoms which have been exacerbated during the recent cold spell. I assumed a sign the battery was on the way. Car is same year. Out of interest, are you physically measuring the volts or is there a way the on board computer can report it?

Thank you

cj10jeeper · Post by **cj10jeeper** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 12:02 pm

There's no standard readout of voltage. You Need to use a meter on either the battery or under bonnet connectors

You can buy cheap (£3) led voltage displays on eBay that fit the central power point. Pretty good for general use when starting/driving to see what's happening but they need testing for accuracy

Killiestu · Post by **Killiestu** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 12:28 pm

I'm using a cheap plug in to the lighter socket voltage checker, it's probably not the most accurate but it's close enough.
When I start the car when it's plugged in to a charger it does start "slightly better" but not by much , now saying that the car sat for 10 days unused and started perfectly the other day no charger straight off the key !
I will be getting it checked out shortly and I'll update as soon as I can

Killiestu · Post by **Killiestu** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 12:35 pm

DMC a friend of mine also said to clean all the terminals so I'll get on to that cheers.
It was exactly this way when I bought it out the garage but I assumed it had been sitting for a bit so needed a good charge up.
I thought starter as it can start fine sometimes then slowly others.

cj10jeeper · Post by **cj10jeeper** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 1:27 pm

Killiestu wrote:I'm using a cheap plug in to the lighter socket voltage checker, it's probably not the most accurate but it's close enough.
When I start the car when it's plugged in to a charger it does start "slightly better" but not by much , now saying that the car sat for 10 days unused and started perfectly the other day no charger straight off the key !
I will be getting it checked out shortly and I'll update as soon as I can

Those plug voltage readers are fine most of the time, but of course meters are best. The readings you quote are exactly those of a dead battery as shown in the image below. You probably have one dead cell
Of course sometimes it will start on very low voltage, but in reality all the stuff about checking terminals and starter connections isn't really relevant in this case as you have quoted static and engine running voltages and you indicate with an external charging source it starts slightly better

Ducklakeview · Post by **Ducklakeview** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 1:48 pm

Killiestu wrote:DMC a friend of mine also said to clean all the terminals so I'll get on to that cheers.
It was exactly this way when I bought it out the garage but I assumed it had been sitting for a bit so needed a good charge up.
I thought starter as it can start fine sometimes then slowly others.

It will be the battery if your voltage readings are accurate. It was probably not helped by being stood without being on a maintenance charger.

Once a lead acid battery has been deeply discharged, aka as per your readings, they rarely, if ever recover, as they undergo internal changes. Your voltage when running indicates the alternator is fine, the battery is simply not holding it's charge.

If you want confirmation, put the meter on the battery immediately after you've been for a decent run, engine off and headlights on. I'll bet it drops like a stone within a couple of minutes to the levels you are seeing.

Mike

Killiestu · Post by **Killiestu** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:29 pm

Guys thanks
Jeeper that chart kind of nails it in 1 I'll be buying a new battery tomorrow, so is a nice simple unbolt and change over job or do I need to keep the voltage connected ?

cj10jeeper · Post by **cj10jeeper** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:37 pm

No need to worry about keeping voltage supplied on a change. Just have to reset the date and time and you'll lose the mpg readout.

Ducklakeview · Post by **Ducklakeview** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:41 pm

Killiestu wrote:Guys thanks
Jeeper that chart kind of nails it in 1 I'll be buying a new battery tomorrow, so is a nice simple unbolt and change over job or do I need to keep the voltage connected ?

Straight swap, just leave drivers door window down, just in case, as a precaution!

Remember the golden rules...

Disconnect -'ve first, reconnect it last.. The reason? So you don't inadvertently short your socket/spanner to earth which you could do if removing the +'ve first, or reconnecting it last. If you do, you'll end up with one hot spanner, burns and a possible fire as all that current flows through it..

Mike

Mr Tidy · Post by **Mr Tidy** » Sat Jan 14, 2017 8:55 pm

I hope you get it sorted OP.

Mine was just like you describe until it got a new battery a couple of weeks ago, and now the starter motor is turning much faster.

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