My Cars Dead or nearly dead :-)

Napster

Napster

And the Wide Green Bug
As you can tell from the title my micra has a problem :-( the car started fine yesterday morning and got to college fine and parked up. the car had been parked up for about 7hours with it being started or moved. after college i went to it. did the usual, put key in ignition and turned "two clicks" the four lights are displayed on my "instrument panel (battery, air bag light etc)" when the airbag light goes off i then usualy start the car. so the light went off. i turned the key to start the car, but NOTHING HAPPENED except all lights faded on the display. the car didnt even tick over :-( the car was left over night at college and i only live a mile away from so not to bad. i couldnt do anything about it yesterday cause i was working till late and it was rainning so i left it till this morning.
my mate and i got it started with jump leads and so i drove it back home about 30 minutes ago.
i got home fine, parked up and thought ill try the car again:
"however the same is happening. the car isnt starting and all the lights failing"
i have power to headunit and lights etc, but thats expected though isnt it even if i have got a flat battery?

is this a "battery problem" or an "alternator problem" or something else?

thanks
napster
 
Could be not enough power to the alt. i had this problem with my missus micra and after replacing the battery all is fine.

However if it's anewish battery, i'd check the alt to make sure it's charging it.
 
its not a new battery and im sure i could do with a new one, but ill give the battery a charge later when im home again.
how do i go about checking that the alt is charging???

napster
 
i had this problem and found that the clip that holds the negative terminal on to the battery had a crack in it, so it was loose but there was a good enough contact to work the lights etc but not the starter motor... check and see if the terminals on the battery are loose or if there are cracks in them...

i changed the wires and the terminals so i would have a really goood power supply...
 
cheers for that. ill have a look.
it just seems weird that it started fine yesterday and 7hours later it wouldnt even tick over? and now its still not working?
even though i drove it home, how come it hasnt charged the battery (or its seemed not to charge it)??
is that still a loose negative connection or an alt problem?

thanks
 
Napster said:
its not a new battery and im sure i could do with a new one, but ill give the battery a charge later when im home again.
how do i go about checking that the alt is charging???

napster
Click to expand...

Get a multimeter, and with the engine started(!) measue the voltage across the the two battery terminals. It should read around 14 volts or so, at least over 12 volts anyway.

To check if the battery is dead, get a multimeter again and check the battery as above and you should have a reading of around 12volts - this is with engine off so you can at least do this test! If you dont have a multimeter, get one (!), or turn on the lights and see if they are dim.

Do you have an immobiliser that hasn't disengaged? Maybe try with a spare key.

Could the starter be sticking? Give the solenoid part - the smaller of the two cylinders of the starter motor - a tap with a hammer. I said tap not whack! :laugh: Then try to start the care. Hopefully thats loosened the starter a bit. If this is the case then start to save for a new starter motor. It may not happen again for ages, but eventually it will do it and not free up.

And any hoo, what you doing driving to college when you live a mile away!! Lazy ###### :laugh:
 
cheers maddave for the explination!! ill print it off so i can do EVERYTHING EXACTLY lol :)

i did walk to college everyday before i got the car, (i know this will sound SAD and SILLY :) ) but i love showing it off in college. even if it was DEAD in the carpark lol.

i had the immobiliser disconnected cause one day it LOCKED UP and couldnt get the car started :-( it cant be this though cause we got it started an hour ago with jump leads??

thanks.

p.s. i might start walking to college again lol thats if car doesnt start and being fixed in a garage

napster
 
Napster said:
cheers for that. ill have a look.
it just seems weird that it started fine yesterday and 7hours later it wouldnt even tick over? and now its still not working?
even though i drove it home, how come it hasnt charged the battery (or its seemed not to charge it)??
is that still a loose negative connection or an alt problem?

thanks
Click to expand...

sounds exactly the same problem :) i drove my car to work fine but when i went to go home it wouldn't start. the car could drive with the cracked negative terminal, it just couldn't start so i wedged a paperclip in there so i could get it to halfords :)

still check the voltage of the battery, check for acid leaks and that all the cells are at the top...
 
alright cheers. ill have a poper look later when im home.

if both positive and negative terminals are FINE then that leaves the "battery to be low or dead or the alt"??
would it be worth charging the battery or not worth it? just to see if its the battery?
if i get a BRAND NEW BATTERY and the problem is the alt, will the car still start (cause it has a lot of power) but then not start in a few days / weeks / hours if the alt isnt charging it??

sorry for being confusing, but best to know all solutions now why all of you KNOWLEDGABLE PEOPLE ARE HERE REPLYING :)

thanks again
naps
 
you can test the battery, if the battery is flat then it still could be either the alt or the battery itself. get the car started and see if the battery voltage changes, if it does then its the battery and if it doesn't then its the alt,

:)
 
thanks NEX, but a little confused.

so i get the "multimeter" and test the voltage with the car off??
then get the car started and test the voltage again?

or
get the car started and test the voltage and if it "flickers on the screen" different voltages then its battery? but i thought it should change voltages??

there i was confusing you and now im confused :glance: sorry
 
If the battery is fine, it will charge and you will be able to start the car normally. I would get a multimeter as it will help to show you what is happening and eliminate any areas quickly. They really are valuable tools.

If the alternator is bad then, with a full battery, the car will start and you will be able to go for a drive. But, the battery will be the only thing powering the spark plugs, the radio, the lights etc and you will probably fine you will get a few miles and soon you will be by the side of the road!

I have to say since you jump started the car and it drove home ok, this would mean that its the battery. When you jump started the car, the battery would most likly be dead. If the alternator wasn't charging then this means you would have had no power from the alt, or the battery to power the car and it wouldn't have got home. So it looks like to me you just need a new battery. If the battery is quite old then it may be just not holding charge. You can usually see this with - yep! - a multimeter. With the engine off and the battery charged up, connect the meter to the two battery terminals and you can sometimes ee the volts dropping. However, I would be tempted, before you get a new battery, to go for a long drive. If you have only been doing mile long trips for a while then the battery may not have a had a good charge for a while. Go and give it a good blast down the roads for 40 minutes or so and the check the battery with the multimeter you just bought!

Hope that helps.

Ps I dont work for a multimeter company or nothing!! :laugh:

Edit, sorry slow at writing outs posts:

Just to add to Nexs post:, yes connect the multimeter to the batter with the engine off to see if the battery has any charge to it. It should show 12 ish volts. Then start the car and do the same. If the alternator is good then the voltage will be 14 volts ish as the alt charges the battery.
 
maddave you made me laugh throughout that post :)

are you sure you dont work for a "mulitmeter company lol"

thanks again for the GREAT EXPLINATION. helps alot for someone like me who dont have a clue except that i know the car doesnt start :) !!!!!

will go to the nearest DIY shop (do they sell them)i think and buy a multimeter lol. i might even see you their giving DEMONSATRATIONS??? :)

i have been doing long journeys, but would make sense if i left the car for 7hours and the battery was low?

thanks
naps
 
I recommend buying at "Maddaves multimeter market" but thats just an unbiased opinon :laugh:

Yep, diy shops should sell them. I got mine in my local pound shop of all places. Only cost £8 but has all the features you need. Halfords, B&Q etc all sell em. When you get it you want to set it to the DC (Direct current section), and turn it to 20. You will see when you get it.

If you have been doing long journeys then I would put money on it being the battery. But let us know how you get on.
 
haahaa :)
ill go to HOMEBASE or sumtin and have alook. ill ask at the SERVICE DESK for "maddaves multimeters" lol and see if they can point me in the right aisle :) only joking cause if i do they will look at me as if im MISSING A FEW CELLS lol.

will let ya know how i get on. i hope it is the battery cause thats less exspensive and easier to replace than the alternator.

when i got home earlier and turned the car off, when i went to start it again it had more power than it did 10minutes before when i tryed it?? but still not enough power to actuall start it.

cheers bud
naps
 
If the alternator was not charging then the battery light would be lit when driving. The light comes on if more power is being used than the alternator can supply. I take it the light was not on from what you've said.

As above i'd check all the connections to the battery, earth, alternator and starter.
I suspect it's the battery though if you just do short runs and it started with jump leads.
 
i thank you for all your help!!!
maddave: havent had chance to visit "Maddaves multimeter market" lol but cheers for telling me i need one of those devices.

for everyone who wanted to be informed on the car, well:
"i went home and tryed the car again. nothing happened like usual. my mate came with me in his car and we jump started it again. i drove it to my local ATS CENTER and as i write this, they are CAHRGING it cause they did a battery test with a "maddave multimeter :) (sorry had to put that in)" and it showed that it was DEAD!! red light came up or something, but they said they would charge it (for free) just to see if it was giving off a WRONG READING or something???
will pick it up about 5:00 so hopefully ill be driving it home with no problems.

i also went to halfords and a battery for my car costs "42.99" :-(

cheers
napster
 
Napster said:
i thank you for all your help!!!
maddave: havent had chance to visit "Maddaves multimeter market" lol but cheers for telling me i need one of those devices.

for everyone who wanted to be informed on the car, well:
"i went home and tryed the car again. nothing happened like usual. my mate came with me in his car and we jump started it again. i drove it to my local ATS CENTER and as i write this, they are CAHRGING it cause they did a battery test with a "maddave multimeter :) (sorry had to put that in)" and it showed that it was DEAD!! red light came up or something, but they said they would charge it (for free) just to see if it was giving off a WRONG READING or something???
will pick it up about 5:00 so hopefully ill be driving it home with no problems.

i also went to halfords and a battery for my car costs "42.99" :-(

cheers
napster
Click to expand...

:)Good stuff. Halfords are usually quite expensive so try your local motor factors for a battery that may be a few quid cheaper. Ats will probably try and sell you one if the charging wasn't too successful. Might be chaper to get one from them and have them fit it, although its very simple to do yourself.

Glad to hear its not the alternator.
 
cheers "maddave" you where the one with the LONG EXPLINATIONS lol that provide me with a little bit extra knowledge :)

you said try "local motor factors for a battery" but i have no idea if i have one of them near me?? is it a normal garage or something?
the guy at ATS already said that they dont have a battery for me if this one doesnt charge. so its Halfords at 5:01 lol

im glad its not the alternator :)

thanks
 
Napster said:
cheers "maddave" you where the one with the LONG EXPLINATIONS lol that provide me with a little bit extra knowledge :)

you said try "local motor factors for a battery" but i have no idea if i have one of them near me?? is it a normal garage or something?
the guy at ATS already said that they dont have a battery for me if this one doesnt charge. so its Halfords at 5:01 lol

im glad its not the alternator :)

thanks
Click to expand...

By local motor factors I mean anyone thats not halfords! An independent car parts shop. I like halfords when I need something but Im not sure what it is, like a tool for example, as its nice to browse and play with the boxes! But I find halfords usually are way over priced. I currently drive a Peugeot 405 and Im restoring a 1971 VW beetle, (my girlfriend has a Micra before you ask why Im on this forum! :D), and buy most of my parts from my local car parts shop or an aftermarket parts specialist like German, swedish and french car parts, for example. With these shops you get good quality parts and decent prices and usually some good knowledge to boot so you dont end up buying the wrong part at twice the price. I.e Halfords sell Bosch spark plugs for like £20 for four where as you can get them for £6 for four at a local parts shop. I have to say I dont know if there is a Nissan equivalent that sells parts like German and Swedish car parts do as Im pretty new to Micras, but any car parts shop will have a battery to fit and usually be a lot cheaper. My battery for my beetle was £45 from Halfords, but £35 in my local car parts shop!

Anyway, I am really digressing so I would say have a look on www.yell.com and do a search for car parts in your local area(select the vehicle accessories option if its ask). But if you cant be arsed with all the hassle it may just be best to go to Halfords. The batteries are good quality and they will replace them quibble free if they break within the 2/3 years warranty which is always a bonus.

Hope that helps. Right I must stop typing so much.
 
cheers mate. very much apprecitated! i dont matter if you dont drive a micra, but u still seem to have "mechanical knowledge" so thats great lol.

again, no worries for the long reply, its always good to add details so people (like me) understand :)

ill go see the car later on and ill let ya know about the battery situation

thanks again pard.
napster
 
well i went to ATS last nite to see how my battery was getting on and this is what happened:
arrived and the guy said "feel this" (before you think of anything rude it wasnt lol) but he meant "feel the battery" so i did. it was "warm as hell"?? he said it shouldnt be like that and that a "cell had died"??
he said try it in the car so i did. i attached all the terminals again and tryed satrting it. it nearly ticked over but died again. i tryed it again and reved it while it was starting. it just managed to get going.

i decided to drive it home then leave it there so i did. got home turned car off. thought ill try it again. THE CAR STARTED FINE????? however 2hours later when i was going to get a new battery. it was dead again. i got a lift to halfords where i bought a £43 battery :-( i know i could have got it cheaper from other garages but i just wanted to know whether or not it was the battery. also my car deserved it lol.

got it home fitted it in my drive, and the CAR STARTED FIRST TIME :) money well spent i say lol. as long as i had my micra back!!

this is something people might want to know:
"if sitting in traffic or at traffic lights and the car seems that it wants to STALL then its a battery problem. my car had been wanting to stall its self for a while now and even if i tryed to turn my lights on, you would hear it try and stall, but then the alternator kicks in (i think) to provide more power so it doesnt. when the new battery was fitted i turned on my lights and nothing happed (well lights came on) but i mean the car didnt try and stall "

maddave: looks like ive copied your style regarding LONG POSTS lol

cheers for everyone that helped.
still need to vist "maddaves multimeter market" lol :)

napster
 
have you still got the old battery because you can probably fix it buy topping it up with some electrolyte *spell (distilled water)
 

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