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Intermittent Starting, Sometimes Wont Turnover Then Power Dies.

electrical engine

Best Answer designermatt , 01 June 2017 - 11:14 AM

double check your engine earth strap, and clean up all contacting surfaces, and also the battery earth strap. Then I would even go as far to check continuity in these wires with a multimeter just for the sake of it.

 

Sounds like a wiring problem with the battery going flat

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#1 mattiejf

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Posted 01 June 2017 - 11:09 AM

Hi, could anyone suggest where I should start further diagnosis?

1997 Rover Mini 
 

Problem:

  • Sometimes car starts fine, sometimes it takes a few turnovers before the engine catches.
  • Other times the starter motor turns over and the engine wont start.
    • Then when i release the key & try again, all power dies. Nothing will turn on, no lights, not a kick out of the starter motor.
    • Then after a *while* (time depends) I seem to have power again & am able to re-try starting.

 

Checked:

  •  Battery.
    • So I ran the battery flat a few weeks ago (i left the lights on) (note problems were starting before this) & recharged it off of mains power so its now fully charged.
    • I have checked the battery voltage, seems fine (not flat battery, volts read correctly)
    • Sometimes try disconnecting the battery & reconnecting, sometimes works (though this may be circumstantial?)
  • Shorts
    • Started looking for cables touching places they shouldnt, couldnt find anything so far

Thanks,
Matt


Edited by mattiejf, 03 June 2017 - 05:36 PM.


#2 designermatt

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Posted 01 June 2017 - 11:14 AM   Best Answer

double check your engine earth strap, and clean up all contacting surfaces, and also the battery earth strap. Then I would even go as far to check continuity in these wires with a multimeter just for the sake of it.

 

Sounds like a wiring problem with the battery going flat



#3 mattiejf

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Posted 01 June 2017 - 12:04 PM

Thanks for the quick reply, just for my own sanity *this* is what im looking at right?

https://i.imgur.com/8EeFGAL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/QVSgMer.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Di61okB.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/saytBil.jpg



#4 cal844

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Posted 01 June 2017 - 12:31 PM

Yes the braided wire, it may be best to just make a new wire in a different location

#5 mattiejf

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Posted 01 June 2017 - 02:00 PM

Might look into replacing/getting an additional one. For the record, this did seem to provide immediate improvement though will keep listening in the next few days.

Thanks Cal!



#6 cal844

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Posted 01 June 2017 - 02:03 PM

Might look into replacing/getting an additional one. For the record, this did seem to provide immediate improvement though will keep listening in the next few days.
Thanks Cal!


No worries mate, I have an earth wire from a wok bolt to the inner wing

#7 Midge

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Posted 01 June 2017 - 04:52 PM

A quick way of checking if it is a earth problem is to get your jump leads and join them together to make one long one and connect 9ne end to your battery negative pole and the other end on a part of the engine( a bolt near the starter is good). If you no longer have problem when you do this either clean existing earth points or make new. Two other places I would check is the small loom down the steering column and it's connectors and the other is any fuses you can see remove fuse, clean the ends and the internal posts in the fuse carriers.





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