17 replies to this topic

[matthews1892]

Mini Thirty:
1989:
Hi everyone this is my first topic on this forum, basicly i picked up my first mini yesterday, the seller drove it to my house and i started it first thing this morning, me being stupid left the lights on dim all day untill this evening, now when i go to start the car i get nothing at all, no tick/click/noise no lights work nor does the horn. Now i know this is basic dead battery but i had it connected with jump leads for around 15mins straight to my partners C2 and still i get nothing at all, not even the hazard lights, the only flicker of life i get is the brake fluid switch test. the car is factory and not a single thing changed, but please bear in mind i am new to the world of minis so may need a bit more explanation then others.

Thanks all

Anthony

[Cater_Racer]

Put the jump leads on and start the GF's car up and let it run for about 5 mins. Then test that when you switch on the Mini the ignition light comes on DON'T TRY TO START IT YET.

Make sure everything else is switched off heater fan light radio etc.

Then if the ignition light is bright, get the GF to rev her car up to about 3000 RPM and you start the Mini.

[matthews1892]

Put the jump leads on and start the GF's car up and let it run for about 5 mins. Then test that when you switch on the Mini the ignition light comes on DON'T TRY TO START IT YET.

Make sure everything else is switched off heater fan light radio etc.

Then if the ignition light is bright, get the GF to rev her car up to about 3000 RPM and you start the Mini.

Still nothing the ignition light is on (im not sure if its bright because im unsure of what bright for this light is)

when i turn the key i still get nothing at all no sound at all

p.s i forgot to mention that its an auto so no bump starting

[DAD10]

Is it in neutral(won't start if it isn't)

[stickycreambun]

If the battery is totally wiped out then you may need to charge it properly. Do you have a voltmeter?

[matthews1892]

still nothing after having it jump started for nearly 45mins, i am now borrowing a charger and seeing how it goes, its showing 50% when i first switch it on? would this be a problem since i know its dead?

and no i dont have a voltmeter unfortuantly

[Gulfclubby]

If I were you, I'd just remove the old battery and try with your GFs battery instead. Obviously that one is fine, so if the car does not start with this battery, then you may in fact have a different problem. Make sure it's not a user mistake first, though.

[dklawson]

IF your car's battery is totally flat and IF your jumper cables are light duty, they will not carry sufficient current to jump start the car.

Check the fluid level in your car's battery and top the cells up with water if necessary. Tap the terminals of the battery (lightly) with a hammer to dislodge heavy sulfate deposits on the internal plates. Then charge the battery on "high" while you babysit the process. Monitor the current gauge and give the battery about 2 hours of high-current charging. Then try to start your Mini.

Failing that, try Gulfclubby's suggestion of using another battery after completely removing the suspect one from your car.

[matthews1892]

thanks for the help, its now charging hopefully, although after 3 hours it still says 50% the battery charger only has one setting, the mrs is at work at the moment so no testing her battery tonight, will just hope this charger does the job it says on the back not to charge for more then 8hrs so im guessing its a high voltage one. will leave it another hour and see what happens.

[matthews1892]

Just to confuse matters and myself even more, i just put the battery into the car and now i am not getting an ignition light nor the brake fluid switch light... i dont understand how putting it on charge has now drained it further im seriously confused or the car feels that

[dklawson]

The warning on the charger echos what I was concerned about. When a battery is drawing a lot of current during recharging it can get hot and the electrolyte in the cells can boil. Keep an eye on the charging process and do not leave it charging over night since the charger does not have a low power setting.

If you do not see a drop off in charging soon, you may want to take the battery to a shop and see what they say about its condition. It could just be that the battery has reached the end of its life and will no longer take a charge.

[4my]

Just had the same problem this morning...

Turns out the starter motor was stuck. Try banging the starter motor! I had the exact same symptoms

just a suggestion

[Mini Cheddars]

If you do not see a drop off in charging soon, you may want to take the battery to a shop and see what they say about its condition.

Good point.

Halfords charged my battery for free and got it back to 99%. Lavely jabbly.

[matthews1892]

If you do not see a drop off in charging soon, you may want to take the battery to a shop and see what they say about its condition.

Good point.

Halfords charged my battery for free and got it back to 99%. Lavely jabbly.

Okay so i went down to halfords with it and within a matter of seconds the guy behind the counter said its dead and will be £113.99 for a new one so he wrote the code down as HCB075 Not sure if he was possitive as the battery had seen better days, could anyone confirm this is the battery i need?

again its a 1989 Mini Thirty Auto thanks all

[Cater_Racer]

If you do not see a drop off in charging soon, you may want to take the battery to a shop and see what they say about its condition.

Good point.

Halfords charged my battery for free and got it back to 99%. Lavely jabbly.

Okay so i went down to halfords with it and within a matter of seconds the guy behind the counter said its dead and will be £113.99 for a new one so he wrote the code down as HCB075 Not sure if he was possitive as the battery had seen better days, could anyone confirm this is the battery i need?

again its a 1989 Mini Thirty Auto thanks all

DON'T DO IT!!! www.tanya.co.uk supply batteries overnite at 40% the cost. Measure the dimensions and take a note of the posts, then look them up on the web. arrives fully charged the next day.

http://www.tayna.co....5CCA-P8396.html

Edited by Cater_Racer, 22 June 2011 - 12:11 PM.