Car Won't Start, Any Ideas?

[Negative Creep]

It's been one of those weeks!My Golf was always a bit slow to turn over but fired up every time. However the other night I got in and nothing. The engine won't turn at all and the starter doesn't even click. What's more, every time you turn they key into the 'start' position, the dash lights go out, the clock resets and the warning lights no longer come on! Everything else electrical works fine however.I've had it to my local garage but they cannot work out the fault. The battery is new, there is power coming from the ignition switch and to the starter. Did try a bump start and the engine turned over very slowly, but I ran out of road so couldn't try it again.The MOT has run out now as well but can't get that done until it actually starts. The alternator has broken on the Datsun, it was supposed to be here Monday but still hasn't turned up. No one has bothered chasing it up and I now need the Golf recovered. Tried asking a few people by text but of course no one bothers replying so looks like I'll need to pay to get my car recovered to my house or an auto electrician. God knows how much this will end up costing. Without a working car I can't do my job so am also losing money!Bloody cars!

[aled]

sounds like a bad earth,i had the same symptoms on a fiat the other day and it was the earth cable on the gearbox.

[Richard]

Sounds like a bad earth to me. Try a jump lead between the battery negative terminal and the starter body, or the engine if you can't easily get to the starter.

[Minimad5]

As already suggested try the Jump lead onto the engine method, but if that doesnt work try using another battery. Altho' its new doesnt mean it is 100% fit and healthyHope You get it sorted

[hotford00]

Had exactly the same last week on the volcane, that also turned out to be a bad earth. Had to fire it up using a slave battery and jump leads bypassing the original cables, when I got it home and had time to play I removed the earth cable from the gearbox and cleaned it up and the 2 body earths and bingo working car again.Strange thing was they wern't particulaly dirty or loose.If I wasn;t miles away I'd gladly of recovered you, good luck and I hope this helps.

[FredTransit]

I agree with the bad earth theory. I know you are gonna hate me, but think about getting RAC or AA cover. intro deals are cheap, and I can't remember when I a year has gone by without my using them.

[Pete-M]

I agree with the bad earth theory. I know you are gonna hate me, but think about getting RAC or AA cover. intro deals are cheap, and I can't remember when I a year has gone by without my using them.

^^^^^^^^^^^^WOT E SAID^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Volksy]

^^^ yup ^^^^or you have left the glovebox/boot/bonnet open.. i.e. light on/open.I did it last week with the ovlov

[Richard]

I agree with the bad earth theory. I know you are gonna hate me, but think about getting RAC or AA cover. intro deals are cheap, and I can't remember when I a year has gone by without my using them.

Check the small print though, it seems the RAC will charge you for recovery if you break down more than 6" from your front door.

[Cavcraft]

/\News to me but may depend on cover level. I've had them out a few times including very recently and never been charged for recovery. They are better than the AA because they (RAC) will take you all the way back in one hit (or their contractors will) whereas the AA used to relay you back. If anyone has ever expereinced being relayed you'll probably know what an utter pita it is.When I had the RAC out to my van recently he fixed it at side of road and even followed me home to make sure it made it back. Top bloke and credit to his company but that's pretty much always been my experience with the RAC.

[Negative Creep]

I do actually have RAC but only have one call out left so don't want to use it up! The garage is about a minute's walk from my house but to get the car back would involve pushing uphill which I certainly can't do by myself. All the raods nearby are permit parking in a different zone so can't even move it away from the garage! Am just trying to find a mobile electrician now, I can't do anything if the car isn't at mine.Rung up to chase the Datsun alternator as well. Apparently the factors rang the shop on Monday to say there would be a delivery surcharge. The person in the shop, without asking me told them "not to worry about it then" so cancelled the order! Suffice to say I am not very happy at all

[FredTransit]

Here's a couple of tips. Sign up at another address, it does not have to be your home address as long as you can remember it! This avoids having to pay for home start.If you are getting near your call out limit, sign up to either the other service (AA if you are in the RAC or the reverse) or sign up again at another address. This is ALWAYS cheaper than paying for a recovery! It's cheaper than paying for the 'supplementary' call out even.

[Richard]

/\News to me but may depend on cover level.

I believe Pandamonium was charged £200 to recover his Avenger because it was more than 10 miles from his house. It's news to me too but it's definitely something to check.

[retrogeezer]

Blimey, never heard of that kind of thing with the AA. I have relay/homestart and although I haven't used them for a while, the AA have always been good.

[FredTransit]

Hmmm, the AA incensed me two days ago when they wouldn't fit a brand new starter motor to a 2.5L DI transit at the side of the road. Had to get the van recovered all the way to me mate and mechanic in Sutton, from Covent gdn and we live in West London! Idle fukwits!

[Milford Cubicle]

I thought they were just supposed to get you going using tools and minor parts, not replace major parts at the roadside.When ever I've used the RAC or AA I've found the guys really helpful and knowledgeable.

[FredTransit]

A starter motor is not a major part, on a transit it's 3 bolts and an electrical connection. On a Mk2 you can virtually get in the engine bay next to the engine. It's not a take-the-van-apart-to-fit-it kind of affair.

[shite_meister]

Hmmm, the AA incensed me two days ago when they wouldn't fit a brand new starter motor to a 2.5L DI transit at the side of the road. Had to get the van recovered all the way to me mate and mechanic in Sutton, from Covent gdn and we live in West London! Idle fukwits!

Did you have a new starter on you?

[FredTransit]

Yep, went out and bought it specially whilst they were on the way.

[shite_meister]

Then they might have thought that you knew that it needed a starter but was too tight to pay for it to be fitted at a garage, most breakdown services state in the tiny print that your vehicle should be maintained to a basic standard so I expect that the patrol guy either wrongly assumed that or he couldn't be arsed so refused to fit it knowing that he could just tell his superiors that it appeared that it wasn't maintained and you even had a starter etc etc for the same outcome i.e he doesn't have to try anything.If yours was only three bolts and a connection couldn't you have given it a go?I have to say that the few times I've needed to call them out they were ok, one even got a noid light out and started testing the injectors. I haven't had to use them for about ten years so whether the quality of service has fallen since the Centrica buy-out I don't know.

[Guest]

the quality of service has fallen since the Centrica buy-out

Actually I found the AA to be pretty good under Centrica, it went down the tubes since it got sold on to some private equity outfit and I finally lost patience after a blow-out on the A1M two years ago when they refused to recover me due to the spare also being punctured - admittedly I had noticed this when I bought the car a few weeks earlier and it was daft of me not to sort it out before a longish trip (sods law) but do the AA maintain this stance in the cases of modern motors that dont have a spare like BINI convertibles? Decided to give the RAC my business instead, though not had to call them out yet (with a 25 year old XR2 its only a matter of time)

[dollywobbler]

I had one fit an alternator to my 2CV. I had a spare and the fitted one seized. I had no tools with me at all, so couldn't do it myself. I did have to talk him through the procedure - it involves having to remove the engine fan - but we got there in the end!

[FredTransit]

My main problem was although it is the proper starter, the van had the old huge big one (which TBH I struggle with, it's about 10lb) and the new one is the piddly one that looks like it's for a fez, and I know will only last three months on a DI (will get the big 3 year old starter reconned, they don't sell them any more). It is slightly, but obviously not vastly different, and I thought it would be better to leave it to somebody who knows what they are doing, which is obviously not the AA patrolman. They are very hit and miss, some won't even change a wheel, others will take off panels and fabricate stuff to get you going. For the record, the patrolman didn't even see the new starter, the controller said he had told them it was too big a job to do by the side of the road. To add insult to injury I found a break in the stop solenoid wire, which the patrol obviously couldn't be bothered with, and I am not good with electrics.

[Negative Creep]

Sounds like a bad earth to me. Try a jump lead between the battery negative terminal and the starter body, or the engine if you can't easily get to the starter.

To bring this back up, mechanic had a quick look but said he could be there all day and it would cost me big. So we towed it back with my mate's 300ZX late last night. Before I rung an auto electrician I tried this and Robert's your mother's brother, it started first time! So I ran a couple of new earth and redid the existing ones so it now starts fine. Just the small matter of an MOT then I can sell it to buy some more economical shite. Mechanics eh, who needs 'em?**me actually, I'm not redoing the rear brakes myself