Passat shite

[Bren]

I have been using a slave battery and booster pack to start my SD1 - the battery was from a fiesta zetec and not man enough to start a hi compression V8.

 

The other evening the starter made a staccato sound - either battery/starter/solenoid was at fault. Tonight I took the battery from my A6 and tried it. It is an 800A item - too big for the tray so it connected it via jump leads - engine turned over nicely. I then fitted the slave battery( past its best) and connected to the audi battery with jump leads. Engine turned over fast but then I got the staccato sound again. I didnt fadten the terminals on the battery - I just pushed them on.

 

Is the slave battery at fault or is it starter? Ideas?

[cobblers]

What are your jump leads like? How long/whats the wire diameter? The ones you can buy nowadays are mostly no good at all.

 

A little fiesta battery will start a v8 if it's any good. Repeated clicking noise is usually low voltage problem, not the starter.

[Bren]

They are quality leads and will start a big diesel engine.

[tommotech]

The only way to know is to do a voltage drop test across the whole starter circuit, including the earth path / bond.

 

https://www.freeasestudyguides.com/voltage-drop-test.html

 

This link seems to explain it quite well. You must test with current flowing though.

[Bren]

Wife was driving vectra down to caravan - low coolant level light illuminated on A548.

 

She topped it up next morning - it needed a small pyrex jug full of water to bring it too the normal level.

 

Car runs about 80-85 degrees with no boiling over. When she came home I checked level - bottle was practically empty until I slackened cap and bottle filled itself up again. Very odd.

 

I had noticed a slight drip earlier in the year under the car - and it was a drip.

 

A somewhat perplexed owner.

[cobblers]

If it filled itself back up then you've got to have a pocket of air somewhere. Have you been fiddling with owt or has it done this on it's own accord?

[Bren]

It's own accord.

[SiC]

With all these separate threads I'm loosing track of which car has which problem...

 

Is this the Vectra?

[Bren]

What else? Wife thinks she may not have put cap back properly.

[cort16]

My wife’s leon is doing exactly this and I’m currently trying to ignore it . I’m going to get it pressure tested as there’s no obvious place the water is coming out .

[tommotech]

Did you solve the starter / battery / wiring problem out?

[The Moog]

I have combined threads so we have everything in one place.

 

Helps keep track of events and the place tidy.

[Bren]

Very funny.

 

A true testament to the amount of shit I own.

[SiC]

What else? Wife thinks she may not have put cap back properly.

Your A6? Or maybe you got the SD1 working?

 

I'd get it pressure tested. Coolant tanks leaking on these are a known thing. Along with the water pump too. Also HGF, but doesn't sound like that.

[Bren]

Had car running for forty minutes with no pressure cap. Plenty of coolant returning - no overflowing or bubbles.

 

I will try a new cap first. It's the cheap option. HGF, water pump and egr cooler are all huge jobs.

[Twiggy]

Could it be an old soft hose ballooning under pressure ?

[wuvvum]

Hmm.  An Isuzu 3.0 V6 diesel with coolant issues.

 

*Grabs popcorn*

[Bren]

Hmm.  An Isuzu 3.0 V6 diesel with coolant issues.

 

*Grabs popcorn*

The saab is normally the one with big issues - but the vectra does'nt escape Scot free.

 

A new cap was £17 from lookers - I'll pick it up tomorrow. My conundrum is car is having MOT Thursday - I guess i'll put it in and ask tester to look for coolant while it is up in the air.

[Bren]

Took the vectra for a run - some of it motorway.

 

No coolant loss and steady 80-85 degrees.

 

When I got home I popped bonnet and could smell anti freeze. Coolant on outside of tank and some residue on the pipework.

 

I wonder if tank has failed as it is a common fault - the car is already on a replacement.

[sierraman]

Steel Seal and half hour on Gumtree writing a load of lies about how it’s never given you a moments trouble. That’s what I’d do.

[Bren]

I cleaned outside of tank and sprinkled flour around the join - I found coolant on the outside in the seam. I will check again tomorrow.

[Bren]

Many on here had a battery that has gone kaput after just a couple of years?

 

I posted (bored everyone) with a thread about the warning lights on my A6 - esp/handbrake malfunction.

 

Last night I had more idiot lights in relation to the brakes - I noticed as well how cold it was. Car started normally.

 

Gone out to car today - voltage was 12.25 volts without engine running and the boot light on. Seems low to me. The battery indicator was green but I have had knackered batteries show green before.

[cobblers]

If it's 12.25 while running then it's a charging problem not a battery problem

Ignore me!

[Timewaster]

If it's 12.25 while running then it's a charging problem not a battery problem

Very true.

 

But the post says without.

 

Modern batteries do just seem to keel over and die with little warning.

[kinkersaab]

is it a Yuasa battery? if so i have had packets of fags that have lasted longer. They really do sem to be shite.

[Bren]

Unipart samson 18 months old.

[omegod]

Unhelpful top tip but when I get a new battery I wrap the old receipt in plastic and gaffer tape it to the battery, helps with the, shit is this still guaranteed/where is the receipt, shenanigans 

[Squire_Dawson]

Unipart samson 18 months old.

 

Don't these have a 'lifetime' guarantee whereby a failed battery is replaced free of charge?

[MikeR]

I think modern electrical systems on cars expect a lot of a shite full of lead and acid in a box , crap charging circuit , poor temp control , abnormal loads , long standing periods , vibration and shaking ,   and as they get a bit older and the internal resistance goes up , so do the problems .     I presently have 3 batteries , one under the bench ( suspect ? ) , one in the boot of the car with jump leads and the one for the car !!!!!!!

 

ps , my battery sits at about 12,2 to 12,5 when stood , I have one of those little crappy meters that plugs in the ciggie socket and I can watch the "intelligent" charge voltage change between 13,2 to 14.8 as I drive along , far more interesting than a mobile !!

[Bren]

I am relieved that our vectra has departed - £300 per year vel, sub 30 mpg, expensive parts and a 'mare to work on.

 

We escaped relatively unscathed - I know of people who spent over £1k on engine repairs for this engine only for itto crap itself big time.

 

My mojo,however,has gone. I no longer have any enthusiasm for cars and the thought of going looking for another cheap car is not appealing.

 

Some of this is down to my asthma - I cannot spend time outside in the cold anymore is this cold spell is affecting my ability to breathe so working on one in these low temps is a thing of the past.

 

Dont seem to be many looked after old cars - lots advertised because they are dying or because expenditure is on the horizon. Fair enough but you cant expect to get top dollar - many vendors do think their cars are still worth £££ even though the car is in limp mode or has a rattling clutch.

 

I love cars - I really do - and I never thought I would lose my enthusiasm. But I am doing - it's getting too expensive to be fun.