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battery, alternator and starter working good? car struggles to start
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jamie987
New User
Oct 14, 2016, 9:13 AM
Post #1 of 4
(1280 views)
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battery, alternator and starter working good? car struggles to start
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Okay i have a 2009 manual 1.2L vauxhall corsa.
2 days ago i left a light on and the battery ran dead and so the car failed to start, it was successfully jump started and ran fine for 1 day, then the next morning it cranked a little longer than normal before starting (1 or 2 seconds) and a strange ticking noise only heard from inside the car was heard, it seemed as if it was coming from behind the engine gauges, also when i cranked it the gauge lights went out and flickered on and off until the car was cranked, then the next morning the car was dead again, cranking extremely slowly and not starting, so again i got it jumped started.
i took it to a mechanics who tested the battery, starter and alternator and they said all where fine, they said the battery had 80% life in it and they charged it up to 100% just to be sure, also they said it was running at 12v or something like that. however im still having this problem and im almost certain the car will be dead again if i leave it a few hours.
any ideas on what this could be?? Thanks.
(This post was edited by jamie987 on Oct 14, 2016, 9:13 AM)
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 14, 2016, 9:29 AM
Post #2 of 4
(1264 views)
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Re: battery, alternator and starter working good? car struggles to start
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It all matters - Battery about can't be 80% if dead enough that harmed it maybe beyond recovery. Could test OK for a while then not. Connections - both at battery and other ends of each cable must be clean and right on any.
If it takes a jump that's telling that likely the cable connections at battery aren't so good or battery really isn't up to par anymore.
Takes a real load test to know. Cranking an engine is the most load a battery has to do and since it struggles it's power isn't there or getting to starter. Check age of battery. Lead-Acid automotive batteries at over say 2-3 years old and stressed like this are more subject to failures and not recover. Lots more than that it owes you nothing already anyway IMO,
T
T
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 14, 2016, 10:17 AM
Post #4 of 4
(1253 views)
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Re: battery, alternator and starter working good? car struggles to start
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YES. A battery can test good and not have the available power = AMPs needed. Since it works with a jump start that's adding the amps it lacks either battery itself or with U-bolt battery connections your battery can't deliver to the U-bolt outside as jumper cables do.
Said I thought - the real load test in while in the car actually turning the engine by the starter motor. It can be "load" tested out of car or without cables on it while in and also tested for an AMP drop between posts and the connecting U-bolts.
The caliber of these items - connection metal and gauge of wire is at a bare minimum to do the job when new. Those "U-Bolts" are sometimes just a zinc coating on rather cheap metal IMO and don't always do well unless routinely cleaned and lubed with corrosion proof grease.
Think of a "car" battery as a bouncing ball. It never bounces back as high (power available - AMPS) with each use and by time passed but so close you get years out of good ones. You harm the lead plates running low and by fast charging. The older the more likely.
It's need to be charged with a charger not the car and load tested. You said mechanic stated was 80% but of what? How did that info come along I/we don't know but again since it works with a jump low power/AMP delivery is clearly the up front problem now,
T
PS: They don't sell this car to the US that I know of but doesn't matter. Your complaint and how this works and types of failure is mostly universal.....
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