Ok, scoobs got a rather odd problem and wondered if anyone would have any ideas....?

Last friday went to start it in the morning and it was flat as a turd, managed to jump start it and then ran fine. Later that evening I swapping the battery as I suspected the first one was duff.

Car then stood for 2 days without being started... the next morning, after not being started for two days, it started fine. When leaving the office at the end of the day I noticed it was a bit slow to turn over, but did start (now starting to think the first battery wasn't/isn't the problem!?!?!).

The next morning it 'seemed' flat again, turned the key and wouldn't turn over. Alarm blipped a bit like when the battery is flat. So at this point I thought 5hite somethings draining the battery, left the car where is was and got a lift to work. Then later that evening when I got home from work I went to the car again happened to try starting it and the bloody thing fired up straight away!!??!!??!!

So it didn't start at all that morning, sitting there the whole day not being touched then later on decided to start without missing a beat??

Got an auto electrician coming round today to check things out but has anyone experienced this before or have any ideas as it would seem its not the battery and the battery isn't being drained?

Cheers

 

Either the battery terminals or earth strap from the engine are loose,
or, and more likely, the starter motor is on the way out, or has a fouled, (dirty), commutator.

We get similar on the wife's Xantia diesel as the fuel filter is situated just above the starter

 

As above, possible dying starter motor... or...

Your alternator.

I had something similarish about 3 weeks ago in my 205. Car was driving fine and the battery light came on. I took it for a good motorway drive to charge her up. Didn't do anything, light stayed on. Electrics seemed sluggish so I was dredding starting it the following morning.

Anywho, following morning @ 6.30am, car started fine (which is rare for an 80's French car lol), but a mile down the road, everything started to die. Could hear the fuel pump spluttering and was loosing all power. Radio went off, then lights, then hazards (which I had put on due to impending deadness).

Pushed the car round the corner with the Mrs and nothing. Wouldn't bump start, alarm wouldn't sound, nothing, nada, zilch. Local garage I trust picked her up and within 1 hour and a could tests on a multimeter, a dead alternator was diagnosed. The alternator dying wasn't giving any charge to the battery, and thus a catastrophic failure of all the electrics ensued when it did give up the goose

Easy enough job to replace and she runs sweet now. Has a newish starter motor (from last year when this died), and battery (which the alternator killed a couple months ago), and now alternator.

Will be something silly, but I assume the electrics on you Scoob would work in a similar vein, albeit with more relaibility

 

Thanks for the info.

The auto electrician has been round today, turns out the spare battery I put on is duff anyway!! He said a good test for this is to un screw the caps from the top of the battery then start the car 4-5 time so the battery is then working quite hard, if the fluid bubbles (which this one did) then the battery has had it.

He said the alternator is charging fine and there is no drain on the battery.

So looks like the next step is to get a BRAND NEW battery which will hopefully sort it.

 

Sounds like a plan. Any ideas on a decent battery then, or is it a Halfords special like I dropped in the Pug

 

Halfords used to do one with a three year guarantee.

 

I put one of halfords HCB005 batteries in my MY05 STI recently.

Seems an OK battery, also comes with a 4 year guarantee

 

Yeah they do at out Halfords, Jeff.

3 or 4 year guarantee batteries.

 

Did look at Halfords batteries but for the money I could get a better spec/ratting battery from a local car parts/accessories shop (plus the old man knows the guys that run it so can get a nice discount ).

Got a new battery on it today, was £65 for one with a crank rating of about 500 I think it was?? Guy who runs the shop (turns out he is also an auto electrician) suggested I get a 70 capacity one (think this might read as 70ah, not sure what the 'ah' is??) rather than 60ah.

Fires up straight away now so will see how it goes, hopefully problem sorted!