One of the attractions of buying the car and joining the club is to learn to do some basic mechanicing….. I didn’t expect it to start so quickly
Collected the car on Sunday and drove about 2 hours home. All good
Monday started the engine, just to check it started and all was fine
This morning (Wednesday) I have lights on the dash and a click which I assume is the starter motor (?) but she won’t start
Is this most likely to be the alternator or the battery, or could it be either and I need to do some tests to establish which? I have a multi meter and jump leads. I also have Rod’s manual for the 1.6 mk1, but mines a 1.8 mk2
TIA!
ps, really excited to begin learning some of this stuff
The battery will be flat - but the important thing is what caused it.
Charge the battery so you can get the car started and running.
When running - test the voltage over the battery.
You are looking for around 14v to demonstrate it is charging properly.
If it is charging - then I would suspect the battery.
If not charging ( below 13v ) - then I would be looking at the alternator.
Have you managed to jump start the car? If you haven’t and the starter is still clicking, then it could be that the starter is sticking. The car might need to be rocked while in gear, or a gentle tap with a hammer, however if it will jump start, then the great advice you have already been given should help to sort you out.
Batteries get harder to charge as they get old.
Depending on how good/bad your battery is - and depending how good/bad your alternator output is - will decide how long it takes to charge.
Ok, got the car started no problem. I checked the reading at the battery and it was about 14v, but when I had my partner rev the engine a bit, this didn’t change / increase. If I understand what’s happening correctly increased revs should have lead to a higher reading at the battery, so….. It’s the alternator which is faulty. Am I right??
