Happened saturday, turn key, lights up in dash clicking sound ok, no start. Second later tried again it started. Thought I had not demobilised my car properly before starting.
This morning before work no starting again. Lights on dash and stereo, lights go up and down and turn on slightly slower. Clicking in dash and from front of car. No turn over, checked battery connections ok, etc.
Is it starter motor or the gel battery (its been working fine since the last problem of bad terminal connection).
Do I call a mobile mechanic to get it sorted while I am at work, as I need to be at work, or do I leave it till weekend. I can’t call my recovery as they will charge £45 call out and they failed me last time had to wait six hours.
I had to beg my neighbour for a lift to bolton and I have just now tried to sort it out by myself but no luck.
Living alone sucks when you only have yourself to rely on.
On previous cars I have owned, not an MX-5 though, this symptom indicated that the starter motor gears needed cleaning OR a bad earth lead on the car just below or near the dipstick.
You’ve been having a few problems Tracy over the last 6 months. hope things start to improve when you get this sorted.
Possible faulty connection in the ignition switch. You can take the electrical bit of it apart and clean it up if you’re that way inclined, but I don’t think they are that expensive to buy new.
Yep sounds like the battery, if you get someone out a sparkie should have a battery tester of some kind high voltage discharge tester you wont be able to check the SG of the battery as it Gell like you say, you should also ask him the cleam the earth points while he checking the car out. best of luck
Its going to be weekend before I get a mobile mechanic out to it. I have to get 524 bus to bolton now to work, 9-5pm, once I get home there is no time to get it sorted so it has to wait till pay day which is friday.
There is a place I have been to before with another car, griffin battery shop on bolton road bury, they have been good in past and they may have a battery for mx 5. Thats if it is the battery. Lights still come on in dash but just clicking and nothing else. Checked connections, they seem ok but going to order some new connectors as one is slightly damaged.
One of my friends said ‘how much do you have to spend to get it in mint condition’ I said ‘it is in mint condition!’ and he suggested I buy a new car at £89 a month. I said ‘you gotta be joking, this car is paid for and looks great and runs great, its only broken down twice why spend silly money each month on a boring car!’
I used to have a similar problem on a Fiat 127 (Stop laughing, All my friends had Fiestas and it could out corner them all [:D] ), It was a bad earth. The leads would let enough amps through to engage the starter pinion but not turn over the engine.
To see if this might be the issue you need a jump lead.
First you can clip one end to the engine and the other to some bare metal attached to the bodywork (ie, A bracket somewhere). Try to start it, If it works then you have a faulty engine earth strap or corrosion where it meats the block or bodywork.
Second, Try clipping one end to the negative battery post and the other to some bare metal in the boot, Try to start it, If it works then you have a faulty battery earth strap or corrosion where it meats the battery post or bodywork. If this is the problem you might notice the dashboard lights dim pretty much to nothing when you engage the starter without the jump-lead
Thirdly, Try going directly from the battery earth post to the engine,Try to start it, If it works then you have so much rust in your car that theres not enough sound bodywork left to complete the circuit (This is a FIAT owners joke, Don’t even bother trying it [:D]
Lastly, You could try a jump-start pack directly on the positive of the starter and earth out the negative on the engine block (I would prefer someone to confirm that this won’t damage any electrical components before its tried. I’m 99% sure it won’t, But I learnt how cars worked from playing with older cars without ECU’s in my younger years). This will test If the starter motor works OK.
With regards to bus travel, You have my sympathy. I’d rather phone in sick than resort to a bus because having to using a bus would make me sick…!
I don’t have jump leads and I really do need a electrician out to it. I have left a message with one of them to ring me. One guy could not come out on the saturday only weekdays, he gave me a number for CarCare in bury. Just waiting now. Bloomin pain it is my car recently. Autolink are sending me a new battery terminal (the one that is closest to reach is broken in half) but this has been like this for two years and is connected. I bet its something so simple. I am not convinced its the battery.
Just remembered I had a service in aug and the belt was tightened twice. A few days before the car died it was slightly squealing but very quiet. could it be the alternator?
Eventually spent less money than I would have done - Autolink would have cost me £68 and £22 delivery for the westco battery. Phone griffin batteries in bury and got one fitted today for £70.50 plus vat £80.50 total. One connector round the terminal has broken in half so now have to find a new one to replace it. Found a hole in bottom of boot just behind battery and it seems there should be a rubber seal stuck in it, so got to get one of those too. Maybe thats my water leak!