HELP TO START S3 (non turbo) ESPRIT

[pomoz]

I have been away for 4 months ,tried to start 87 Esprit.... no go . Normally i use to hear the petrol pump click when i turned key on .... now i dont.I have hit the petrol pump with ignition a few times ... nothing.
WDO 40 on most contacts.... result. When i turn iginition on now ... i hear a single click. Still wont start........... HELP NEEDED PLEASE . b4 i get the spannerman out .... all i want to do is turn over te car ..

[bher]

Which tell tale glow when turning the key? What gives the voltmeter? Do you hear any other sounds that the single klik from the petrol pump?
Ben

[rjwise]

Sounds to me like a dead battery. If I leave my normally aspirated S3 for a couple of weeks then I get the same and I have to charge up the battery with a mains charger.
Richard

[rjwise]

PS if it is this and you use jump leads be careful as the poles are different to most other cars if I remember correctly.
Richard

[lotusguy]

rjwise said: PS if it is this and you use jump leads be careful as the poles are different to most other cars if I remember correctly.
Richard

Richard,

As in all Esprits, the electrical system is a 12V negative ground system. If jumping the car, the positive lead should first be connected to the positive post on the battery, the negative lead should then be attached to a solid spot on the engine, but care should be taken to make this contact as far away from the Fuel injection system, plumbing etc. If charging the battery, it's always a good idea to do this with the battery out of the car. Batteries explode at a somewhat alarming rate, and if it catches fire, or spews acid all over the place, I think most would prefer this to occur outside the car. Hope this helps...Jim'85TE



>> Edited by lotusguy on Thursday 12th December 20:36

[lotusguy]

I have been away for 4 months ,tried to start 87 Esprit.... no go . Normally i use to hear the petrol pump click when i turned key on .... now i dont.I have hit the petrol pump with ignition a few times ... nothing.
WDO 40 on most contacts.... result. When i turn iginition on now ... i hear a single click. Still wont start........... HELP NEEDED PLEASE . b4 i get the spannerman out .... all i want to do is turn over te car ..

POMOZ,

If your battery is fully charged, and if you hear the fuels pumps 'whirring', then the problem is most likely the starter solenoid. The contacts to this are always suspect as they are prone to corrode as they are fully exposed . Don't just WD-40 them, pull them and clean them w/ a fine emery cloth. If it still doesn't do anything but click, give the solenoid a good sharp blow with a hammer. This will usually dislodge the pinion gear and allow it to start. Hope this helps...Jim '85TE

[rjwise]

lotusguy said:

rjwise said: PS if it is this and you use jump leads be careful as the poles are different to most other cars if I remember correctly.
Richard

Richard,

As in all Esprits, the electrical system is a 12V negative ground system. If jumping the car, the positive lead should first be connected to the positive post on the battery, the negative lead should then be attached to a solid spot on the engine, but care should be taken to make this contact as far away from the Fuel injection system, plumbing etc. If charging the battery, it's always a good idea to do this with the battery out of the car. Batteries explode at a somewhat alarming rate, and if it catches fire, or spews acid all over the place, I think most would prefer this to occur outside the car. Hope this helps...Jim'85TE



>> Edited by lotusguy on Thursday 12th December 20:36

It does - I didn't know they could explode! Thanks - next time this happens it will be well away from the car.
Richard

[rjwise]

lotusguy said:

rjwise said: PS if it is this and you use jump leads be careful as the poles are different to most other cars if I remember correctly.
Richard

Richard,

As in all Esprits, the electrical system is a 12V negative ground system. If jumping the car, the positive lead should first be connected to the positive post on the battery, the negative lead should then be attached to a solid spot on the engine, but care should be taken to make this contact as far away from the Fuel injection system, plumbing etc. If charging the battery, it's always a good idea to do this with the battery out of the car. Batteries explode at a somewhat alarming rate, and if it catches fire, or spews acid all over the place, I think most would prefer this to occur outside the car. Hope this helps...Jim'85TE



>> Edited by lotusguy on Thursday 12th December 20:36

It does - I didn't know they could explode! Thanks - next time this happens it will be well away from the car.
Richard

[pomoz]

THanks guys..... silly barstard me..... i forgot to say ......the car does turn over ok .... just wont want to kick into life....and i dont want to flatten the battery.

I gave the petrol pump a few lite hits... i am lucky i have a pit in the garage....
Now when i turn the ignition on ... i hear a single click ... is that a start ?... not the single click you have when flat battery ....... do i now check for life in the distributer ... etc etc .... i will perserve ... its a good way of learning about my car ..... many thanks again alex

[lotusguy]

pomoz said: THanks guys..... silly barstard me..... i forgot to say ......the car does turn over ok .... just wont want to kick into life....and i dont want to flatten the battery.

I gave the petrol pump a few lite hits... i am lucky i have a pit in the garage....
Now when i turn the ignition on ... i hear a single click ... is that a start ?... not the single click you have when flat battery ....... do i now check for life in the distributer ... etc etc .... i will perserve ... its a good way of learning about my car ..... many thanks again alex

Alex,

Tapping the fuel pumps and rthen hearing a 'click' rather than a 'whirring' is not very encouraging news. You should definitely hear the fuel pumps whirring, loud enough to hear in the car. I would first remove and clean all electrical contacts to the pumps (disconnect battery first to avoid any sparks). Then check the fuses and relay governing the fuel punps and clean their leads as well. After you've done all this, if you still don't hear them 'whirring', then you will need to remove the pumps and have them checked or possibly replaced. Hope this helps...Jim '85TE

[lotusguy]

It does - I didn't know they could explode! Thanks - next time this happens it will be well away from the car.
Richard

Richard,

The make up of the liquid medium in your battery is Water and Sulphuric Acid. A by-product of electricity being produced in this way is Hydrogen gas, which is why all batteries have a vent hole somewhere on them, even the maintenance free ones, to vent this Hydrogen. Much larger amounts of Hydrogen are released when charging a battery than under 'normal' conditions.

As you know, Hydrogen gas is very explosive (Remember the Hindenburg..??). Consequently, if you charge the battery in a confined space, Hydrogen gas can accumulate and if a spark is introduced, either by the charger or by connecting the leads, an explosion will result. This is why it is suggested that you make the final jumper connection to the engine block so that if a spark occurs, it will be far away from the battery and any accumulated Hydrogen...Jim '85TE

[PatHeald]

About ten years ago I had a car battery on charge on the workbench.

My dad decided to use the angle grinder.....

The resulting explosion blew the battery clean in half and sprayed acid over him, me and the car behind us.

Fortunately it was only a Ford Granada.

We had a laugh about it afterwards, but we were both a little bit surprised at the time.

Curiously enough, I have a bit more respect for a battery on charge these days. Until it happened to me, I wouldn't have believed the noise and the mess it could make. Fortunately there was no fire.

I am pretty sure that I would remove the battery from my Esprit before putting it on the charger.