Mk1 Not Starting - Clicking Noise
Discussion
i had exactly the same thing happen about a month or so ago, was a dead battery.
these days i always disconnect the battery every time i get out of the car, battery will never die due to what must be a power drain, and its an added security feature as the car won't start untill its reconnected.
these days i always disconnect the battery every time i get out of the car, battery will never die due to what must be a power drain, and its an added security feature as the car won't start untill its reconnected.
OK
I sell batteries, every one that leaves my shop has the terminals sanded down for a decent connection, as a result the battery has no problems accepting a charge, a simple thing along with the quality of product that means we have a very low return rate.
A battery that is flat and will not start the car will need charging properly with a charger off the car, again sanding the terminals will help. Some people will charge a battery for days still not getting a result due to a bad connection.
Just driving the car around will not charge your battery properly, as everything is warm and the battery will have a little life, it will start again later, next morning when cold, it will struggle and die, great I will sell you a new one. In the winter there will be a greater chance of this occurring.
The MX5 seems to start very well but I am surprised to see the car is fitted with a 36ah battery when an 063 45ah battery is the same size physically at very little extra cost. [not the import model]
The main power lead to the starter even when tight can become a bad connection causing you to think the battery is at fault, when you jump start the car it starts leading to further belief the battery is at fault.
Disconnect the power lead at the starter, sand it, reconnect it but do not over tighten it, this should be part of your basic check list, servicing.
The negative earthing point will do the same, worth a look and clean while you are at it, copper grease could be used to stop further corrosion.
When I first looked at my MX5 MK1 battery I found it had not been fitted correctly, it was loose in the tray, one terminal was loose and the acid levels were low, it was topped up, charged, terminals cleaned and refitted, never had a problem.
If you get your charging system checked, make sure it is tested on tick over, this will show if your alternator is charging at idle, this will simulate you being stuck in traffic, on a cold day you will have the heater, demister, possibly your lights on and the radio, eventually you will have a dead battery. I mentioned this as the road side organisations do a test at two thousand revs, also they boost charge the battery while they are there, this does not properly charge the battery fully and this may let you down later.
If they are called out more than once for the same thing they may suggest a new battery is needed, a little unfair on you, the retailer will take your money and it is a big problem for you if the battery is under guarantee as the supplier will want to charge and test it before exchanging it IF found to be FAULTY.
I sell batteries, every one that leaves my shop has the terminals sanded down for a decent connection, as a result the battery has no problems accepting a charge, a simple thing along with the quality of product that means we have a very low return rate.
A battery that is flat and will not start the car will need charging properly with a charger off the car, again sanding the terminals will help. Some people will charge a battery for days still not getting a result due to a bad connection.
Just driving the car around will not charge your battery properly, as everything is warm and the battery will have a little life, it will start again later, next morning when cold, it will struggle and die, great I will sell you a new one. In the winter there will be a greater chance of this occurring.
The MX5 seems to start very well but I am surprised to see the car is fitted with a 36ah battery when an 063 45ah battery is the same size physically at very little extra cost. [not the import model]
The main power lead to the starter even when tight can become a bad connection causing you to think the battery is at fault, when you jump start the car it starts leading to further belief the battery is at fault.
Disconnect the power lead at the starter, sand it, reconnect it but do not over tighten it, this should be part of your basic check list, servicing.
The negative earthing point will do the same, worth a look and clean while you are at it, copper grease could be used to stop further corrosion.
When I first looked at my MX5 MK1 battery I found it had not been fitted correctly, it was loose in the tray, one terminal was loose and the acid levels were low, it was topped up, charged, terminals cleaned and refitted, never had a problem.
If you get your charging system checked, make sure it is tested on tick over, this will show if your alternator is charging at idle, this will simulate you being stuck in traffic, on a cold day you will have the heater, demister, possibly your lights on and the radio, eventually you will have a dead battery. I mentioned this as the road side organisations do a test at two thousand revs, also they boost charge the battery while they are there, this does not properly charge the battery fully and this may let you down later.
If they are called out more than once for the same thing they may suggest a new battery is needed, a little unfair on you, the retailer will take your money and it is a big problem for you if the battery is under guarantee as the supplier will want to charge and test it before exchanging it IF found to be FAULTY.
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