Car Not Starting

[gach2]

i have a r33 gst

and a few months ago stopped starting

put a new battery still doesnt change

jump start it using the terminal in the front

and bang it starts

today did all the checks

ground seems fine as multimetre reads around 12v when getting reading of the terminals

battery is at 12v

the big wire from battery at boot fuse box reads 12v

and the 2 terminals at the front also read 12v (maybe 11v should i be worried?)

when i start the car the voltage drops to 10v (but nothing lower - is that a sign somethings wrong?)

any ideas whats wrong

or any previous experiences id love to know

also if you need more info feel free to ask

really stumpd at the moment

as i thought the whole time something was wrong with the wiring from boot fuse box to front fuse box

but that doesnt seem to be the problem if its reading practically the same reading

[kristafa]

maybe more information about the 'not starting' bit.. do you get lights up on the dash, does the starter motor turn the engine at all?

the terminals must be contacting well for enough current to pass to kick the starter over. accessories that draw little amps might still work but if the connection isn't very good then you won't get the solenoid clicking or the starter spinning.

my advice would be to remove the terminals and make sure you dont have any oxidation or corrosion interfering with the connection.

Also a flat battery will sometimes still read 12v, the best way to check the battery is with a hydrometer.

[turael]

do you mean it drops to 10v while cranking or while idling? if idling, your alternator isn't working.

[EXEMPT]

Clean the shit out of your battery clamps with contact cleaner and a wire brush.

If she kicks over with jumpers on - it will be a battery related problem.

I had this same problem a couple of weeks back and it was the battery clamps (not terminals on the battery but clamps that come on wires connected to the car) that were dirty.

The only reason yours fires up with jump leads is by luck - you have clamped the jumpers on to points of the battery terminals/clamps that aren't so grubby.

To be honest mine didn't look that dirty but after they were cleaned the car worked perfectly so yeah - i'd be starting here.

[gach2]

ok have cleaned the terminals

and think clamps (do you mean the clamps as what u put over your battery right?)

ive had a similar problem before so did do that

forget to mention that

and i did take a reading at the clamp as well - still said 12v

battery was replaced with brand new one

still no difference

when trying to start it clicks but doesnt crank

and also everything else turns on fine

[turael]

hey man can you start it up with a jump then unhook the other batt and tell us what voltage the batt running the car is reading at?

what sort of voltage drop are you getting from the boot to bonnet, you mentioned 12 to 11 in your original post? that sounds like it could be a loose/bad connection somewhere

[gach2]

due to council pressure to move the car of the public road

i do have a sparky coming to see the car tomorrow

the battery was reading around 14v after turned on

and yea the 12-11v wasnt very accurate

as i have a old multimetre (which isnt easy 2 read for these numbers)

[kristafa]

as I mentioned a battery reading 12v with no load on it doesn't mean anything. if it started with jumper leads off another battery, then everything is pointing to your current battery being dead. that *click* *click* is the solenoid on the starter motor having barely enough amps to engage itself, let alone enough amps to spin the starter motor.

[89CAL]

Check the earth to the starter and Possibly clean the ends so it has good contact with the starter and chassis

If it's around 14v when the car is running your altenator sounds alright. If the car drops below 8v I think it is then your battery is prob stuffed. Did you get a battery with the correct cca for your car? Might not have enough amps to turn the starter

[gach2]

ok

been bz past few days so didn have time to post up the cause

it was just the ground wire from engine block to chassis was dirty

cleaned it up

and started straight away