intermittent start/battery

M

mark

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guys, i wonder if anyone can help me, please.

about a month ago the battery/charge light came on whilst out for a drive in my csl. more or less the same time i started getting a small "squeal", like a bearing gone, from under the hood. i charged the battery and it started next time but when driving she caught me out a couple of times by being either, upon start, being completely dead or just giving a hint of life when i tried to start her. each time however, given a couple of minutes, i tried again and she whirred to life as if nothing was wrong.

so i booked the car into a local shop - who turned out to be a donkey, on the way there the red dash light went off.

so i got the alternator rebuilt and, as a separate unrelated issue, new bilsteins all-round. when i went to collect the car it was not ready as had been promised. ee-aw and i had an argument and fell out, culminating with him telling me to pay the bill and take the car elsewhere (unfortunate for him as I am likely about to embark on a resto of another csl, but that is another story).

anyway, ee-aw told me the battery was not holding charge and i would need to replace it, which i did this past weekend.

with the replaced battery (confirmed as fully charged) i tried to start the car and got only the smallest of reaction - an extremely slow turn over lasting a couple of seconds only. leaving her a while this time did not help.

i would very much appreciate any diagnosis suggestions.

cheers
mark
 
This is clearly not related to the new Bilsteins...

Is the battery drained for all purposes or just the starter?
Is the charge light still coming on?
Does the battery drain when the car is not used for days?

I assume the belt and the battery contacts are exonerated because
of the recent work there.

Did the mechanic have time alone with the car after the verbal
argument? In 2003 I had the Nissan starter fail in Mammoth (up in the mountains) and took to the first place I found. Lousy place and worse attitude.
After some verbal friction the mechanic claimed his credit card reader
didn't work and would only release the car for cash. I walked to a bank
and return with cash in an envelope. No words were exchanged, just stares. The car started once and I left. The startetr failed on the next start. Back home my mechanic found a bent pin in the starter connector, in all likelihood done deliberately. Maybe he moved to Australia.
 
Hi MarK,
Sorry to hear your tale, there are a lot of numpty's out there who think they can fix cars.....
Anyway as a none expert I approach the problem as follows....

Looks like an intermittent fault, car sometimes starts sometimes does not. The starting circuit on the E9 is very basic, basically the ignition switch, the starter solenoid and the main starter motor

1.... Check that all the earth straps from the engine to the body are ok
2.... Earth from the battery to the body.
3.... Make sure the connection to the solenoid on the starter is good, the little wire, and that the wire isn't broken, or rotten and the spade connection is sound. Also check that the heavy cable from the solenoid to the starter body is ok and the main feed from the battery
4.... If that looks ok leave the wire off and connect a voltmeter to it and earth. Get an assistant to turn the key, do you get volts when the key is in the start position?
4a... If you get volts, and your meter can cope with the amps, connect one lead to the wire and the other to ground, very briefly flick the ignition switch to start.. get lots of amps?
4b... If yes that suggests the electrical ignition switch is ok and something on the starter is bad.
4c... If no that suggests something like the ignition electrical swtich is going, the bit behind the lock which means taking the column shrouds off to get to it.. You can "jump" the wires there to see if the engine turns over.
5.... If it looks like the starter motor then I would take it off and take it to a Bosch or Lucas agent and see if they can test it, it's probably either worn brushes or a dodgy solenoid, It's a very "common" starter motor used in lots of BMWs, Mercs, VW's and Audis so an exchange one should be readily available.
6.... If it looks like the electrical bit of the ignition switch then they too are available.

Remember it could be a combination of both. If they both look and behave ok then it could be a wiring problem in that circuit. Look for signs of overheating wires, broken wires etc etc
HTH
Malc
 
Have you checked to see if the charge light burned out? It's essential to the charging circuit, it "energizes" the alternator so it actually produces a charge. You said the light went out on the way to the shop, that could have been the light burning out.

Also, I had an intermittent starting problem on my e12. Turned out to be the wiring to the starter solenoid. The wires looked fine, but inside the insulation, one wire was broken. Sometimes it maintained contact, sometimes not.
 
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