starter motor

[maurice]

i'm in durham at uni and the cold is getting to my car i think. i use the car for fairly short journeys which might not be helping either. i tried starting my car once the frost had started and the starter motor did nothing. it did a sort of err noise, trying to move, the ignition light went off and the car didn't start. starter handle worked fine. is the motor jammed? or is the battery dud? when i finally started the car and drove around, the radio would only work when i revved the engine. the lights also brightened with higher revving.
cheers for any help
kim
also is it normal that a new mild steel exhaust is noisier than the original which had a 5 inch hole in it? interesting...

[Packedup]

You might have other problems like poor charging or a duff battery, but for the ign light to go out after a click suggests a poor main contact somewhere. Check the batter terminals are clean and tight, the battery to body earth strap is good, and the main live to solenoid is all OK. There's a lot of power being pulled to start and engine, and even more in cold weather, so now's the time of year you'll start to find problems (as the battery may well have been ill but adequate in warmer times).

[Willie]

Obviously the cold weather makes it harder to start each morning and the
battery needs to be in good condition and to have been charged adequately.
The fact that it started ok on the handle shows that there was not enough
power available from the battery to turn the engine over. If you are able to
use a battery charger then it would be advisable to use it whenever possible
to ensure that the battery is properly charged as short runs in this weather
will not suffice. Re the mild steel exhaust.......I too fitted a new system and
found it to be incredibly noisy, It was embarrassing to drive. I also had the
same problem thirty odd years ago with a replacement system which I took
back to the supplier!! Your old system probably had a good coating
of thick carbon deposits inside which may have quietened it down a bit!
It is purely personal but I dislike the Minor 'roar' so much that i have fitted
an extra silencer at the rear next to the petrol tank.

[simmitc]

If a battery is going to die then it usually does so at the first sign of cold weather. From what you say, it sounds like the battery. To be usre you need to (a) check the level in each cell and fill with distilled water as required; (b) charge the battery and leave it for a few hours; (c) test the battery - a proper tester if you have one available, or at the least a voltmeter and a hydrometer. Be very careful when handling the battery - you don't want acid all over everything. The simplest test if course is weather it will start the car......

[Chris Morley]

It's probably just a flat battery, although any minor with a dynamo struggles to recharge the battery on short trips in Winter, especially when lights, wiper and heater are all being used. In fact my battery (a 5 year old Halfords HB015) is being recharged in my kitchen right now.

A starter motor that isn't getting enough juice from the battery makes a loud clicking noise. If it works fine with the recharged battery then it isn't the motor that's the problem. When you use the handle the battery only needs to provide a spark so you can usually get the car going even when the battery is badly drained.

[Packedup]

What made me think poor connections it the lights went out after a click. If they didn't come back on till the ign was switched off and back on then in my experience it's a sign of a poor terminal somewhere, as well as a probably flat battery. Had it on loads of cars, a quick thump on the battery leads has sorted it a lot of the time (never seem to get round to cleaning them and whacking vaseline on...).

[bmcecosse]

Yes - it certainly sounds like a poor connection/bad earth somewhere. Although it can also be broken terminal post inside the battery - which is not repairable. If you are forced to get a new battery - head to Costco for really excellent batteries at a great price - or Makro are almost as good. Certainly avoid Hellfrauds !

[Cam]

Why avoid Halfwits? Their batteries are really very good. It's their advice that's a bit lacking.

[Packedup]

Why avoid Halfwits? Their batteries are really very good. It's their advice that's a bit lacking.

"I want a battery"
"Yes sir, here's our range of Duracell"
"Maybe I should make myself more clear, I want one for my car. An 063 should be fine"
"What car's that for?"
"A Morris Minor"
"What year?"
"It doesn't matter, I know an 063 will be fine"
"I can't find it in my book, are you sure the car exists"
"..."
"Where'd he go?"

I'll admit Hellfrauds can be a fun way to brighten a boring Sunday afternoon, but the local one has been useless every single time I've wanted a tool or part.

[Willie]

My Halfords battery is six and a half years old and still perfect. It was also
cheap to buy. Your problem with Halfords is with a sloppy shop assistant
not with their products. All of their 'multi vehicle' items have matching lists
from which it is easy to identify the correct product for a particular vehicle.
Unfortunately, it is hardly worth their while stocking items for a Morris Minor
since the demand is infinitesimal.

[bigginger]

Except in my local one :D but no joy there either...

[Packedup]

Oh, Halfords do some reasonable quality tools, and their service parts aren't bad - But the problem comes when 7/8 of the store has been devoted to bikes, stereos and stick on tat, so anything of use is jumbled into the remaining 1/8. At which point you can spend hours trying to find something, or ask. And that's where it all goes wrong. If it was just one sloppy assistant then that'd be bad luck, but having lived in various parts of the country, and having tried every local Halfords, it seems to be their policy to employ the knowledgeless, and not to bother training them up either.

I'd expect them to have a vague idea about their stock and where it might be at the very least, and I'd be even happier if they either accepted their system was sometimes wrong, or better yet fix it! Went in to order some parts for a 60s car once, they told me they had them... Turned out their computer had it wrong and said the part fitted the full 16 years of production past a driven wheel change and restyled body. But of course as the computer said it was right, I must've been wrong...

There's also a lot of pre-1980 cars that don't seem to be making it onto their matching lists, and woe betide if you try and ask for the right part if they can't find it in the booklet...

I do remember many years ago, as a (grumpy old) child Halfords was the place to go for expert advice and most parts. Shame it's not that way anymore

[bmcecosse]

Exactly - and as far as I can see their stuff is uber expensive too ! Especially the batteries. I sometimes go in for a wander (well it's that or Horray Curry next door with Mrs BMC) and the junk that's on show is just amazing.

[Onne]

It's the same here with Halfords. Never bought any car parts there though, I work in a car shop. So all filters go cheap, and I know myself where to look!

[aupickup]

well all my batteries for moggies i buy from halfrauds, in my local branch we have a couple of the older guys who are very helpful.

we have an autolec for other service parts. dist caps, filters,rotor arms points etc. which are cheaper than the moggie shops

[maurice]

cheers guys for the replies. drove out to halfords after all as i couldn't find anywhere else round here and after about 45 minutes of driving (yes i got lost) i got there and the bloke was kind enough to suggest testing the battery before replacing it. the tester showed the battery to be in good condition. so after all that it was just that i wasn't making long enough journeys to recharge the battery and it just needed a blast. so now i have an excuse for long journeys. wehey.
cheers
kim

[Chris Morley]

Kim,

Remember that if you use the lights,heater and the wipers at the same time this draws 18 amps. In tip-top condition your minor can only recharge the battery at a maximum of 22 amps and not at all when the engine is idling. Using the radio will draw even more amps. I'm afraid it is a juggling act in Winter and a battery recharger is often the best way to manage it.

[bmcecosse]

Best way is to fit an alternator ! I see someone now does an alternator that looks exactly like the old dynamo !

[rayofleamington]

Best way is to fit an alternator !

in who's opinion? ;-)

Dynamo's rule 5-1

[Matt]

from my experience of modern cars alternators dont seem to last long!!! my dad has gone through 3 of them (2 cars) in the last 3 years, and I have had to replace the one on the fiesta (bit thats was probably due anyway 1o year old car, 70000 miles etc)