Will a alternator help?

[Nuffles]

Bringing back a slightly old thread but here goes. It's now the end of November and living in the middle of nowhere it's been going below zero in the nights and we've been getting hard frosts and a little snow and the Moggy really, really dislikes starting. I've taken to parking it at the top of the car park facing down so I can bump start it because that's more reliable than relying on the starter motor

Over the last 6 months of ownership it's had a new battery, new alternator and new starter motor (I only bought it for £750 so it was to be expected) and once the engine is warm (after 5 minutes of idling from cold) it will start on the first crank of the engine but when the block is fully cold it just cranks really, really slowly and slows down quickly. Now the evenings have drawn in it's dark by the time I get home from college/work and I tend to only get one day off a week, if that so anything recommended will take me until Friday to get done, but all advice would be appreciated. I have a set of spark plugs and a bag of new distributor internals so would it be worth while fitting all that and seeing if it helps? It has a new radiator in it now and it's still too low (how I really don't know) to use a starting handle so I'm down to bump starting once the battery's flat really.

Last winter I had the Land Rover with a 2.5T Iveco lump in it which started without fail every single morning no matter hold cold it got so I'm not used to this whole 'will it start?' business.

[irmscher]

new battery and a damned good service sorted

[mike.perry]

A Minor will often start on the handle when it won't start on the starter. This is because all the battery power, or what is left of it, is going to turning the engine over instead of creating a big fat spark.
I can't see how the rad can be too low as it sits within a panel which has a cutout in the bottom below where the rad rests, for the handle to fit.

[beero]

Does it turn over any faster with jump leads from another car? As you have a new battery and a new starter and it turns over very slowly check your battery leads, are they making a good contact? Also your earth leads. Have the battery tested, you may have a dud.

[MarkyB]

Check that there is a very good earth between the engine and the bodywork.
This is normally achieved with a thick wire (like a battery lead) going between the engine bay floor and the front passenger side of the engine.

It doesn't have to be there, but there must be something in place that has the same effect.

The main symptom of the engine not being earthed properly is that the choke cable can get very hot as the electric pixies try to complete the circuit.

[rsawatson]

I have a similar situation happen to me on cold mornings; the engine turns over very slowly, but fortunately for me the car still starts first time - no repeated cranking required. All I need is the choke pulled out. However, from past experience, I think a good service (e.g. cleaning plugs, regapping relevant parts, renewing/regapping points etc) can make a big difference...

Does the engine oil turn more viscous in the cold too - thus producing extra work for the starter motor?

[millerman]

It seems as though a lot of owners need to get used to using a starter handle!

It does take practice

[katy]

Does the engine oil turn more viscous in the cold too - thus producing extra work for the starter motor?

Definately, the colder it gets the thicker the oil gets

[Nuffles]

It seems as though a lot of owners need to get used to using a starter handle!

It does take practice

Problem with me is that my radiator sits too low for a starting handle to go through As a result no starting handle came with the car but even if I got one I wouldn't be able to use it. Yes it does crank faster when it's hooked up with jump leads. I'll stick the new plugs in and do some distributor servicing and see if that helps when I get some time.

[beero]

Nuffles, if it does turn over quicker with a jump start it looks like your new battery isn't up to the job. Check that something isn't draining it overnight.

[Nuffles]

Might take it back and pick up a diesel one from a scrap yard instead then The same battery shop tried selling a massively undersized one to my Dad when we were looking for a replacement one for the Land Rover. It was about the same size as the one in our Astra, when the one in the Landy already was a good 5 inches longer and around 2 inches deeper

[arttidesco]

More than an alternator keeping the engine running for 20 to 30 mins a day above idle speed will help, a good thirty min drive snow permitting or simply running the engine outside. Never do this in an enclosed space like a garage with the door open carbon monoxide poisoning will ensue and death is not unknown as a result.

Alternatively if you do not need the car / cannot move the car whip the battery out and keep it in a dry space above freezing, DO NOT PUT IT NEAR OR ON A HEATER/BOILER OF ANY KIND !

[Nuffles]

It gets driven at least 120 miles a week to get to work plus another 80 or so for pleasure, possibly more so keeping the battery charged shouldn't be a problem, bus a lot of that is now in the dark because of the stupid early darkness At least the heater and CD player work