Starting Problem E320CDI

[penboy]

Hi guys can anybody help please I have a E320CDI Estate 2000.
Drove car all day yesterday went to start the car this morning it is totally dead dashboard lights up when you turn the key to start the car it just clicks as if you had a flat bettery I have disconnected the battery and put it on a booster charge for one & a half hours and then reconnected the battery but still no joy it still just clicks and will not turn the engine anybody got any ideas please.

 

[panason1c]

Double check that the battery is ok....they can suddenly fail without warning.....


A trick from many years ago, whilst someone holds the key in the 'start' position give the starter motor a sharp 'tap' using a bar or similar......if the engine thens turns over you know that the starter motor/connection is the culprit.

 

[llotse]

Hi guys can anybody help please I have a E320CDI Estate 2000.
Drove car all day yesterday went to start the car this morning it is totally dead dashboard lights up when you turn the key to start the car it just clicks as if you had a flat bettery I have disconnected the battery and put it on a booster charge for one & a half hours and then reconnected the battery but still no joy it still just clicks and will not turn the engine anybody got any ideas please.

Under the bonnet, passenger side near the windscreen is a black box containing electronics and fuses. Check the fuses you may find the one furthest left is blown. If so it is caused by a small fan failing. The fan is to cool the electronics and is unnecesarry in this country. Disconnect the fan (small blue connector near the fuse) replace the fuse and hey presto it should start. Any probs I can pm my mobile number and talk you through it

 

[penboy]

Hi Panason1c, went to MB Chester in the wifes car to buy a new battery on Wednesday put it on and the car is fine now, All the years I have had cars I never had a battery fail without warning before (I am 66 years young) you are always learning something new thank you penboy

llotse about the fan good tip for the futcher thank you penboy

 

[Dieselman]

Hi Panason1c, went to MB Chester in the wifes car to buy a new battery on Wednesday put it on and the car is fine now, All the years I have had cars I never had a battery fail without warning before (I am 66 years young) you are always learning something new thank you penboy

Pretty common on diesels due to the load required, it seems to cause them to go 'dead cell' rapidly.

They usually give warning signs of slightly slower cranking speed but you would be hard pressed to notice it.

 

[panason1c]

Hi Panason1c, The car is fine now, All the years I have had cars I never had a battery fail without warning before (I am 66 years young) you are always learning something new thank you penboy

Thanks for the feedback penboy, Just for interest, one of the reasons for 'sudden' battery failure is that over a period of time a 'crust' forms on the plates inside the battery, which is normal, but sometimes the 'crust' breaks away from the plates and settles to the bottom of the battery where it then 'shorts' the remaing plates with each other resulting in an instant flat battery with no chance of it accepting a charge.

The above is not very technical but gives the gist of what happens.