Hi all, I have a new problem with my car, she won't start....

Specifically, when I turn the key, nothing happens, the lights on the dash stay nice and bright (i.e. they don't dim).

It's an identical thing to when you try to start an automatic which is not in P or N, which leads me to believe perhaps the starter inhibitor is faulty?

I've ordered a new starter relay as a matter of course, anyone else have any ideas.

My car is a 1983 Series 2 3500 Vanden Plas automatic.

Jay

Get a hammer or a trolly jack handle and give the starter motor a couple of heavy whacks....if that doesn`t work check the earth battery terminals and the earth wire from the -ve to the body is secure...is the battery charged or been drained through an interior light being left on etc...
Isn`t there a `main fuse` under the passenger dash somewhere....?
Keep at it....

Fuel............spark...Check in that order......

Hi all,

'twas the starter relay situated in the O/S/F wing, it feel apart when I tried to disconnect it, and whilst fiddling, I inadvertantly operated the mechasism within, and the engine turned over....

All excited, I switched on the ignition, operated it again, and she started first time.

Phew! I can take her to the bodyshop on Monday, now...

Jay

Its always something simply, but try and find it first off..... you have no chance

Ok then, my Vitesse starts & runs, but the starter is really sluggish.
Am I right in thinking that the starter should spin the engine over quite quickly? Would you say that another starter was required, & maybe I should dismantle the old unit & rebuild it....
Also, when under the car, the terminals on the starter look qite dirty, covered with oil & other muck from the engine, would a clean up help?

If anything the oil is probably preventing corrosion A clean up of electrical connectors is always a good idea though

Your problem could be an internal fault with the starter (worn brushes/commutator), an aging battery or poor connections. The latter two are easily tested using a good battery/car and jump leads

The battery is relatively new, was given it by a friend who had it in his garage & never used it...

Battery was kept in a nice dry garage. They do have a 'shelf life' but that only relates to how long they can be kept without being recharged.
Battery has been charged & does start the car, but I suspect the starter maybe at fault....

I'd get the battery checked anyway. The battery on my Vitesse would
start the car quite easily, and appeared to be OK. One day it wouldn't
turn the car over at all, and wouldn't charge. A new battery would
spin the engine so much quicker than the old battery. I hadn't noticed
quite how sluggish the starter had become with the old battery.

OK, the car started ok on Friday, but just been out to start her up & the battery would hardly turn the engine over & is now dead!!!
I didn't run the engine for that long on Friday, ran the car to the bottom of the street & back & left it idling for about 10 mins, then started it again for a couple of minutes & then left it. Yesterday I had the bonnet open to make the underbonnet lights work again, which I have now sorted, & I have checked to make sure they go out when the bonnet is nearly shut, also replaced a couple of light bulbs on the car, I'm at a loss to explain why the battery keeps going flat so quickly, would the battery possibly be knackered or is there a fault elsewhere in the charging system??
Also, just had a thought, when I had the battery on charge overnight, the charger has an LED on the side which turns from red to yellow & then to green to indicate the charge of the battery, red being discharged & green being charged, after a nights charge, which would give a full charge to a battery, the LED was still red, & yes it was switched on atthe plug!!
Would this mean that the battery was no good?

Hello Chris,

Going thro' all the symptoms described I think your battery is dying fast.

Fully charge the battery overnight, then switch on main lights - full beam.

This will take about 5 amps per bulb plus some bits for the rest, say 20 to 30 amps continuously from the battery and if its in good nick should deliver that load for about 2 hours before being close to discharge.. 30 amps for 2 hours = 60 ampere-hours.

If it wont do that its failing. if it fails within half hour or less its dead.

Bedtime reading here

Only registered users can see links on this forum! Register or Login on forum!

Ramon:

Yeah I thought it might be the battery, if that's that case then I now have a spare alternator too lol!
The battery would only turn the starter fast when being jump started, after the jump leads were removed the cranking would get slower & slower.....

Certainly sounds like an ailing battery

Battery is now dead as a dodo, no charge in it whatsoever. one end of the battery has a slight bulge in it too, which I assume is a sign that the battery is kaput?
Am going to order a new one, but the prices seem to be astronomical!!
Anybody know the best place to go for a battery?