R33 Not Starting.....battery? Starter Motor? Something Else?

[s1kr33]

Hi All,

As some you know, i've recently bought a new R33 '96' GTS-T and it's been awesome up until saturday. I've been driving it non stop for a week and a bit and it's been running awesome.

On saturday i went to the carwash (never again....did a crap job..can clean it beta by hand!) and turned the car off and waited in the bay as you do. Once i was ready to go i proceeded to turn the car on but it wouldnt start. At first i thought it was the battery so i kept on trying and luckily it came on after a few go's...otherwise it was KC and the sunshine band's carwash for me all afternoon.

Anyhow, i kept on going to get my windows tinted (which look nice by the way) and when i was ready to leave , the car lingered a tad before it turned on fully. I got home safely and decided to turn the car off and then on again just to make sure that the problem was ok and this time it just didnt turn on at all.

Reds would come on and the car would go "grrrr grrrr grrrr" for a bit but the motor wouldnt kick in. Anyhow, i got a jump start off a neighbour and the car erupted into life like nothing happened. I was a bit worried at this stage cause i didnt know what was wrong with it. I turned it off after a couple of mins and tried again and it turned on. Done this a couple of times during the space of an hour to make sure that it was all G.

Monday morning was fine and all day as well....got home yesterday turned it off and tried it again but it wouldn't start again....looked at the battery in the back and thought it was that. The negative cable was a little loose but not a major thing. Tightened that and tried again.....no luck. Got a jump start and it worked again....

what could be wrong with it?

Some ppl reckon it's the wiring from the battery at the back to the charger at the front....any ideas peeps?

Apart from this the car is immaculate in every way.......including the motor.

dont want my dream car to turn into a nightmare...

[thommo]

it will be your battery.

check when the last battery was installed, i bet it has been a couple of years and its just time for a new one.

[s1kr33]

it will be your battery.

check when the last battery was installed, i bet it has been a couple of years and its just time for a new one.

Well thats the thing bro.....the battery is brand new!

Dodgy battery? what are the chances of that??

[thommo]

if the battery is brand new i'd prob look to see if anything in the car is draining it ie. alarm/stereo/lighting. you can get an auto elec to check out the load when the car is off.

other than that could be your alternator needs a reco

[Freddy Kruger]

what battery is it? perhaps you should borrow a mates for a few day or something and see what its like with a different battery.

[s1kr33]

yeah true dat....

Gonna try a few things tonight.

Cant remember the exact name but it says "Nissan Japan" on it. Looks a little bit smaller than an average one also.

anyone know any good Auto Electricians??

thanks for ya help in advance!

[exv8driver]

Sounds like a battery issue to me Maybe time to get a new one. See if you can borrow one from someone for a couple of days to check.

If it's not the battery, then it's the charging circuit from the alternator.

To check the charge output of your alternator. you'll need a multimeter for this..

1. Start the car up.

2. Leave it idle for a minute or so for the idle to settle in.

3. Ensure all lights, wipers, stereo, A/C is off.

4. Put the meter across the battery the voltage across the battery should be somewhere between 13 and 14 volts - anyone here know the exact range (it's usually in the manuals for the electrical system).

[exv8driver]

The guys at Croydon Park auto electrical are pretty good - they're on the left hand side of Georges River Road just past the macca's and school (heading towards ashfield/city). They do all sorts of alternator/starter recos - have a good rep around the locals.

If you're gonna get a new battery - get the biggest one (in terms of CCA) you can fit in the space. The oddessey (or similar) batteries are great and low maintenance.

Edited May 2, 2006 by exv8driver

[s1kr33]

The guys at Croydon Park auto electrical are pretty good - they're on the left hand side of Georges River Road just past the macca's and school (heading towards ashfield/city). They do all sorts of alternator/starter recos - have a good rep around the locals.

If you're gonna get a new battery - get the biggest one (in terms of CCA) you can fit in the space. The oddessey (or similar) batteries are great and low maintenance.

Awesome, thanks for that aye....yeah called up the dealership and the guy is gonna hook us up with another battery.

Hopefully that will work.

I actually went down during lunch to the car to start it and it turned on and off fine....

without offending anyone i think it's safe to say my car is definately a female....tempremental cause it wants something new...

If that doesnt work i will def visit the guys at Croydon Park Electrical.......thanks for da tips guys...

[blind_elk]

...The negative cable was a little loose but not a major thing. Tightened that and tried again.....no luck.

Clean the posts, then make sure the terminals are tight on the posts.

Won't fix it immediately, but should minimise future occurrences.

[s1kr33]

Update...

It turns out it was the battery.......apparenty it was to small?

The dealership was awesome and had no hesitation in giving me a free one. I got a heaps better heavy duty one....

It's all G now....

[lingeringsoul]

same problem with me a while back, engine cut out at an intersectino just at the end of M2, got stuck there for an hour........

[s1kr33]

Damn man......thats messed up....hope it wasnt peak hour!

was it cause da battery was too small?

[ducki]

i had a problem with my car... i just replace my battery last year from autobarn and it's start playing up on me now. If i dont drive the car for 1 day, the battery goes flat.. even my alarm stop working after that so i took my car to autobarn and they used a battery tester to test it. They said the battery is in good condition and its charging properly.. finding no faults to the battery so can anyone help me on this? I've had this battery for about 6-7months now .. so i dont know =/ oh and it didnt happen just once... it happens like 3-4 times in a week.. and everytime it happens i gotta jump start it to work again.

Edited May 20, 2006 by ducki

[POOMBAH]

i had a problem with my car... i just replace my battery last year from autobarn and it's start playing up on me now. If i dont drive the car for 1 day, the battery goes flat.. even my alarm stop working after that so i took my car to autobarn and they used a battery tester to test it. They said the battery is in good condition and its charging properly.. finding no faults to the battery so can anyone help me on this? I've had this battery for about 6-7months now .. so i dont know =/ oh and it didnt happen just once... it happens like 3-4 times in a week.. and everytime it happens i gotta jump start it to work again.

Have you had your Fuseboxes checked out? The one in the engine bay & the one in the back of the car next to the battery? Worth a shot...

[wrxhoon]

i had a problem with my car... i just replace my battery last year from autobarn and it's start playing up on me now. If i dont drive the car for 1 day, the battery goes flat.. even my alarm stop working after that so i took my car to autobarn and they used a battery tester to test it. They said the battery is in good condition and its charging properly.. finding no faults to the battery so can anyone help me on this? I've had this battery for about 6-7months now .. so i dont know =/ oh and it didnt happen just once... it happens like 3-4 times in a week.. and everytime it happens i gotta jump start it to work again.

You battry is to small to cope, use a bigger battery.

[ducki]

well its an r34 so i dont think theres a fusebox at the back? and autobarn recommended me this battery from their list so im not sure its being too small.. my battery look pretty big compare to my old one

[exv8driver]

ducki => have you checked the charging circuit from the alternator? See my earlier post in this thread for a quick guide.

[ducki]

thats the thing.. the guy from autobarn already test the battery circuit for me. Told me theres nothing wrong with the alternator and its charging correctly. But i think i will try ur guide anyway to just make sure once i get a hold of a multimeter. thanks

[inissane]

i have the same thing ducki battery and charging checks out fine but after 3-4 days it will be flat... lets just say i get my moneys worth for my nrma subscription

ive got myself a trickel charge unit plug in from mains to stop annoying them