Hi guys,

I checked the battery charge with my multimeter and it reads under 12.5V im assuming it needs to be higher. It starts of a morning, drives perfect then when i stop and go to start her again it wont click over at all and the starter motor is NEW! Its an a12 in a 1200 wagon do any of you guys know where there might be a short with wire touching the body? Any other hints guys would be appreciated!

This happens often and isnt a one off thing.

Cheers

MIcko.

How does it fix itself or what do you do to get it running again? That info will help narrow down what is happening.

I just leave it for a while. I guess cooling it down helps it somehow?? or maybe charge comes back to the battery with time?? I think theres a short. Sometimes i can start it after driving. Sometimes i cant which sucks.

The exact thing happened to me! I replaced my starter motor to a breand new one- but it still screwed around... It ended up being my distributer. The contacts were screwed. I think I bought another one from a wrecker for $30 or so... and problem solved.

12.5 volts is a LOT for a battery that's not under charge.

Sounds like a starter problem. Sometimes when the brushes are worn, it works fine cold, but not hot. Sometimes if you tap it sharply with a tire iron or something it will start.

Take the starter off, and check the brushes, they should stick out a ways. It's only a few dollars to replace if that's the problem.

Bad contacts in the distributor? That wouldn't normally prevent the starter from "turning over", but could easily prevent it from starting.

Battery voltage should be at least 14volts when engine is running, check this with your multimeter, if voltage is lower, but still greater than 12volts, then you rectifier is faulty in the alternator. to check that the diode hasn't shorted, switch key off, remove earth lead, connect multimeter in series and switch it to amps, there should be 0.1amps or less(alowing for your clock). if this is ok then check your earth connections, they must be clean and tight.

Under charge, 13.5 volts or better is OK. Rev the engine up to 1200 rpm or higher when checking.

Its not the alternator charge is over 14v when running. I spoke to the previous owner and he said he had the ceramic resistor near the coil pack diagnosed as a problem about 6 months ago so he was having the same problem. Another thing is that when the car is running if i turn the key to ignition i can hear a faint clicking sound in the engine bay. Weird stuff.

Thanks for the help so far guys!

Yeha the ceramic resistor is for your coil pack, it drops the voltage down that goes wo it saves your points as not the full 12V goes through them, so then they last longer

Cheers
Damo

PS I had the same problem with mine, the soleniod on the stater was at fault, it was doing some crazy things

Yeh i just went to my auto electrician and he tested the solenoid and i think its to blame. Its relatively new so i might ask the guy i bought it off where he got it from and claim under warranty.

Funny things for sure! it starts then doesnt for the past couple of days its been totally nonresponsive!

GAY!