Yet Another "My Car Wont Start" Problem

[leekscurlock]

Hey guys i pulled my fog lights out the other day to get some condensation out of them, it took about a day or to for it to all dry out but once they were clear i put every thing back together and tried to start it up and i got nothing, flat battery. So i jump started it and all was ok for a day or so, then the next day it had a flat battery again so it sat in the garage for a couple more days and now all i get is a loud clicking, even with a different battery that's ok and a jumper pack that's fully charged so if its not the battery what could it be as it started fine a couple of days ago?
Any help is much appreciated.
Lee

 

[Guest]

get a NEW battery with at least 450cca

when you have it started, check there is charging voltage, 13.5v or there abouts,
you'll need a voltmeter for this, measure it across the + and - terminals,

if its not that high, you'll be needing a new/refurbished or have your existing alternator rebuilt


you'll find that its pretty hard to jump start a vr4,
especially if your battery is rooted which is what it sounds like.
possibly a collapsed cell in the battery.


,

 

[leekscurlock]

Thanks Carsten, i really hope that it is just the battery and not the starter or the alternator, they are pretty hard to find and expensive aren't they?
I'm not going to be able to get a new battery for a few days but at least i there is a little hope that it my just be the battery, i'm going crazy not being able to drive. what battery would you recommend? im going to put the battery into the boot at some point so do you think that i would be better of getting a dry cell now or just to stick with a normal battery and a box?

 

[naughtika]

with the alternator if you buy the genuine one which is definitely rare, most likely it'll cost you an arm to pay for the hardware.. but getting your alternator rebuilt might just cost $100..

sad part is.. labour's expensive for it no matter what.. i think it takes around 5 hours to just take off.. and another 5 to put back.. unless you've got tricks up your sleeves

 

[Guest]

I'm not going to be able to get a new battery for a few days but at least i there is a little hope that it my just be the battery, i'm going crazy not being able to drive. what battery would you recommend?

anything 450cca and greater,

personally i run a 1000cca exide orbital sealed gel battery,
but thats because of my audio,

in my old legnum we have a normal 460cca? or there abouts we bought from super cheap, does the job without costing a vital organ

 

[leekscurlock]

Crap thats a lot of labour, i think i need a new p/s pump as well, it wines worse than my pommy house mates, iv just had the belts replaced as i was told that that was causing the wining, its worse that ever now! FTO pumps fit dont they? I read some where that they make the steering a little heavier which i would prefer, does anyone know if thats right?
I havent got any audio equiptment and im not planning on getting anyhting more that a new head unit and some new speaker so i think i will go with something like a 460 cca then, anythoughts on going the dry cell route?

 

[naughtika]

which FTO pump are you referring to? waterpump or power steering pump?! also which belts did you get replaced?! timing belt or the alt & PS / AC Belts?!

if you have ICE in your car.. i suggest using Deep Cycle Batteries like Optima..

 

[Guest]

Crap thats a lot of labour, i think i need a new p/s pump as well, it wines worse than my pommy house mates, iv just had the belts replaced as i was told that that was causing the wining, its worse that ever now! FTO pumps fit dont they? I read some where that they make the steering a little heavier which i would prefer, does anyone know if thats right?
I havent got any audio equiptment and im not planning on getting anyhting more that a new head unit and some new speaker so i think i will go with something like a 460 cca then, anythoughts on going the dry cell route?

thats worst case, if you know what your doing. theres some guides here and on club vr4,

you could prob do it in 2 hours out and 2 hours back in all going well,


as for dry/gel cell battery's i prefer them, nothing to spill and no gas's if your like me and have it in the boot.

the FTO pump fits prefacelifts only,
the facelift has a different pump.

that said my wine is not the PS pump its the PS/AC belt tensioner bearing,

 

[SiliconAngel]

Yea I'd make damn sure I knew EXACTLY what was causing a whine before replacing anything - if it's just a pulley bearing that's simple and cheap. Replacing pumps or compressors gets freaken expensive...

If you want the safety of a sealed battery without paying an arm and a leg, try an Optima Red Top - they're not nearly as expensive as a Yellow Top but if you're not putting lots of audio gear in your car they should be more than adequate.

 

[leekscurlock]

Well it turns out it was just the battery replaced and she runs fine now. The next thing is the whine that i'm getting, its not a high pitched whine more a lower duller whine but its still really annoying me how can i find out what it actually is, i had paceway mitsi replace the driver belts. I'm not sure weather this could be related the the whining but in hard cornering the steering feels floaty and disconnected and now where near as planted as it use to be, quite unsettled really, when i first bought the car i could hammer it into corners and she gripped like crazy now it wiggles and snakes about, its getting quite disconcerting, Any thoughts?