Dreaded click click click

[stumog]

Evening a'll

So odd one went out to the cruiser this morning and got a click click click as if the battery was flat. I checked both batteries which were 12.39 and 12.40 so tested all fuses and tgey were all good. 1 fuse was a bit loose so sorted that still nothing.

Then I thought sod it let's just jump it and see. Fired straight away. Left running on the drive for 1.5 hrs at least.

Went out later nothing back to the clicking.

So thought let's put on charge so passenger battery now reads 15 v off the charger, WTF
drivers battery 12.3 so leave it on charge for 5 hours still nothing.

Can't find my volt meter now so can't check the reading from the passenger battery.

Any ideas what to check next?

Stu

 

[ianmcoutback]

Evening a'll

So odd one went out to the cruiser this morning and got a click click click as if the battery was flat. I checked both batteries which were 12.39 and 12.40 so tested all fuses and tgey were all good. 1 fuse was a bit loose so sorted that still nothing.

Then I thought sod it let's just jump it and see. Fired straight away. Left running on the drive for 1.5 hrs at least.

Went out later nothing back to the clicking.

So thought let's put on charge so passenger battery now reads 15 v off the charger, WTF
drivers battery 12.3 so leave it on charge for 5 hours still nothing.

Can't find my volt meter now so can't check the reading from the passenger battery.

Any ideas what to check next?

Stu

Yes I do have a good idea tighten all the leads between the battery and the starter and all contacts with the soilinoid there is a week contact some were probably from vibration so just recheck all of them and it will be good to go. I had the same problem my self this was all it took and its been good since or maybe the soilinoid might be on it way out mine has still done 600000 KLM and still going.

 

[karl webster]

12-24v starter realy?

 

[Chris]

Stu, a standing voltage of between 12v and 15 v is no indication of battery condition really. It needs a load across it. I put a new battery on this year after very similar circumstances. Batteries had been on a CTEK for several days and seemed to hold a good charge. Turn the key and - nope. I put my big spring battery drop tester on there and the PS battery just dropped and never came back up. I figure a cell had gone. If all leads and earth etc are good and it jumped OK I'd think it's most likely one of the batteries. We know from experience that if it's a 24v start then it really needs that or it won't spin up.

 

[stumog]

Yes still 24v start. Need to test when cranking what it's getting to the starter once I have some help and can find the voltmeter I had earlier in the day.

Will go through and check the tightness of all terminals. It has all been apart so could be something stupid

Tha is so far chaps

 

[Jake the Peg]

Easy earth check, use your jump leads from the negative terminals to somewhere on the engine. You can also do a simple load test on the batteries by switching on main beam and then trying to start, if they go dim straight away, then battery would be suspect, if they stay bright then look at the cables to the starter/ earth.

There was a post not so long ago stating they changed the battery terminals due to dodgy starting

Cheers

 

[chapel gate]

The drop testers are good, and cheap. I have lots of battery's and use one to sort the half decent ones out.
If your battery's are 4 plus years old I'd put my money on them needing replacement.

 

[Chris]

Does that actually work on a 24v start Jake? The headlights etc are all fed from the DS battery so not sure that feed gets interrupted in the same way when you turn the key. It might, so try it of course. But just have a feeling that it might not show up - unless it's actually the 'aux' battery that is duff, which typically it seems not to be.

 

[stumog]

My batteries are less then 2 years old and varta. When the cruiser was parked I regularly charged them up.

When I jumped it was only on the drivers side battery and started like a 80 should.

 

[GeekOKent]

I had a problem where the negative strap to the body was not conducting enough. Maybe worth checking the leads

 

[StarCruiser]

Stu, when you jump started did you go on the battery terminals or use another connection point for the - lead? If this is the case it could well be an Earth lead. One test as above is to put jump lead between driver’s side battery and engine. If no joy with this and you’ve found your multimeter, test on Volts across the posts of the batteries and see if one drops while cranking. If ok, test on Volts across from - terminal on drivers side to engine, should be low to no Volts. You can do this across any suspect connection. No real need to get to the starter. I too would suspect batteries especially if you jump started onto the battery clamps on the cruiser, this kind of proves everything else to be ok.

 

[frank rabbets]

You can drop test without a drop tester. Just get your voltmeter on the battery terminal then get someone to crank the engine. Each battery in turn of course. I had this problem suddenly happen just during a trip. Put the voltmeter on and volts went from 12.5 to zero when wife turned the key. Other battery stayed up but there was just clicking.

 

[stumog]

So I am not sure it's fixed but I found the positive terminals were not all the way on the post 100% plus the battery was charged over night.

All charging at 14.3 as well. So let's see what happens

Cheers for help chaps

 

[frank rabbets]

See what the voltage of each battery is on cranking in the the morning?

Sick to death of batteries. Had the 80 20 years now and never had a pair last more than 3 years. Even the originals failed dead on 3 years 1 week after I bought it. Never a slow crank warning but just a click. Better than a big end click though.

 

[Towpack]

I think there’s a lot of luck involved in the quality of the batteries you get when you buy new irrespective of the brand. The two Vartas on the 80 when I bought it were not new but still lasted me 9 years despite being flattened to within an inch of their lives twice due to a parasitic drain fault. The current replacement Vartas are almost 5 years old now and still going strong.
I put a new Varta on the dirt bike last year but left the heated grips on which flattened it to less than 6 volts which effectively killed as it wouldn’t hold charge despite being ‘recovered’ by a fancy charger. Only takes one weak or bad plate and the whole thing is scrap.

 

[Chris]

Another tick in the box for 12v starting .....,

 

[steverjuk]

Not even got an 80 yet but been thinking about the 12v starter mod, surely the 24v is advantageous in colder climates but it's a pain if you want a jump.

 

[stumog]

Yeah I think so. If it needed either a battery or starter it would have had the mod

 

[stumog]

I am surprised when you jump it just off the drivers battery it goes straight away

 

[Chris]

Steve ask your self how many vehicles, in freezing climates, are 24v? Ask yourself why the 100 series is 12v. Ask yourself why the Colorado only came with the 2 battery Winter pack - in the UK. ask yourself why only the LWB Colorado got the Winter pack. Ask yourself why the 4.5 petrol 80 only came in 12v. Why is the 70 series 12v?

If an 80 doesn't start in 1/4 second, then it's not going to start. Any 12v Landrover, Rangerover, Patrol etc will use more cranking in hot weather than a sub zero 80 would in the Arctic. It's completely unnecessary.They fire up like a light bulb every single time

You see the case for 12v start has been made. It works. it's the same as a billion other cars in the world. So far (and having owned 5 80s) no one has ever said, crikey, it's a good job the 80 was 24v or it would never have started.

You can always tell a new 80 owner. How, becaue they don't let go of the key fast enough.

Fight fight fight ....