Clementine's Garage
Clementine the Cat
 
Image of flower
Yellow R4
 
home my cars restoration tech tips guides forum
Réparateur d'automobiles

Confused about batteries can anyone help ?

D

dreaming mechanic

Enthusiast
Messages
73
Location
France
Hello
Thank you so much for your help so far with our new old car.
We need to take it for its controle technique this week so we are trying to do everything to get it to pass but still having problems with starting. The person we bought it from said the battery was new but we dont think it can be as it keeps not starting so we are going to have to get another one but we are confused about which one as there are so many

Would a Varta Blue Dynamic B18 be suitable for it (it is a 1978 billancourt 1126 R4) the measurements seem ok ?
Or a fulmen battery ? Thank you for any help!
 
Sorry another question. The cable between the battery and starter motor is quite dirty and rusty could this be causing a problem too should we change it
If we should does it have a name I can't find it on the parts websites or do you normally buy the cable and fix the connectors on yourself?
 
Have you got a multimeter? Test the battery voltage across the terminals. If you haven’t got 12.6V ( after the battery has been sitting without being touched for a few hours) then you need to charge the battery up, but if the voltage is much below 10 then there is a good chance the battery is dead.
try also testing the battery voltage while cranking the engine - you’ll get a lower voltage than 12, but If it drops a lot then the battery is toast, if minimal drop then you have either a starter or wiring fault.

you can also have a feel of the battery cables and connections after trying the starter - if the connection is warm then it is a bad connection and needs cleaning or renewing.
regarding the battery cables you can get them pre-made , but take the old ones off and give them a clean and clean the connectors, particularly the earth connectors onto the body and engine block

as for the battery chose the one with the highest Ah ( Amp hours is a measure of battery capacity) and CCA ( Cold Cranking Amps is a measure of its ability to supply large currents for starting) values that fit your car.
 
dreaming mechanic said:
Sorry another question. The cable between the battery and starter motor is quite dirty and rusty could this be causing a problem too should we change it
If we should does it have a name I can't find it on the parts websites or do you normally buy the cable and fix the connectors on yourself?
Click to expand...

It could well be causing a problem - the connections should be clean (and certainly not rusty). You could try cleaning up each end of the cable and remaking the connections. Hopefully that'll make a difference!

If you need a new cable, what about this?

https://www.4l-land.com/products/faisceau-puissance-demarreur/ (It's worth measuring the original cable and then checking with the seller that the length is the same).

Good luck!
 
You might check if the engine body earthing strap is in place and tightly connected. If it's loose the starter won't turn over properly.
 
Thanks for all the help. We have spent the day taking off the starter motor and all connecting cables to the battery and cleaned everything. When I put it all back on and tried it the starter motor did a little noise then everything was dead. We had tried the starter motor with the battery and it worked so I don't think it is the starter motor or the battery at the moment. It is just completely dead. The starter motor did get warm.

Yesterday we started it 3 times and it was fine so something has happened in between yesterday and today so I don't understand
 
When you turn your key, there is a shaft inside the starter motor, called the pinion gear or pinion shaft. This gear is supposed to connect with the fly wheel and turn the engine. When you turn your key off, the pinion shaft is supposed to release from the flywheel.
It sounds like yours is perhaps stuck. Sometimes if you put the car in gear and rock it, the pinion gets unstuck.
Take the starter motor out again (terrible job to do) to check. Also check on youtube on how to test a starter motor out of the car.
Whereabouts in France are you?
 
Thanks for all the help. We have two starter motors that came with the car. One larger than the other. the little one can't be opened to clean the brushes but it is easier to take off. It now doesn't seem to be working directly connected to the battery although it was before. The bigger one is on the car now but only did a little click and now nothing. So I don't think the pinion is stuck although it might have been before. Maybe we should just get another starter motor but we are running out of time before the controle technique
 
I remember you said that the person you bought the car from told you that the car had had a 'new' starter motor. If the replacement was an untested secondhand unit, it might have failed/be failing - and perhaps one of the two motors that came with the car is the one that the seller (had) replaced?
If you tap the body of the starter in the car (gently!) with a hammer, you might get it to work again for a while, but I think you need to know that the starter motor is working reliably - and that that is actually the problem. I'm sure that if there were a problem with a secondhand one you bought from, say, palace de l'ancienne, they'd replace it. Worth checking what sort of guarantee they'd give!
It sounds as though you've had a frustrating time with the car - made worse by the pressure of the imminent CT - don't give up, though; I'm sure you'll get it fixed. I'm also sure everyone on here's impressed that you've already changed the starter motor; it's not an easy job, especially on a LHD car!
Before the Internet, it was always worth asking the person driving La Poste vans (they used to be R4s...) if you needed any local info; there might be a retired garagiste in your area who could give you a hand once lockdown eases...
If there's nobody on here near you, you could try the French R4 forum for local help:

https://www.r4-4l.com/forum/

https://dannysengineportal.com/star...with a small current from the ignition switch.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2024 XenForo Ltd.
Back
Top