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Car trouble

RodneyCharltonTrotta
RodneyCharltonTrotta Posts: 14,836
in Troubleshooting
My mate's car wouldn't start last night outside ours.  Headlights still worked and radio so don't think it was battery. Just every time he turned key just a loud clicking.

Clueless when it comes to motors so any ideas would be gratefully received.

2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR if that helps.

Thanks 
«13

Comments

  • fat man on a moped
    fat man on a moped Posts: 938
    edited February 2024
    RodneyCharltonTrotta said:
    My mate's car wouldn't start last night outside ours.  Headlights still worked and radio so don't think it was battery. Just every time he turned key just a loud clicking.

    Clueless when it comes to motors so any ideas would be gratefully received.

    2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR if that helps.

    Thanks 
    Think it will most probably be the battery, have you got some jump leads? 
  • Rob7Lee
    Rob7Lee Posts: 9,619
    RodneyCharltonTrotta said:
    My mate's car wouldn't start last night outside ours.  Headlights still worked and radio so don't think it was battery. Just every time he turned key just a loud clicking.

    Clueless when it comes to motors so any ideas would be gratefully received.

    2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR if that helps.

    Thanks 
    If it's got power and clicking then almost certainly stater motor, sometimes a whack with a hammer (on the starter motor) will bring into life, but it'll go again, bump start it as you may have drained the battery trying.
  • RodneyCharltonTrotta
    RodneyCharltonTrotta Posts: 14,836
    Thanks gents.
  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 26,914
    I know nothing about cars and I don’t even know what this does but I am gonna say Alternator 
  • RodneyCharltonTrotta
    RodneyCharltonTrotta Posts: 14,836
    MrOneLung said:
    I know nothing about cars and I don’t even know what this does but I am gonna say Alternator 
    That was me and my mate last night...bullshit bingo pretending we had a scooby  :D
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,995
    All Vauxhalls are dreadful. Get it going then trade it in for something, anything, else.
    But yes, likely battery. It's decades since I had a starter motor jam and I always drive old shitheaps
  • letthegoodtimesroll
    letthegoodtimesroll Posts: 10,661
    edited February 2024
    RodneyCharltonTrotta said:
    My mate's car wouldn't start last night outside ours.  Headlights still worked and radio so don't think it was battery. Just every time he turned key just a loud clicking.

    Clueless when it comes to motors so any ideas would be gratefully received.

    2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR if that helps.

    Thanks 
    You’ve obviously got power to the car’s ‘clicker’ then and that’s obviously connected. Now it’s daylight, are there any loose cables/wires ? A little car like that might have gone over one too many potholes and dislodged something.
  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 8,527
    Rob7Lee said:
    RodneyCharltonTrotta said:
    My mate's car wouldn't start last night outside ours.  Headlights still worked and radio so don't think it was battery. Just every time he turned key just a loud clicking.

    Clueless when it comes to motors so any ideas would be gratefully received.

    2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR if that helps.

    Thanks 
    If it's got power and clicking then almost certainly stater motor, sometimes a whack with a hammer (on the starter motor) will bring into life, but it'll go again, bump start it as you may have drained the battery trying.
    Used to have a lump of wood in my old Ford Escort, specifically to give the starter motor a whack lol
  • RodneyCharltonTrotta
    RodneyCharltonTrotta Posts: 14,836
    fat man on a moped said:
    RodneyCharltonTrotta said:
    My mate's car wouldn't start last night outside ours.  Headlights still worked and radio so don't think it was battery. Just every time he turned key just a loud clicking.

    Clueless when it comes to motors so any ideas would be gratefully received.

    2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR if that helps.

    Thanks 
    Think it will most probably be the battery, have you got some jump leads? 
    Winner. It was the battery as he's jumped it this morning and all sorted.

    Cheers all 
  • Stuart_the_Red
    Stuart_the_Red Posts: 1,868
    My first wife’s Opel/Vauxhall always had a hammer in the passenger footwell for whacking the starter motor.

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  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 8,527
    RodneyCharltonTrotta said:
    fat man on a moped said:
    RodneyCharltonTrotta said:
    My mate's car wouldn't start last night outside ours.  Headlights still worked and radio so don't think it was battery. Just every time he turned key just a loud clicking.

    Clueless when it comes to motors so any ideas would be gratefully received.

    2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR if that helps.

    Thanks 
    Think it will most probably be the battery, have you got some jump leads? 
    Winner. It was the battery as he's jumped it this morning and all sorted.

    Cheers all 
    Could also potentially be a bad alternator that caused the battery to not charge in the first place. 
  • RedChaser
    RedChaser Posts: 19,888
    Batteries don’t like the cold especially old ones this time of year 🥶.
  • Hal1x
    Hal1x Posts: 4,265
    edited February 2024
    IdleHans said:
    All Vauxhalls are dreadful. Get it going then trade it in for something, anything, else.

    Idiot- slightly sweeping and ill informed statement.
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,995
    It's just an opinion borne of experience from a Chevette, two Vivas, two Astras (from new), a Belmont and the ruination of Saab.
    To be fair, apart from the Belmont these were Mrs Idle's cars. The beautiful Saab was mine, as was a subsequent GM-ised 9-3 convertible, which was rubbish.


  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,635
    Hal1x said:
    IdleHans said:
    All Vauxhalls are dreadful. Get it going then trade it in for something, anything, else.

    Idiot- slightly sweeping and ill informed statement.
    Astranomically silly thing to say
  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 8,527
    Nova kind of roughly translates to "No Good".

    Even though I always wanted one years ago
  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,635
    Gribbo said:
    Nova kind of roughly translates to "No Good".

    Even though I always wanted one years ago
    Of corsa you did
  • James86
    James86 Posts: 329
    Money pits that’s what they are. Tell your mate to sell it ASAP. I had one a couple years ago. Couldn’t enjoy it, was constantly worried about something going wrong. Engines & Gearboxes are like chocolate. Recommend compression testing engine P4 is a known common issue to fail
  • mendonca
    mendonca Posts: 9,423
    Just for some balance, my friends kid has had a Vauxhall Corsa for 6 years without any issue whatsoever.


  • twiggyaddick
    twiggyaddick Posts: 1,565
    Change the battery, if it still plays up, change the alternator, if it still plays up, change the starter motor, if it still plays up roll it into the Thames.

    You can get a battery and alternator tester from ebay or Amazon for less than a tenner. I also got a NOCO battery jump starter which came in handy when my last battery started playing up in the cold 

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  • fadgadget
    fadgadget Posts: 1,397
    That clicking is probably the Solenoid , 1st point of call is to get the battery checked , can be done yourself if you have a multimeter , next inline would be the Solenoid then Starter motor , there are some good self help videos on youtube .    
  • MrWalker
    MrWalker Posts: 4,137
    DaveMehmet said:
    Hal1x said:
    IdleHans said:
    All Vauxhalls are dreadful. Get it going then trade it in for something, anything, else.

    Idiot- slightly sweeping and ill informed statement.
    Astranomically silly thing to say
    Taking a somewhat cavalier attitude on this thread aren’t you?
  • The Prince-e-Paul
    The Prince-e-Paul Posts: 6,698
    I remember in the 70's my dad's old Reliant Robin had a problem with the windscreen wipers. Occasionally they would pack up. The fix involved my mum removing a shoe and whacking a motor housed in the passenger foootwell. All of this was once observed by a school mate given a lift, who's dad drove a Daimler!

    Batteries in winter take an absolute hammering. Even newish batteries can require a charge with a charger to get them back up to near full charge (if the car is only used for short journeys and the wipers, heater, demister, heated seats etc are all on.


  • DaveMehmet
    DaveMehmet Posts: 21,635
    MrWalker said:
    DaveMehmet said:
    Hal1x said:
    IdleHans said:
    All Vauxhalls are dreadful. Get it going then trade it in for something, anything, else.

    Idiot- slightly sweeping and ill informed statement.
    Astranomically silly thing to say
    Taking a somewhat cavalier attitude on this thread aren’t you?
    You're right, I shouldn't make a Mokkary of it
  • mendonca
    mendonca Posts: 9,423
    Are all Vauxhall's known to have a squeaky clutch? 
  • Wellred
    Wellred Posts: 1,118
    RodneyCharltonTrotta said:
    My mate's car wouldn't start last night outside ours.  Headlights still worked and radio so don't think it was battery. Just every time he turned key just a loud clicking.

    Clueless when it comes to motors so any ideas would be gratefully received.

    2016 Vauxhall Corsa VXR if that helps.

    Thanks 

    Could be the starter motor sticking just give it a couple of knocks with a hammer lightly to clear the crap that makes it stick 
  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 8,527
    edited February 2024
    Would live to give more advice, but don't know mechanics from Adam
  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 8,527
    edited February 2024
    ......thr is a Vauxhal Adam ain't there?
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,995
    Can we stick to discussing Carlton please?
  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 8,527
    IdleHans said:
    Can we stick to discussing Carlton please?
    Alright, no need to get Cross land

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