How do I jump start a car?
- Thread starter qwerty
- Start date
If the starter motor is spinning.......then how would your battery be dead....?
I think that from the tone of my opening post, you can tell I am a noob when it comes to the workings of cars
If my diagnosis is wrong, please feel free to suggest other ones!
Bump start it yourself:
Put into neutral, start pushing (in the drivers door, so you can get in easily), make sure the ignition is at ''on'', at reasonable speed hop in and throw into gear, when you hear the engine running hit the clutch and rev it a small bit ( say 2k rpm)...
EDIT:
As for the battery jump starting, I doubt that'd help if the starter motor spinning, it means there's still power. Unless of course it stops after a few spins....
Put into neutral, start pushing (in the drivers door, so you can get in easily), make sure the ignition is at ''on'', at reasonable speed hop in and throw into gear, when you hear the engine running hit the clutch and rev it a small bit ( say 2k rpm)...
EDIT:
As for the battery jump starting, I doubt that'd help if the starter motor spinning, it means there's still power. Unless of course it stops after a few spins....
Last edited:
Bump start it.
Put car into 1st gear, hold down clutch, ignition on
Get car rolling through use of hill or strong friends
lift clutch and hit throttle
If starts, rev, and then slow before hitting the oncoming wall or car (theres always something)
If not, wash, rince repeat.
Put car into 1st gear, hold down clutch, ignition on
Get car rolling through use of hill or strong friends
lift clutch and hit throttle
If starts, rev, and then slow before hitting the oncoming wall or car (theres always something)
If not, wash, rince repeat.
Associate
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The starter motor can spin if it gets some power but not enough, if you turn the lights on then try and start the car, if the battery can't supply enough power the lights will go dim. Doesn't neccessarily mean its dead, might just need a charge.
The lights always go dim on both our cars when starting the car/turning over the starter
...Yet it always starts fine.
No, just turn your key the way it is how it's when driving.
Eg not ''off''
not ''acc''
but ''on''
then the ignition is on...
1) When you turn on the ignition do the dashboard warning lights come on like normal?
2) When you turn the key does it try to start? Is the engine turning? Is it making that "ehehehehehehehe" noise it normally does before starting? Is it turning at the same speed it normally does before starting? Or does it sort of go "uuuuuurrgh....uuuuuuuuuuuuurrgh" sounding slow and laboured?
If the starter is spinning at the normal speed then there is nothing wrong with the battery and buying jump leads will accomplish nothing.
2) When you turn the key does it try to start? Is the engine turning? Is it making that "ehehehehehehehe" noise it normally does before starting? Is it turning at the same speed it normally does before starting? Or does it sort of go "uuuuuurrgh....uuuuuuuuuuuuurrgh" sounding slow and laboured?
If the starter is spinning at the normal speed then there is nothing wrong with the battery and buying jump leads will accomplish nothing.
Associate
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Weird. Must just be my crap old Rover then!The lights always go dim on both our cars when starting the car/turning over the starter
Yet it always starts fine.
Indeed, if it has trouble firing yet it turns over normally I'd say it's one of two things (or a mixutre of both):
1. Cold Coolant Sensor
2. Coilpack.
When were the plugs and leads last changed? Could be a fuel filter problem. Although mine never had problems starting, would just conk out between gears.
Ok, the starter sounds like it's spinning normally. But there is absolutely nothing from the engine. The dashboard lights do come on as normal.
Also, I now see what you chaps meant by in the 'on' position, so could try a bump start if that would work?
Soldato
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You say the motor spins, does it sound like it normally does (pulsing with the compression of the engine), or does it just spin up?
Explain this one please. I just filled up the coolant reservoir since it complained of being low on coolant.
Doesnt sound like a battery, just the engine not fireing. Try a bump start to see if it starts, if not, AA it
Doesnt sound like a battery, just the engine not fireing. Try a bump start to see if it starts, if not, AA it
Ok, I'm going to try the bump start now. I will go and wake up my sister
Also, RAC not AA darling
This might help a bit
NOT a flat battery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-w8JLWVrLU&feature=related
Flat battery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocRWbnmIU0c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnYP3csiQwI
(ignore his stupid alarm buzzing every now and then)
NOT a flat battery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-w8JLWVrLU&feature=related
Flat battery:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocRWbnmIU0c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnYP3csiQwI
(ignore his stupid alarm buzzing every now and then)
What car is it? it may be too old to even has sensors.
CTS tells the ECU what temperature the coolant is, and changes the air/fuel mixture on start up to suit. If it's faulty and is telling the ECU that it's warm, the fueling will be too lean. Which means no firing.
Ok, just tried starting it normally again one last time and after some starter motor whirring, the engine just about kicked into life so I gave it some revs and it started.
This is the second time this has happened in a week - I should get the car checked out cos there is clearly something wrong with it, right? It's an 04 plate mkV golf so it's not just an old banger that's on its last legs, it should be working fine.
This is the second time this has happened in a week - I should get the car checked out cos there is clearly something wrong with it, right? It's an 04 plate mkV golf so it's not just an old banger that's on its last legs, it should be working fine.