Old first car....

Kennysevenfold

Kennysevenfold

Kennysevenfold

Soldato
Joined
9 Sep 2008
Posts
7,940
Location
Glasgow
Hi all, first post in this section :)

Got my driving test on tuesday and have inherited my late grandfathers car.

The thing is, it has sat in his garage for around a year and a half without being run, so we charged the battery for 24hours and today when i tried to get it going all i heard was a clicking noise when turning the key.

Im assuming i need a new battery, anything else that could have gone wrong with the car.?

He didnt use it much, 51 plate Hyundai accent 1.3 Automatic.

Thanks all.
 
Needs a new battery, that one is knackered. Same happens on my motorcycle when i have a flat battery, it will click when it cannot turn the starter motor. Presume that its the same for a car.
 
Zuma said:
check if the lights work. if they do then it's probably the starter solenoid.
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Not really.

If you flatten a Lead Acid battery, you've broken it.

It may well be able to supply 12V at a few amps required by the headlights, but the 250A required by the starter would just kill it.

You can get devices to charge them back to life, but it takes a long time.
 
Also, if you can, check to see if the brakes are still ok, or if they've seized. I should think there is a good chance that they have if they haven't been touched in 1.5 years
 
8 years not old.? shows you what i know about cars :p

and yeah think the brakes have seized, when the handbrake is released the wheels will not move, like they are locked.

Was hoping if i get the car started this will go away.? lol
 
Kennysevenfold said:
8 years not old.? shows you what i know about cars :p

and yeah think the brakes have seized, when the handbrake is released the wheels will not move, like they are locked.

Was hoping if i get the car started this will go away.? lol
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It might just break free as you try to drive it, but the brakes want a proper service.
 
InvaderGIR said:
Thread title lies...8 years isn't old. :p :)
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It is for a Hyundai :)

That would be like owning an early 80s Volvo or a 90s Ford.


As for the seized handbrake, last time I had that problem on an old shed, I just put it in 1st gear with the engine off, released the handbrake, then jacked up the car as high as the jack would go and dropped it.

Then again, I only needed it to work for long enough to drive it to the scrapyard :)

While this may be a truely awful first car. I say go with it, you get the chance to learn how it works and how to maintain it, without the risk of ruining something you just spent thousands of pounds on.
 
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if the handbrake is stuck on, take of the back wheel(s), get a rubber mallet, and just bash the drum brake with it a couple of times and it should free it! Had to do this on my sisters bf's car the other day because he left the handbrake on for 2 weeks whilst he was on holiday - worked like an absolute treat.
 
Memphis said:
Yes it might have been free, yes it was in the family, but god almighty, what a truly awful first car.
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I agree, but only because it's an auto with a tiny engine. Other than that it's a perfectly usable first car, decent amount of space in the rear seats and boot, and just think how great his next car will feel when he upgrades ;)
 
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