s60 wont start loud clicking - nottingham help!

[uzyg]

Hi

s60 2.0T has been working fine. Was sat in car for 5mins with ignition on whilst letting my phone charge via 12v socket. Got a message on dashboard saying something along the lines of 'warning low battery'. I try starting the car and only hear a loud clicking noise from under the bonnet but no turning over or chugging of the engine.

I have checked the battery and the indicator light is green which shows the battery is fine. All electrics including radio and lights seems to be working however the car wont fire up. I think it may be starter motor related but could it also be imobaliser or electronic related such as a relay?

Car was parked slightly up hill and tried rolling it down in reverse and jump starting it but again no luck. Plenty of fuel in car so cant be low on that.

Any help? I dont have a code reader so anyone in Nottingham who is feeling generous is would be much appreciated.

[uzyg]

Just managed to get some jump leads and after a while we got it started.

Cant figure out why they battery light indicator was showing green even though the symptoms are of a very low/dead battery...any recommend a good brand of battery? Anything I should look out for spec wise?

[thebadger]

Well, if it's servicable (battery) then check the water levels.

The battery can reach a drain point after which it may do permenant damage to the battery.

I did this on my old car, it took a jump off a 24v tow truck to put enough life in it to turn over & the battery never recovered fully. Ended up spending quite a few bucks getting a new one.

Good advice (from my own experience) is to get a big capacitor (type used for car audio set-ups) and link it to the battery. This helps give the initial kick to turn over. Also getting the biggest battery that will physically fit into the car.

Battery's die eventually. They go to a farm I'm told, but I know they die....

[princepugh]

And then you replace them, with a Yuasa :B_thumb:

[dave stew]

Mine did a similar thing a year back; luckily it was at a mate's garage so he used a heavy duty battery charger and we were back in business. They don't like prolonged periods with the stereo on, for example and no engine running.

[LeeT5]

Hi

s60 2.0T has been working fine. Was sat in car for 5mins with ignition on whilst letting my phone charge via 12v socket. Got a message on dashboard saying something along the lines of 'warning low battery'. I try starting the car and only hear a loud clicking noise from under the bonnet but no turning over or chugging of the engine.

I have checked the battery and the indicator light is green which shows the battery is fine. All electrics including radio and lights seems to be working however the car wont fire up. I think it may be starter motor related but could it also be imobaliser or electronic related such as a relay?

Car was parked slightly up hill and tried rolling it down in reverse and jump starting it but again no luck. Plenty of fuel in car so cant be low on that.

Any help? I dont have a code reader so anyone in Nottingham who is feeling generous is would be much appreciated.

What are you on about? Talk about barking up the wrong tree!
The clue to your problem is in the description of what you did. Fact of the matter is the fault all along was, without question, your battery!!
If you had your ignition on, radio on and nothing else, then whilst you may think your not doing any harm, in actual fact your consuming lots of amps. There are many ECU's on these cars and they all consume power when the ignition is on (whether the engine is running or not). Get an amp meter and it will prove i am right.

You need to understand "amps" and "consumers", then you will understand why your car wouldn't start.

The loud 'clicking' on crank was your starter motor solenoid. This is normal but you wouldn't normally hear it because the engine would start, however, if your battery has been drained then there won't be enough "amps" to crank the engine over but there will be plenty for other stuff to work, like radio, lights etc. That's because they consume a hell of a lot less current than a dirty great starter motor (which needs about 175 - 250amps). Diesels are more, about 200 - 300amps.

Try Wilkipedia for "amps", "current" and "voltage"...then you will have a clearer understanding :)

Ps. Now you have discharged your battery it will be well worth getting it tested. Your starter motor will be fine.

the Green light symbol on your battery is a gimmic. They are not fool proof and i certainly wouldn't trust what it displays. A proper Midtronics battery tester is the only way to test a battery.

Not a good idea leaving ignition on without engine running as this can overheat certain components and damage the ignition coils.

Hope this helps

[lance]

I can recommed DPA volvo specialist in Radford. 0115 9781117

[princepugh]

I recall with no great fondness being sat in the customer lounge at well known Volvo dealership waiting on the return of my Phase 1 V70. The elderly gentleman sat opposite was approached by a suited fellow from the service desk who proceeded to inform him that they’d looked at the car (presumably a Phase 2 of sorts), tested the battery and could find no fault(!)

The gentleman explained that he’d been parked up and was fishing for no more than a couple of hours while his wife listened to the radio and had lunch – he was surprised that the battery had gone flat in such a relatively short period of time and lamented the similar problems he’d never had with his previous Volvos. The service desk fellow did his best to explain how the modern generation of Volvos draw much more current from the battery with the ignition on and that it was not advisable to leave on for extended periods. Perhaps feeling slightly chastised, the gentleman collected his car and no doubt set his wife straight about the matter.

I’d never given it a second thought until I managed to almost flatten my battery one night whilst piddling about changing some dash bulbs as well as having the audacity to make use of the electric seat controls to recover an escaped bolt. “Battery low!” the dashboard warned me disapprovingly and suddenly I found myself lamenting the similar problem I’d never had with the Phase 1.. tskk!

[uzyg]

Sorry, I should have updated this post to say what happened.

Got the car jump started and the battery lasted a week until it died again. During this time I have been checking the power using a voltmeter and the battery was reading 12v when off and just over 14 when powered...

Regardless, battery has been changed for a Lucas premium 750cca which should last a while.

Thanks for the input guys

[Porcine_Aviator]

Mine did a similar thing a year back; luckily it was at a mate's garage so he used a heavy duty battery charger and we were back in business. They don't like prolonged periods with the stereo on, for example and no engine running.

Yep I agree, I was waiting for Mrs PA in a car park in Porthmadog and listening to the radio. After half an hour of radio and nothing else running I to had a loud clicking and no start.

Called Green Flag and a jump start got her going again.

So no more listening to the radio without the engine running. :(

[LeeT5]

Sorry, I should have updated this post to say what happened.

Got the car jump started and the battery lasted a week until it died again. During this time I have been checking the power using a voltmeter and the battery was reading 12v when off and just over 14 when powered...

Regardless, battery has been changed for a Lucas premium 750cca which should last a while.

Thanks for the input guys

Like i said, you need to read up on amps! Volts won't tell you anything other than is the battery flat! Incidentally, a flat battery is one that measures less than 12.2V. Anything over 12.8v and there is a 'surface charge' present. You need to dissipate the surface charge in order to properly test the battery otherwise it will contaminate the result.
When the engine is running you should expect to see nothing less than 13.5v and nothing more than 14.5v.
if you had tested the battery when it caused you the problems in the first place, then it would have condemned it there and then.
just some useless info for anyone that gives a hoot and for future reference :)
Battery's fail for 1 of 3 reason's ONLY.

1. Battery U/S
2. Battery drained (e.g left lights on)
3. Alternator not correctly charging.

That's it. Simple's!