Car Wouldn't Start This Morning

[ashacat]

Hi All,

Could any expert mechanics help me with this little problem please....

My car wouldn't start this morning!! (2003 Toyota Altis Sport)

When I turned the key there was a repetitive clicking noise coming from behind the passenger seat glove box area. The dashboard electrics seemed to be OK (i.e. the stereo came on and the AC fans were blowing) but the engine wouldn't start. This has not happened before.

Any ideas what it could be? Could it be the battery? or something more sinister? There has been alot of rain recently so it has been getting wet most days, could this be a problem?

Thanks for any replies.

[Artamus]

Hi All,

Could any expert mechanics help me with this little problem please....

My car wouldn't start this morning!! (2003 Toyota Altis Sport)

When I turned the key there was a repetitive clicking noise coming from behind the passenger seat glove box area. The dashboard electrics seemed to be OK (i.e. the stereo came on and the AC fans were blowing) but the engine wouldn't start. This has not happened before.

Any ideas what it could be? Could it be the battery? or something more sinister? There has been alot of rain recently so it has been getting wet most days, could this be a problem?

Thanks for any replies.

Sounds to me like the battery has insufficient kick to turn the starter motor. Could be a knackered battery or could just be the connectivity (check cables are tight and connections not corroded).

[Tywais]

I agree, sounds like a bad battery (or corroded/loose terminals). The clicking sound would be the starter relay. The low power stuff, fan, stereo, etc. require only small amounts of current compared to the motor start current. One thing to look at is when starting the lights dim very low, that would indicate not enough juice in the battery. If that battery has never been changed, 5 years is a long time without replacement here.

[ashacat]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Hopefully it is just the battery as that shouldn't cost too much, right?

Someone told me that stuff like this is covered by my 1st class car insurance, is this true? Can I just contact my insurance company and they will come and change it? or do I have to get a mechanic over to do it?

Cheers.

[Artamus]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Hopefully it is just the battery as that shouldn't cost too much, right?

Someone told me that stuff like this is covered by my 1st class car insurance, is this true? Can I just contact my insurance company and they will come and change it? or do I have to get a mechanic over to do it?

Cheers.

I don't live in Thailand, and have never owned a car there, but I've never heard of insurance covering a dead battery. For that you need something like AA callout in Europe.

The other possibility is of course someone left the car lights on and the battery is just run down.

If after checking the battery connections it's still will not start, I'd charge it (if you've got a charger). Otherwise dissconnect it and take it to your nearest competent workshop. They can test it to see if it will hold charge or not.

Of course they are likely to tell you it's dead and you need a new one

[Crossy]

Yup ^^^ dead battery.

Batteries tend to die suddenly in tropical climes (unlike the UK where they die a slow, lingering death each winter). 3 years is a reasonable life so it's older than that probably time for a new one anyway, replacements are not particularly expensive.

Assuming of course you didn't leave the lights on

[ashacat]

I've never heard of insurance covering a dead battery

Neither have I, but one of my Thai friends is adament that this is possible...

I don't have a battery charger, I will have a look in Carrefour in a minute to see how much they are. Will this just be a temporary fix tho? wom't it just keep running out all the time? (assuming it is an old battery).

[ashacat]

Batteries tend to die suddenly in tropical climes

This explains alot. I am used to batteries struggling on for months in the UK, so you can be sure that they are on the way out. The fact that this one has just suddenly stopped working, made me look for other problems which may not exist...

[Crossy]

Batteries tend to die suddenly in tropical climes

This explains alot. I am used to batteries struggling on for months in the UK, so you can be sure that they are on the way out. The fact that this one has just suddenly stopped working, made me look for other problems which may not exist...

I've had two (one here, one in Malaysia) which did exactly what yours has, just failed to wake up one morning

[ashacat]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I think that it must be a dud battery...

Does anyone know if I can use my insurance to get it sorted?

[Artamus]

I've never heard of insurance covering a dead battery

Neither have I, but one of my Thai friends is adament that this is possible...

I don't have a battery charger, I will have a look in Carrefour in a minute to see how much they are. Will this just be a temporary fix tho? wom't it just keep running out all the time? (assuming it is an old battery).

Yes, charing it yourself will be a temporary fix. But once the car is started it doesn't matter if you have a bad battery as long as the engine is running. So if youcan start it it can be driven to the garage.

Certainly batteries die fast in the heat. I'm in the Middle East and you usually get one year out of a battery, two if you are lukcy, and they tend to die instantly with no warning.

[Crossy]

Does anyone know if I can use my insurance to get it sorted?

Doubtful (never hard of it), a new battery would cost less than the excess/deductable anyway.

[krystian]

Did you check if your gear was on P or N,, because if it is on D1,2, or R you would only here the clicking and it really will not start..,,, It happened to me once LOL I am not used to driving automatic trannies,,

[Cuban]

Does anyone know if I can use my insurance to get it sorted?

Extremely unlikely, even very good 1st class cover would consider a battery like wiper blades a user replaceable item.

New battery about 3-4,000 Baht - if you can't get a jump start contact a battery supplier they will come out to you.

Your Thai friend may be refering to new car warranty or a warranty on a newly purchased battery.

Five year old battery - it's due.....

[snowflake]

Does anyone know if I can use my insurance to get it sorted?

Extremely unlikely, even very good 1st class cover would consider a battery like wiper blades a user replaceable item.

New battery about 3-4,000 Baht - if you can't get a jump start contact a battery supplier they will come out to you.

Your Thai friend may be refering to new car warranty or a warranty on a newly purchased battery.

Five year old battery - it's due.....

My mate claimed two new window wipers... I was there... You can claim almost everything... But why bother, just go and buy a new battery... Get a good one, not the cheap ones... Good luck

[ashacat]

I am waiting for someone to come around and have a look at it now...

My mate just said that it could be that the spark plugs have got wet, is this a possibility?

[Cuban]

My mate just said that it could be that the spark plugs have got wet, is this a possibility?

If the river water has made the roof liner damp this is quite possible.

Your OP indicates that the battery is past it or the starter motor solenoid has a problem.

The clue is in the clicking.

[Crossy]

My mate just said that it could be that the spark plugs have got wet, is this a possibility?

If the river water has made the roof liner damp this is quite possible.

Your OP indicates that the battery is past it or the starter motor solenoid has a problem.

The clue is in the clicking.

The person suggesting that damp plugs will prevent the starter turning should NOT be permitted to look a the problem

You did check it was in N or P didn't you (why didn't I think of that)?

Do the headlights work? Do they go out when you operate the starter?

[tuky]

The person suggesting that damp plugs will prevent the starter turning should NOT be permitted to look a the problem

Change your battery, it will increase your fuel efficiency. Your mate should have known that

[Crossy]

The person suggesting that damp plugs will prevent the starter turning should NOT be permitted to look a the problem

Change your battery, it will increase your fuel efficiency. Your mate should have known that

It's not using any fuel right now, leave it alone and save $$$$$$. Never buy fuel again

[madjbs]

If you have breakdown recovery included in your insurance then some companies will send someone to wherever you are (including your home) to replace your battery. Time to check your policy.

[ashacat]

Thanks again for all the replies.

In the end I called a mechanic out and he installed a new (massive!) battery. Total cost 2,400 Baht. Sorted.

Cheers!

[sinewave]

you have to figure out what killed the battery in the first place.

its usually do to a bad ground and more than likely an insufficiently sized positive wire from the factory, keep an eye on the water level too...thats the main killer, dont waste your time on the maintenence free batteries, they have a shorter service life.

add (do not replace) thicker wires and your car will run even better.

[madjbs]

^ If the battery was the original one then it most likely just died of old age

[ashacat]

dont waste your time on the maintenence free batteries,

Oops, too late. I got a "maintanance free" one. The thing is a beast, about twice a big as the old one! The bloke was saying that its got more amps or something, it looks like a bloody HGV battery!

But at least it starts straight away now.

[bkkmick]

Happened to me recently. Battery dead. Mate came around and gave me a jump start. Worked fine. Next morning dead again. Got another jump, drove around to Seacon Square, went shopping, got in and drove home. Next morning dead again. I called a Thai mate in the car business and he sent a couple of mechanics around who tested the battery and gave it another jump, they said that the battery was fine - maybe a problem elsewhere but no need to change the battery.

That night I decided to drive down to the local shop to get some beer and I noticed that the boot light was on! That was it! My daughter had been playing in the car one afternoon and had switched the light on. The only time I was getting into the car at night I noticed that the light was on (not obvious during the day). A garage could have switched off the light, charged me a fortune for changing some electrics if I had brought it to them.

[Crossy]

add (do not replace) thicker wires and your car will run even better.

Please explain how adding a wire will make the vehicle run better

[Pomthai]

Adding a wire will make the oh..hang on; the answer is "No difference at all"

[Cuban]

add (do not replace) thicker wires and your car will run even better.

Please explain how adding a wire will make the vehicle run better

I would guess that our sinusoidal friend is suggesting that increasing the current carrying capacity of the cables from the battery to the starter motor would 'improve' starting performance. However the limiting factor in the circuit would at a guess probably be the contacts on the starter solonoid, so I doubt that adding such cables would make any noticable differance to starting the car. Or am I missing something?