In an ice storm last Friday morning my sister totalled her car, an '85
Ford Crown Victoria (she hit a stopped DPW truck!). Since she needs
some way to get to work, my mother will loan my sister her car. Since
my mother doesn't want to be housebound, I will lend her my car. So I
need something to drive. Never mind that it's been in the teens and
single digits for the last few weeks, or that there are a few feet of
snow on the ground, I need to drive the MG now. It gets driven daily
in the summer, almost never in the winter; it does terribly on the
snow, the heat is marginal, and I don't enjoy exposing the object of
my efforts to road salt and other Massachusetts drivers.
When I tried to start the MG, I experienced a problem that began
appearing in October. Now and then, the car wouldn't start. It's as
if the battery were dead -- I put in a new battery after the engine
rebuld last winter. I heard the solenoid click, the engine turn for
a fraction of a second, the lights dim, and then nothing.
Sometimes I'd give it a jump start, and it would come to life. After
running a few minutes, it might start fine without the jump.
Sometimes I'd hook up my battery charger. The charger is rated for
50Amps cranking power. If I tried starting it with the charger
connected, the charger would click indicating I was pulling all 50
amps it would give, but the engine wouldn't turn.
I checked if there was a current drain when the ignition was off: no
--- only a few milliamps. This was before my multimeter died, I'll
pick up a new one on the way home from work today.
Sometimes after a few hours on the charger, the car would start okay.
Then for days it would be fine, no hint of a problem. Then when I
least expected it, the same symptoms.
Yesterday afternoon I started preparing the MG for daily driving. I
turned it over for a few seconds but it wouldn't start. (Then I
remembered to hook up the fuel pump.) I tried again: it turned for a
second, and then the starter wouldn't turn over the engine.
I hooked up the battery charger, and again, the charger maxed out and
wouldn't do a thing. I left the charger on, indicating a low charge
rate, and drove my Acura nearby to try a jumpstart. Before jumping
it, I tried the MG again. Started right up. I disconnected the
charger, let the engine warm up and then went for a half hour drive.
When I came back I turned off the car to get out and open the garage
door. When I returned to start the car a minute later, the starter
would only turn the engine for a fraction of a second.
I roll started the car (did I mention my driveway is on a 45 degree
incline?) and drove it into the garage, where it now sits.
What is going on?
Do I have a short in the starter?
-> Then why would the jump start do it?
Is my starter solenoid misbehaving?
-> If the contacts were dirty, wouldn't it act as an open, not a short?
Is my almost new battery the problem?
-> Why did it take 6 months to start acting up?
Is it the charging system?
-> Having it not start doesn't seem connected to driving for any time.
A starter ground problem?
-> Again, wouldn't it act as an open?
Is this a common Lucas malady? Has anyone else seen these symptoms?
Thanks in advance,
Josh Kablotsky
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