Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing 4/4 won't start!

Hi folks,
Wonder if anyone has any thoughts on the following....

I am unable to start my 1990 4/4 1.6 CVH Morgan. When I turn the ignition it is sluggish to turn over and it does not seem to have the power to 'fire' up!.......

Some recent history regarding this problem....

In March I had the same problem. I checked the battery, and lead terminals and all was ok. A mechanic had a look and suggested it was the starter motor. I took it off and had it reconditioned. I refitted it and it fired up a treat. I have only covered some 60 miles since with no problems until yesterday.

I started it up and whist it started, I did think it was a fraction sluggish. I drove some 20miles and parked up. When I returned, the car would not 'turn over'......same problem as in March. I called the R A C, who checked the battery, terminal leads and connections. All ok. He then went under the bonnet and found that the current to the starter motor was low. He removed the earth strap leading from the body to the starter and cleaned it up. It then fired up and I was able to continue my journey heading home. On the way home I stopped for approx 2mins, and when I tried to restart the car....same thing, would not turn over! Whilst waiting for the RAC again, I tried restarting, and it fired up, enabling me to get home. Since, it will not start at all. I have checked all the terminals and all seems ok, although I am not a mechanic and have limited mechanical skills. It is not a problem to return the starter motor to have it rechecked, but wondered if that was a 'red herring' in the first place. Sorry for the long winded post but they say 90% of the diagnosis is in the history.
Many thanks, Mark.

Have you checked the starter relay?

Mark,

I have a similar problem with my 88 4/4. It is not consistent enough for me to worry about though. In Western Australia, cars less than 25 years old have to have an immobiliser fitted, and I wonder if that is the cause for me. If I leave it for a couple of minutes it seems to start OK. I do not think it is a battery issue, as it does not struggle to crank. It is more like an isolation issue of some kind.
In my experience, starter motors usually "Click" if they are having an issue with the bendix engaging, and that is caused by lack of battery power. Perhaps you should replace your earth strap, it may have a fault, there was a thread recently I think on this

Have you had your alternator checked?

I would definitely check all the earth straps on the car. They may appear ok from the outside but can corrode where they contact the bodywork or engine.

Neil

greyhound: I'm not familiar with your model but if your battery is in the back of the car you have a few more terminals to check.
In my experience the terminals can look ok but be severely corroded inside. One way of checking this is to crank the engine a couple of seconds and then carefully (burned fingers) check if any of the terminals becomes hot, perhaps even smoke. They can become warm even if they are in good condition but should never be hot.
Easy check: Turn on the lights and ask someone to see if the light goes out (more or less) when you crank the engine.

Hi Mark.
Had virtually the same problem when i bought my 4/4 2 years ago.Had the battery tested and was said to be ok,replaced the starter motor with a new one.Still had the problem with intermittent non starting,replaced the battery with a new one and have not had a problem since.It appears to me that batteries can sometimes pass all tests but when under load on the car can fail.perhaps if your battery is more than 2-3 years old it is worth replacing anyway.Its also worth putting an extra earth strap between the bulkhead and engine gearbox casing. Good luck Barry
78 4/4 4 Seater

All above is correct, please Check befor you Look to the next:
Check if 12v arrive on Starter cool,
You follow the Logic Way

This sounds very familiar. My '85 CVH 4/4 had almost identical symptoms - would be sluggish to turn over, and refuse any kind of activity whatsoever within about 5 minutes of being stopped. A few minutes' wait until everything had cooled down a bit was normally enough to get me going again, but that's a bit embarrassing when you're in a petrol station clogging up everyone else's exit! Earth straps, starter motor, etc all seemed fine. Replacing the battery, despite assurances that it was OK, has solved the problem completely and it now fires up on the first turn of the crank.

The engine heats up to max when you turn it off, so will present the greatest resistance to turning. The pistons will expand as the heat sinks into the block and head, not unlike the early stages of seizure through overheating. So this will find any weak spot in the system. I had major trouble with my Gilbern on hot starts.It often took 15 minutes before it would restart, and that turned out to be a weak starter. But the most baffling non-start I ever had was the battery positive terminal, on a rear mounted battery, which had a hairline crack. This only became obvious when I'd spent a fortune changing things, and as I fitted a new battery it fell apart in my hand. Fixed for £3.00, having spent a fortune first.

Thanks everyone so far. I will start to work my way through your suggestions and keep you posted.

Kind regards, Mark