Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax The ol non-start issue

Nick if you could post the 'code' off your existing battery (& you may find a date of mfr too) it can be cross referenced

My pal swears by Varta

My local AA techie likes Yuasa

The best battery charger in the world can't fix a knackered battery. Symptoms suggest exactly that. Don't waste money on expensive batteries unless you plan to use your car regularly.

Nick

I had this on my Aero S1.

Battery was always kept on trickle charge ;permanent and then timed intervals - (but thats another story!).I didn't always get the dreaded 'click' but often enough to be annoying.

I fitted a new Odyssey battery (I think I'm on my 3rd!) and it did improve a little ,but always reverted.

Having some other work done I bit the bullet and got the starter motor replaced and ........end of problem
It now fires on the button.I believe the starter gets well 'cooked' from the engine heat, coupled with (perhaps) a potentially degraded earth and a battery just off top performance and Bingo

I know you said the starter has been replaced but, was it a decent unit - lots of poor quality re-furbed and Chinesium copies out there.Also, I'm not sure how long their shelf life is in the un-friendly environment.

Worth checking before investing in a new battery.....

James

I have the same problem, car is permanently on a CTEK, shows full charge and kept on frost setting. If its been standing for any length of time I always use a jump pack as well, works!

Thanks all, presume it has the standard Odyssey on it but will check at some point! I wanted to fire it before covering it up so will need to uncover it to investigate, but that may have to wait with baby 3 imminent..


Thanks James - good point, I will have to check through the paperwork - majority of the work on it has been done by the factory, so with any luck the starter was as well and it is a genuine unit, if I recall the invoice wasn't cheap..

It has only done about 5/600 miles since the work was done, so hopefully it hasn't been cooked to much - but if it is a cheap unit then who knows.

Either way hopefully that all points to the starter being ok, and it being the easier/cheaper fix!

My Roadster S1 did this . The cause was poor earthing. They looked ok but the engine to chassis earth when unbolted was heavily coroded. Worth a check. As RichardV6 says batteries are not so expensive & if it is old I would replace it anyway.

Hi, I've got some experience of this on my S1 and have found a fix that works for me, assuming battery is healthy, I use an Odyssey gel model:

1. Have the battery on a smart charger, (e.g Ctek mxs 5.0) on a timer for 4 hours per day, on an ongoing basis. 4 hours a day limit prevents frying of the cells

2. When more than 10 clicks to start, spray some WD40 around the gap on the perimeter of the green start button, then with ignition off, about 30-50 repeated pushes of the button to work it in

3. Car should start within 3 attempts.

4. Repeat step 2 as needed , normally after an extended period without use

Hope this helps

^ I auto sparky told me years ago to avoid WD40 type stuff on any switches as eventually it leaves a sticky NON conductive deposit on the contacts within

I understand that principle, but I thought that Ctek's are supposed to be "conditioners" and you can leave them connected to the battery and plugged in to the mains, and go away and forget about them (long-term storage). Wouldn't a 4-hour blast once a day make the charger cycle start all over again ?

Also, has anyone found an (aftermarket ?) alternative to the Ctek leads, which in cold weather go inconveniently stiff.

Use dielectric grease.

gmg