Engine won't crank - immobiliser or starter motor?

L

liamconnolly

Member
Hello all,

I'm looking for a bit of advice as to what could be causing my E86 to fail to crank.

Having brought it out of winter hibernation this week i can't get the engine to turn, just the starter relay clicking (no stuttering, or inclination to start, power to interior/radio/lights all seems fine).

I knew the battery wasn't in the best condition so replaced today - and even topped up the charge to make sure the new battery wasn't bad. Whilst i haven't put a multimeter on i'm pretty certain that the problem isn't with the battery, which leads me to think it could be knackered starter motor (35k car - is this likely?); EWS module failure; ignition switch; or immobiliser.

The battery has been disconnected since February when the alarm went off at night - central locking wouldn't work and ignition wouldn't reset alarm, so i pulled the leads on the battery. I assumed that the battery had discharged causing the alarm to sound(?), but perhaps the immobiliser has also kicked in? I had assumed that a new battery would reset?

I can run a diagnostic in the next few days, but was wondering if anyone had had similar experiences as to what it may be and what i can do to fix.

Thanks,

Liam
 
Have you tried ye olde traditional method?
Whack the starter motor while someone turns the key?
Could just be sticking. But even so, it'll not last much longer like that.
Depending how old it is of course, but with mine the brushes had worn down so much the debris was stopping the motor turning!
Starter motor.JPG
 
That'd be starter.
I've got mine repaired with new parts, adding labour = $120 and car starts like a Koenigsegg now.
Intake manifold goes out, but it was a 20 min job for a friend of mine.
I was told that it is better to repair OE one with OE quality replacement parts rather than buying new non-OE substitute.
 
Quite common for starter motors to fail without warning, if a few clouts with a hammer dosn't shock it into starting again then put a replacement in. Mine failed without warning, clouted it with a hammer and it started working again but failed again after a few test starts. Fitted a reconditioned RTX unit from Carparts4less and starting restored to immediate starts.
 
If it's "clicking" with a new battery installed it's most likely a bad starter.
 
Thanks all - i gave the starter a bit of a tickle and it got it started, which gives me a bit of relief that it isn't a complex immobiliser issue.

i'll see how the starter goes over the next few weeks and switch out if needs be.

Thanks again
 
liamconnolly said:
Thanks all - i gave the starter a bit of a tickle and it got it started, which gives me a bit of relief that it isn't a complex immobiliser issue.

i'll see how the starter goes over the next few weeks and switch out if needs be.

Thanks again
Click to expand...
Just my 2cents if you got it started with a Wack or two. Then I would just replace before you get stuck out in no place town. Good luck.
 
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