1.6 HDi no crank no start - Not battery Not Starter Motor SOLVED - BAD EARTH TO ENGINE BLOCK

[carlsberg101]

I just thought I would share my experience in the hope it may help someone else.
Put key in ignition, lights come on the dash but otherwise car is dead, no crank, no clicks no nothing. Initially I thought it was the battery but after testing and jumping it seemed fine but still nothing on turning the key. I therefore assumed it was the starter motor and as I was away from home arranged to get the car recovered. I was surprised to learn that breakdown recovery rarely takes you home anymore if you are more than 25 miles away so car was recovered to a some random garage in the middle of rural Wiltshire.

2 days later I get the call and they inform me it wasn't the starter motor but the battery. They fitted a new battery and the car is fine with my wallet £200 lighter.

Roll on 9 days and the car does exactly the same thing. So I think it was the starter motor after all so off I go to the local car spares shop and pick up a new starter motor with my wallet lighter to the tune of £102. I half heartedly tested the old starter off the car and it seems to work but I convince myself it is a bit slow so press on with the replacement. After fitting the new starter the car is still dead. I'm convinced I have done something stupid so start going back and rechecking all connections etc. Live to starter good, live to solenoid when key turned good, live from solenoid to starter when key turned good so I cannot understand why the starter wont spin. I even try jumping the starter direct from the battery - nothing.

By now I'm pulling my hair out and admit defeat. Phoned a local auto electrical place but they cannot fit me in for a week. I try a local mobile auto electrician and he is too busy but a fantastic bloke and he gives me a couple of things to try. First connect jump lead from negative battery terminal direct to engine block - hey presto the engine cranks and fires into life.

It was a bad engine block earth connection on the gearbox bell housing. A bloody 5 minute job! I spent hours Googling this fault and nowhere did I see anyone suggest checking the earth to the engine block and it is such an easy thing to check.

[mickthemaverick]

Thanks for the report, a pity you didn't post up the problem as I know at least 5 members who would have suggested checking the main engine earth. Still what's done is done and you have shiny new parts to show for your trouble and ok spares to keep as backups!!

[myglaren]

Keep your original starter.
£102 sounds alarmingly cheap for a new one. Is it from Euro Car Parts? If so then they usually last about six months.

[carlsberg101]

Keep your original starter.
£102 sounds alarmingly cheap for a new one. Is it from Euro Car Parts? If so then they usually last about six months.

Euro Carparts had one for about £70. I got this one because it was local and I could collect it same day, but it is the same cheap brand as Euro, Startline or something. Unfortunately there was a £50 surcharge on the new starter so my perfectly good old starter is no more. Euro Carparts didn't have a surcharge so if I used them I could've saved £30 and kept my old starter. Another lesson learnt.

[carlsberg101]

Thanks for the report, a pity you didn't post up the problem as I know at least 5 members who would have suggested checking the main engine earth. Still what's done is done and you have shiny new parts to show for your trouble and ok spares to keep as backups!!

I did search the forum and all previous posts seemed to fizzle out without being resolved. Lots of stuff about faulty ECU's and BSI's, immobilisers not working, transponder in key broken, the suggestions were many and varied but I couldn't find anything with this very easy fix.

To be honest I'm a bit miffed that the garage didn't bother to diagnose the problem correctly and just fobbed me off. Even an idiot like me had worked out that it wasn't the battery.