Hi all, can anyone shed some light on my problem??

I fitted a new exhaust the other day, after doing this I went to start the car. I turned the key and the temp and fuel gauge needles started twitching and a funny kind of whining noise coming from the engine compartment. Guessing the starter motor had failed I fitted a new one, now when I connected the battery I get a sound as if the starter motor is turning really slowly? But not turning the engine at all. If I disconnect the starter motor and reconnect the battery and turn the key I get all sorts of messages coming up like air bag failure, abs failure etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi.
Sounds like you have lost an earth connection..

Look in GUIDES for more info.

Charlie

varesecrazy said:

Hi.
Sounds like you have lost an earth connection..

Look in GUIDES for more info.

Charlie

Click to expand...

Yup, I would make the same guess. If it were my car I'd connect a jumpstart lead from the negative battery terminal at one end to the engine block at the other. If it behaves itself (ie. Starter works and engine runs with no "funny" dash lights) then the earth needs to be investigated/replaced. Of course as I can't be there to check your use of the jumplead, you do this at your own risk!

Whilst on the subject of non starters and jump leads - Earlier this year I, very disappointingly, suffered a turbo failure on my two-and-a-bit year old petrol Ibiza. The problem was sorted, under warranty, with a new turbo and, now understanding the problem I'm not expecting it to repeat (new turbo has modification which looks to address the faulty bit). However, back to non starters. The SEAT Assist technician who attended my breakdown turned out to be a very helpful and chatty enthusiast and we had a very interesting chat whilst he worked. Amongst the many interesting things we discussed he cautioned me against jump starting the latest generation of vehicles!

I have been wary of jump starting for some years now and I haven't done it vehicle to vehicle for quite a few years to avoid "spikes" I use a separate battery and have a carefully thought out procedure which has not yet failed me. It would seem now though that if you have a car which does "smart charging" then jump starting, especially if the vehicle battery is significantly discharged, can cause expensive damage to the controller (ECU) which is involved in the smart charge function. I don't fully understand what this is all about yet and I'm making enquiries to get clarification. So far, I've been told, it seems that the problem is caused by connecting directly to the battery terminals on the vehicle. For many years now I have connected positive to positive and negative on the good battery to engine block on the "flat" vehicle but that was mainly to avoid igniting battery gasses if there was a spark. I suspect this will not be enough on a "smart" system? Note to self:- must read the Ibiza's manual!

If I learn any more I'll keep you all informed - feeling a bit insecure now as the Ibiza has a smart charging system!

Regards to all
Jock.

https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-pu...nto-engine-bay-earthing-points.html?p=4285190

Thanks for your help so far. Removed all the earth connections, they were all looking pretty clean, but cleaned them up anyway. What I did notice though is that when I connected the battery with the starter motor wired up no ignition lights would come on, not even the display with the clock, mileage etc. And put my hand down on the starter motor and I could feel, and hear that it was turning slowly but not engaging with the flywheel even with the key out of the ignition. After disconnecting the battery I removed the the wires from the starter motor, reconnected the battery and tried the key in the ignition again. It all lit up like normal except for an airbag failure warning flashing up, also the stereo has stopped working, although that is the least of my worries at the moment. Just can't understand whats causing this problem?? Was wondering if this could be down to the cranking cut off relay? Or am I just clutching at straws??

Sorry forgot to mention, my car is a 2007 Grande Punto 1.4 Active Sport 8 valve.

Hi Matt,

rewind-back and replay what you did @ exhaust replacement, have probably disconnected an earthing point, which would explain your issue(s) IF they happened exactly after the job you did …

BRs, Bernie

If someone here helped You fix -or better, understand- your issue, hit the thanks icon @ bottom right corner, it's free and makes us feel helpy ;-)

Hi Bernie

The only thing when I did the exhaust was jack up the car, was only replacing the centre section, so no wires needed to be messed with, although I did notice the lamda sensor was loose so tighten it up. Was fine when I parked it there, just can't understand how this has happened?? Never known anything happen like this before??

Matt75 said:

Hi Bernie

The only thing when I did the exhaust was jack up the car, was only replacing the centre section, so no wires needed to be messed with, although I did notice the lamda sensor was loose so tighten it up. Was fine when I parked it there, just can't understand how this has happened?? Never known anything happen like this before??

Click to expand...

No guarantee youve not got the internal cable failure.

Do the additional earth test as in FAQ..Or GUIDES

WHEN you attempt to crank on starter..

Do the lights DIM?.. or stay bright??

I'm going to buy a cheap set of jump leads when I finish work this afternoon to try the additional earth test. I'll also check the lights. And get back to you.

Car finally fixed. Made a small mistake connecting up the starter motor so it was getting a permanent live, also the battery was knackered. Thanks for all who helped with suggestions of what the problem could be. At least I know all my earth's are in good shape and cleaned up. [emoji6]. Thanks again. [emoji16]

Matt75 said:

Car finally fixed. Made a small mistake connecting up the starter motor so it was getting a permanent live, also the battery was knackered. Thanks for all who helped with suggestions of what the problem could be. At least I know all my earth's are in good shape and cleaned up. [emoji6]. Thanks again. [emoji16]

Click to expand...

Thanks for the update, but what was the " small mistake ", forgot the insulation spacer ?? Would be nice to let others know ...

BRs, Bernie

Matt75 said:

Car finally fixed. Made a small mistake connecting up the starter motor so it was getting a permanent live, also the battery was knackered. Thanks for all who helped with suggestions of what the problem could be. At least I know all my earth's are in good shape and cleaned up. [emoji6]. Thanks again. [emoji16]

Click to expand...

Chances are the battery was ok.. until it got such a load

Your right Bernie, it is a good idea for others to learn from my mistake. The problem was to do with that small wire that goes behind the big thick positive wire. It was when I put that small wire on behind the insulation block, it was shorting out so not doing what it's supposed to do, so making a permanent live to the starter motor. Small mistake to make but easily done due to where the starter motor is situated, and trying to get it done in poor lighting outside after work.

varesecrazy said:

Chances are the battery was ok.. until it got such a load

Click to expand...

Possibly, although I had that battery for quite a long time. Still, it's good to know I've got a nice new fresh battery ready for winter. [emoji6]

just to clarify what Matt has (probably) faced …

BRs, Bernie

Yeah, that's it Bernie, was trying to explain in words, but maybe it wasn't coming over as clearly as I thought?