Hey everyone.

It's been years since I've been on here which really is testament to how reliable my GP has been since buying new all those years ago.

Anyway now I have an issue. After the car sat idle for a few months due to furlough obviously the battery was flat. I've charged it and tested for a current with a mutlimeter, It's pushing out just over 12.40v, I put it back on the car but when trying to start it just clicks, The dash goes clear and the rev needle bounces for a few seconds. Then when trying again it acts as if the battery is completely dead with no dash lights or anything at all. Remove the battery and refit, Try again and the same. Note when testing with the multimeter again its now showing 12.11v. I'd rather not buy another battery just yet in case its not the cause, This was replaced 2-3 years ago but I understand this is no guarantee its ok. Is there anything obvious I should be checking before I start spending on it?

It's a 1.4 8v active sport.

Thanks in advance.
Nick

Hi Nick

It may well be that the battery has started to degrade internally having drained over weeks..

The bouncing needles point to very little power flowing

Do you possess jumpleads ?

A jumpstsrt from a running car might get it going well enough to run the car up to temperature and check everything else is functioning.

Tip:depress the clutch pedal while cranking on the starter.. you are not churning the gearbox then

Even a sticky alternator is a posibility after sitting a while

Charlie - near the M4

'evening Nick. I see you've got a multimeter? With the probes on the battery - make sure they are actually on the actual lead battery terminals to rule out any problems being caused by poor connections in the clamps etc - observe the voltage whilst trying to crank the engine. If there is a significant voltage drop (so if it drops to say under 11 volts or thereabouts) You've got battery problems. If the battery is poor it may well be showing a good output when not subject to a load but as soon as it's asked to "deliver" the internal resistance, probably due to suphation, will stop current flowing, if so new battery needed. If the voltage doesn't drop then you've most likely got a connection problem somewhere and the earth cable and/or connections is always a No 1 suspect on our cars. You can eliminate it, for testing purposes, by using a jump lead from the negative battery terminal to a metal part of the engine - block or cylinder head. If it then works you know it's something to do with that cable.

PS, as Charlie says above, the clicking and bouncing needles would seem to indicate that lack of current flow is your problem. If it's simply a poor battery and you get it going using the jump leads then check the battery voltage again with the engine running. If the alternator is working expect to see somewhere between 13.5 to 14.5 volts. This doesn't necessarily mean your battery is Ok, but it does mean the alternator is working and trying to charge it.

nickthegeek said:

Hey everyone.

It's been years since I've been on here
Anyway now I have an issue.
After the car sat idle for a few months due to furlough obviously the battery was flat. I've charged it and tested for a current with a mutlimeter, It's pushing out just over 12.40v, I put it back on the car but when trying to start it just clicks,

Is there anything obvious I should be checking before I start spending on it?

It's a 1.4 8v active sport.

Thanks in advance.
Nick

Click to expand...

Ask for recommendations IF its new battery time

There's a useful guide to testing for a poor earth connection here

https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-punto/318839-electrical-gremlin-thread.html

In particular, the fat earth cable that runs from the battery negative to the body and the gearbox/engine can corrode internally, so it's not always obvious there's anything wrong from outside, but using a pair of jump leads to bypass both sections as described in the above guide should confirm/eliminate it as an issue.

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for all your responses, Mucho appreciated.

So I went back to the car this morning and had a chap test the voltage when I turned the key, And the voltage dropped right down.
After this the voltage was only showing 11v so I'm taking it as the battery being fooked.
Just to be certain I did jump start it as well, Started straight away but as soon as I pulled the jump leads off it cut out. So the battery must have been well and truly finished.
I'm relieved the alternator doesn't appear to be the culprit as this is quite expensive. Anyway new battery ordered, I'll update once its fitted.
I did have a front end prang a while ago so am also lookign at sorting that out, If anyone knows of a black 3 door with most of the front end for sale send them in my direction.
Again thanks all for your help.
Nick

Thanks for the update Nick. Do let us know how you get on with the new battery and what make it is. - Kind regards. Jock

Evening all

Just to update on this, New battery turned up today (Lion 063 Car Battery) fitted and started straight away. Running sweet again. It's not going to be a daily runner for a short while until I get it back to roadworthy condition so will keep an eye on it until then. Again thanks for all your help with this.
Nick